The Wrestle
THE WRESTLE:
This song comes from the book of Enos. Whenever I think of the book of Enos, I hear the song "My Soul Hungered" inside my head. I wanted something that was completely different. I wanted to tell the whole Enos story, because we tend to breeze over it and focus on the first part of the book. So I wrote into this song his prayer for his people and for his enemies. I think this teaches a fundamental truth that the Spirit of God will lead us to love all men and want what's best for them.
Enos calls his story a "wrestle... before God," before he received "a remission of [his] sins." He starts the book with his first real prayer, which he begins in the woods while hunting beasts. This first prayer lasted all day long and into the night as he prayed for the salvation of his own soul. The rest of his story, when remembered is treated as if it happened all at the same time, even though there are a few lines that, when examined, make it clear took place at other times throughout his life. I kept the continuity in my song.
Now, I see Enos as a rugged man. He was a hunter, an outdoorsman and from a relatively primitive (he appears to be 3rd generation) civilization. I wanted his song to capture his ruggedness and the feeling of a "wrestle." To accomplish this I chose Johnny Cash as my inspiration. This worked great for the storytelling nature of the song.
