“Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the mansion, hunger in the rented room
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And there’s a God-sized hunger underneath the laughing and the rage”

When the discussion goes around about the best songwriters in the world, the name Jackson Browne is not often included. I’m not sure why as the man has consistently created some of the most introspective, thoughtful, and lyrically powerful songs for the last 51 years (yeah, you read that right – he’s been making music since 1966, when he joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band).

Though I can’t claim a collection of Jackson Browne albums, I’ve always found his music to be some of the most authentic in popular culture. He has always courageously laid his heart out there and created some achingly beautiful songs in the process.

For today’s Sunday God Quote, here is his song “Looking East”, a typically straightforward and honest song from Jackson, this time about a search for meaning and for the Divine in an age of superficiality and greed.  The lyrics are printed below. I would encourage you to click on the link to the song below that; it is a live acoustic version of the song, just Jackson and his guitar, that is glorious to listen to and meditate on.

Looking East

Standing in the ocean with the sun burning low in the west
Like a fire in the cavernous darkness at the heart of the beast
With my beliefs and possessions, stopped at the frontier in my chest
At the edge of my country, my back to the sea, looking east

Where the search for the truth is conducted with a wink and a nod
And where power and position are equated with the grace of God
These times are famine for the soul while for the senses it’s a feast
From the edge of my country, as far as you see, looking east

Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the mansion, hunger in the rented room
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And there’s a God-sized hunger underneath the laughing and the rage
In the absence of light
And the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east

How long have I left my mind to the powers that be
How long will it take to find the higher power moving in me

Power in the insect
Power in the sea
Power in the snow falling silently
Power in the blossom
Power in the stone
Power in the song being sung alone
Power in the wheat field
Power in the rain
Power in the sunlight and the hurricane
Power in the silence
Power in the flame
Power in the sound of the lover’s name
The power of the sunrise and the power of a prayer released
On the edge of my country, I pray for the ones with the least

Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the banquet, hunger in the bride and groom
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And there’s a God-sized hunger underneath the questions of the age
And an absence of light
In the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east

Written by Fritz Lewak, Jackson Browne, Jeff Young, Kevin James Mc Cormick, Luis Conte, Mark Goldenberg, Scott Thurston • Copyright © BMG Rights Management US, LLC