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Ephesus

from Cities by Jonathon Roberts

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about

Ephesus is inspired by Acts 18:19-21, Acts 19:8-12, Acts 20:16-24; Ephesians 1:1-2, Ephesians 1:15-17, Ephesians 6:23-24;

and Revelation 2:4:
“…Yet I hold this against you, [Ephesus]: You have forsaken the love you had at first….”

This song takes the above passage from Revelation, written by the Apostle John as a warning to the city of Ephesus, and combines it with historical information that my wife Emily and I learned while visiting Ephesus on our honeymoon. The shore line used to be close to biblical Ephesus, but as the water receded, the city moved with it, faithfully preserving what was left behind as ruins in the dirt.

This piece also draws from the books of Acts, Ephesians, and historical accounts. It imagines Ephesus loving the years when Paul lived there, when the city was alive, and then missing his presence dearly as he traveled away. The city pines for his letters and news of his safety and potential return.

lyrics

We were alive
We were alive

We were alive
my streets were veins
and the people, blood
coursed in and out
my ports were full
I’m full

I was proud
I was proud as a king
all the happenings

when you walked here
commerce flowed
ideas sold
I was told
I had forgotten my first love

When they chased you
When they chased you
They had to chase
you said their gods were broken
their lives a farce
and I was afraid

I was afraid in my theater huge and proud
There was a sea of shouts
and all my walls fall down
My paths and roads congest and you are lost
I was lost

I had forgotten my first love

You sailed away
'cross the Aegean sea
leaving broken people inside of me

You saw them as one
sealed together with their fractures and their faults

But all I feel are splintered pieces
and if they fuse, these veins may block and bruise

Will I be lost, will I lose
I’ve forgotten my first love
I’ve forgotten my first love

Your letter came
Before the sea had left
You wished me fullness, while I
I tried to know

I tried to know
as the walls grew around
were you safe at last or were you walled up too
Are bones all that remain of me and you?

I will remember my first love

credits

from Cities, released February 22, 2017
Jonathon Roberts: vocals, piano, drum programming
Emily Clare Zempel: vocals
Ariana Rosen: violin
Kevin Gosa: soprano and alto saxophones
Meaghan Burke: cello
James Hall: Trombone

Lyrics by Emily Clare Zempel, with Jonathon Roberts
Music and production by Jonathon Roberts

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Jonathon Roberts Beacon, New York

Jonathon MT Roberts is a composer and performer inspired by biblical text with a background in classical, jazz and, pop. He collaborates with his wife Emily Clare Zempel for the Spark & Echo band and write off the beaten path music and theatre. Founder of Spark and Echo Arts. ... more

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