“Lay You Down” by Conway Twitty
— Friday, May 20th, 2011 —
This is the kind of song that was awkward to hear on the radio when my Mom was driving the car. Even before I knew what Conway Twitty was singing about, I knew it was something kind of…awkward. Thirty years later, this song sounds downright tame compared to most of what’s out on the airwaves. But what is remarkable to me about this song is not that it’s a love song, but that it’s a love song to an aging woman, by an aging man.
Most of the love songs we hear in our culture assume adolescence, either in fact or in attitude. On this week’s program, we listen in as Frederica Mathewes-Green talks about what she’s learned since she was a hippie sexual revolutionary dismissing “old married people sex” as boring. We talk about why Conway Twitty’s ode to curlers, housecoats, and gray hair sounds so different from what we hear of love in our culture. And we’ll ask what the Book of Proverbs says to all of this.
Dr. Moore,
I grew up listening to what is called now “Classic Country”. My dad sang it, and listening to it is what drew me to the radio industry. I appreciate your preaching and teaching ministry. This podcast has nearly got me convinced to flip our Southern Gospel station to a “reformed” Classic Country station, the first of its kind.
Blessings,
Randy Catoe
General Manager
100.9 The Cross
http://www.wstsfm.com
@Randy Catoe, I like the idea of that Reformed class country station! Let me know if you can pull that one off! Thanks for your kind words.
You’ll get no complaints from me, Dr. Moore. I think Christian leaders and churches should talk more about sex, specifically healthy sex in marriage couples throughout their ages.
Thank you!
@Brian, I agree about churches! Thank you.
Zero complaints from this about to hit a culturally unwelcome age milestone wife and mom.
Lord have mercy. Some of the folks who have done such great work setting old hymns to new music need to get to work making a new tune to that song and handing it out at mens’ retreats.
“Old married people sex” - Ewwww… I’m telling Dr. Mohler on you! :)
This was a good message, but I do find it interesting that while you offered a fair overview of Christian sexuality in terms of the monogamous couple over the years, and Solomon’s teaching of cherishing the bride of your youth, in the entirety of the broadcast, unless I missed it, there was no mention of sexuality in terms of procreation! This more or less sounded a lot like how so much of the world views sexuality - gratification only. And its curious, I listened to this podcast around the same time I’ve been reading Voddie Baucham’s “What he must be if he wants to marry my daughter”, and one of the points Voddie makes (in the chapter titled “He must be committed to children”) is that how “so often young men think of women in terms of their own gratification. However, a man who is ready to take a wife and start a family has a different perspective. He thinks of women not in terms of their outward beauty only but also in terms of qualities that go directly to her ability to function as a good mother.”
Shallow songs like Twitty’s “Lay you down”, and too often the evangelical view of sterilized sexuality, really seem to miss this point of sexuality primarily as a function of procreation.
Good word Dr. Moore.
I think I will use this as a counseling homework assignment when I encounter people with skewed view of sexuality. You did an excellent job using this this song to show how a biblical sexuality not only rejects the cultural understanding, but also is superior.
@Bill Blair, that’s very kind brother. Blessings to you as you prepare couples for marriage!
Dr. Moore, just read your CP article on testimonies that can be used of satan and it was an awesome article that many in the ministry should pay close attention to. My other concern about testimonies is that often times the BC portion of the testimony sounds far more exciting than the AC portion of the testimony when in truth it should be just the opposite. Thanks for the article, Bob Finch DOM.