5 Comments

God uses so many things to let us know He’s there and He’s listening! I’ve never heard the term earworm for this phenomenon, so thanks for teaching me a new word!

This is a great list, but Napoleon! - please consider listening to some Christian music. Those earworms are the best! I hate to admit that I used to love Kenny Loggins, but then I’ve listened to a fairly wide, deep and eclectic range of music throughout my life - everything but rap! As a lifelong music lover, there is always music either in the air or in my head, and I often wonder what kind of music there will be in heaven. Music’s mysterious relationship to God is unceasingly intriguing! I love the idea that people who have lost their minds to advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s, STILL remember songs. I knew an old woman who didn’t know her family members, but sang hymns from her nursing home bed!

My worship experience is often found primarily in the music (hymns) and Liturgy. I love it when an earworm visits me, and now I have a catchy name for it! 😂

Expand full comment

Hi Freebird you are right about music and its connection to God. Funny thing is my mother had a stroke a long time ago and now has aphasia which means she can't speak correctly. However she can sing perfectly fine. Quite amazing.

I do listen to Christian music on the radio but for some reason God sends me mostly pop music. But the two Elvis Presley songs on the playlist are gospel. Elvis' best music was his gospel. I also like gregorian chants. But haven't had an sleep earworm for those yet!

Expand full comment

I get those waking earworms too. I used to just happily run with them (sing or listen to the song once or twice) to satisfy what I was interpreting as my brain's song request.

Then came the fateful day when I woke up with the lyrics from a video song by Lemon Jelly running through my head, called "Nice Weather for Ducks". The lyrics include "All the ducks are swimming in the water, fal de rol de rol da" . I started happily singing the bit, off and on for a few minutes.

Then my (at the time) teen-aged daughter came downstairs and told me she'd just been told on the phone that a good friend of hers had drowned the night before, on a trip up north with some mutual acquaintances . He was probably the most decent, kind teen-ager I'd ever met, too.

What do you make of this sad story?

This experience left me pretty wary of ear worms.

Expand full comment

Hi Perplexity. What a fascinating ear worm story. For sure that was a message to you that everything would be ok. I believe it came from God since the song made you happy. God has a way of sending us things when we need them. I say don't be wary of sleep earworms especially if you know they are a way for God to communicate with you. Just my two cents for what it's worth!

Expand full comment

Chris (the young man who drowned) was/is a believer. I have faith in God's promises, and that Chris is in the very best of hands.

It rattled me pretty thoroughly, though, and even after decades, I get tense when I wake up with lyrics going through my head.

Expand full comment