I Create Like the Word
- Peggy O'Neal
- Feb 13
- 6 min read
And, the world is abuzz! “Did you see it?” “Did you hear it?” “Mother did it again!” “Mother is back!!” “Mother” is what the youth and LGBT+ community call Lady Gaga. Yes, the song is catchy – an earworm! Yes, the choreography! Make that “yaaaass!” Yes, the variations of her real voice let loose, and autotuned, and intentionally toned and then the raw sounds of the group . . . it is all kind of sticky. It attaches to you.
But what matters is the lyrics and especially the title, “Abracadabra”. Why?
The song is telling you to push on, doing something, use your voice, persevere. It opens with Lady Gaga dressed as the woman in red stating “The category is: dance or die.” This is the challenge. It is the test. And then you are given the reasons to dance in the lyrics. You are being told to be genuine. You are encouraged to “keep your mind on the distance. . . don’t waste time on a feelin’ . . . use your passion”. .
But most of all, you are encouraged to use your words. Okay, THAT doesn’t appear anywhere in the lyrics – that “use your words” part. Oh, yes it does, if you know where to look.
Abracadabra is believed to be derived from Aramaic for “I create like the word” or old Hebrew for “I will create as I speak”, according to author Mat Auryn, in his Substack article about the song. You may ask what it is that words have to do with the idea of creation. Let’s take a look.
Logos is considered to be the words that created the universe. The concept of Logos is deeply rooted in ancient philosophy, mysticism, and religious traditions. It refers to the divine principle of reason, order, and creative words by which the universe was brought into existence. In essence, Logos is the Word of the Creator (God, the Universe, the “Big Bang” – whatever meshes with your beliefs), the vibration of creation, the first emanation of the Divine/spark that shaped reality. You’ll find this is Greek Philosophy, Christian Mysticism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Theurgy, Hinduism (AUM as the primary sound) and find references to words as divine vibrations in numerous texts.
“But, what does that have to do with me?”, you ask. Your words are more powerful than you realize. Words that are not spoken are thoughts. They are just inside of you. But your thoughts drive how you perceive reality and how you interact with reality. However, you are part of a vast collection of living beings and if you think about that, the collection is like one huge living organism.
Your unspoken words need to be uttered in order to actively participate in the collective. You channel that electrical energy in your brain into vocal cord vibrations and mouth movements that produce air pressure that creates sounds that are perceived and understood by others that then impacts the receivers – sometimes as you expect and other times not. Think about it. You are transmuting energy!
You’re a magician and didn’t even realize it! The act of speech is nothing short of amazing and miraculous, which is every reason why you should not be sitting quietly and internalizing daily existence. Speak with people about what matters to you. Be genuine. And always strive to be empathetic. Always find common ground.
What may seem to be a polar opposite to you is actually the same exact thing, but in a different position along the path. That is what makes certain topics so difficult sometimes – the opposite sides of an argument are about the same thing, but from a different point of view. An extreme example: Love vs Hate. It’s the same emotion, but in different positions along the path. How do you most effectively work to eliminate hate? With love. How do you handle love? With love. Get it?
So, words are powerful. But there’s a key to being effective for the greater good: speak with intent. This is key to a second transmutation – how the receiver perceives the spoken word. Words can be blankets of comfort and manuals of instruction, but they can also be very destructive weapons.
Your intentions not only determine what the words become, but your intentions also determine how you impact your audience and how you receive the natural balance of their effect. Praise someone and you might get a smile back. Insult someone and that person might be moved to walk away or perhaps to strike you. Engage a stranger in meaningful conversation about what jointly concerns the two of you and you may develop a friendship.
“With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
Speak when it is difficult. Speak to move things forward. Some conversations are really tough. Sometimes you really do feel like you are speaking to a brick wall. Those are the conversations that need to be had.
Hey! What bothers you about the other person is actually a reflection of you. Ow!! Yes, those are tough words, but give it some thought. Who here doesn’t know two people that couldn’t stand each other but then started dating and fell in love? Same for workplace colleagues. I don’t know about you, but the best, most productive workplace partnerships I had came from a place of mutual dislike and mistrust, but then we talked. Finally, a key point of the lyrics is to keep going.
“Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night”
Just read what Lady Gaga had to say:“. . . And so with this song, I wanted to crack open what it means to persevere. And explore the metaphor of perseverance on the dance floor, because the dance floor is – for me, anyway – it has always been the place where I try to improve myself as a human being. How do I work harder? Have more passion? How do I give more of my authentic self? How do I earn my spot as a performer?” – Lady Gaga, via “Elle” magazine
Out of fragility, perseverance leads to achievements. It is the same with Democracy. For Democracy to be birthed into existence, its ideas needed to persevere. For those ideas to be shaped, democracy had to persevere. For democracy to happen, it had to persevere. For the heartbeat of democracy to keep beating, it must persevere.
The heartbeat of democracy is you. The heartbeat of democracy is your words. You, by your belief in the principles of democracy and your ability and willingness to spread it and teach those who need help grasping its concepts, become the creator whose logos “create like the word”. Every time you reach that moment with someone when you are both aligned to speak and live democracy, you have created by your words.
What follows are the lyrics to the song. Please take part in a small indulgence. Read the lyrics three times.
Once to be familiar
Once as if Democracy is singing it to you
Once as if you are singing it to Democracy
Then enjoy the music video at this link: https://youtu.be/vBynw9Isr28?si=SRZCLgTiNBc7eMvp . . . and start dancing.
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
[Verse 1]
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawin' circles in the clouds
Keep your mind on the distance
When the devil turns around
[Refrain]
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
[Pre-Chorus]
Like a poem said by a lady in red
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night
[Chorus]
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-oo-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"
[Post-Chorus]
[Verse 2]
As the dust flies, watch it burn
Don't waste time on a feelin'
Use your passion, no return
[Refrain]
[Pre-Chorus]
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
[Chorus]
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-oo-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"
[Post-Chorus]
[Bridge]
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah
[Chorus]
References:
Mat Auryn is an author, podcast co-host and owner of Datura Trading Company.
A description of the concept of Logos can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos
Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta] (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music.
The track “Abracadabra” was written and produced by Gaga with Andrew Watt and Cirkut. A part of the song uses the melody of "Spellbound" by Siouxsie and the Banshees and written by Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, John McGeoch and Steven Severin.
By Joe Castagliola, Democracy Is Us Council Member
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