In honor of poetry week, I wanted to write about a certain song from one of my favorite RPGs. Many Japanese songs are written almost in the form of poetry, in my opinion. Sure, many times they don’t rhyme, but poetry doesn’t always have to rhyme. For me, poetry is when words are when paint pictures in our minds as we hear them. There are a few video games that can pull this off well, and Final Fantasy IX’s “Melodies of Life” is one of them. I was also inspired to write this article by a previous one created by Japesland on Beneath The Tangles.
The album that captured this song majestically. Pick it up, the whole production is great!
Final Fantasy has some of the best music ever. Not just in terms video game soundtracks, but in terms of music in general. The feelings that you get when you are in a boss battle during Final Fantasy VII, or the fantastical history you experience while hearing To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X cannot be easily replicated. A classic title in the franchise is Final Fantasy IX, which is the story of Zidane and Garnet who join together to save the world from destruction. It’s a beautiful story of love, drama, pain, maturity and heroism–everything you would expect from the series, of course. The soundtrack, though, had some memorable tracks and one of them was the elegant, “Melodies of Life.” It’s rare to find a lyrical song in a video game, and rarer to find one that makes sense with happenings in the game. I am a big fan of music in general, and listen to it every day, so when I hear bad production, I can tell. Looking back at this song, what it is saying, and how it relates to the game, revealed many parallels to the Bible and God’s love. Let’s go over this memorable melody, stanza by stanza, as there’s a lot to unpack in each section.
Alone for a while I’ve been searching through the dark,
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,
Melodies of life – love’s lost refrain.
This can be compared to any relationship between a man and a woman, but it can also be shown as someone who is searching for God’s love in their heart. Many people have heard or read about how much God loves them, but have not yet embraced that love.
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.
And who’ll hear the echoes of stories never told ?
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.
Not every section lyrics holds a biblical reflection, as these are obviously talking about a relationship that never was. The last two lines mention echoes of stories never told and wonders who will hear them, which can refer to them sharing the experiences they had together with others.
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.
Though you’re gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying birds – forever and beyond.
These words make me reflect on how God is never far from us, though we often believe He is. He is always reaching out to us, and He is only a moment away when we choose to accept His love and comfort. He knows us by name, knows how many hairs are on our heads, and His thoughts for us are more than the sands on the beach. As the lyrics convey, each of us sing our own song, from the day we are born ’till the day we die. Whether right or wrong, the life we lived will be judged by our Maker before His throne, so may we all seek His will and live in holiness. The sky could be a reflection of Heaven, as eternity is promised to those who accepted forgiveness for their sins through Christ and believe that He rose from the dead on the third day.
So far and away, see the birds as it flies by.
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.
I’ve laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings.
The person is reminiscing on their past memories and hoping for a new tomorrow. It’s hard to let go of our past sometimes, especially when it comes to a romantic relationship, family member, or close friend that lingers there. If they were bad memories full of pain or depression, the worst thing we can do is wallow in them. We can’t move on to the new doors that God has opened for us if we live in the past. Learn from it and move on to your future!
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me ?
Was it fate that brought us close and now leave me behind ?A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying bird – forever and on.If I should leave this lonely world behind,
Your voice will still remember our melody.
Now I know we’ll carry on.
Melodies of life,
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts, as long as we remember.