Saturday, June 21, 2008

Islamifying "Pocketful of Sunshine"

Recently I was listening to the radio and I heard Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine." From the first listen I loved it! After a few listens I tried to figure out why I liked it so much because I don't generally like love songs - they make me want to fall in love haha and I have way too many things to accomplish before I start thinking about falling in love... So I came up with an interpretation that works for me and inspires me. Most of this is probably influenced by sufi poems I've been reading lately. Thought I'd share it with everyone :


I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love, and I know that it's all mine.
Oh.
she has nur in her pocket, her love / connection with Allah swt


Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me.
Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me.
No.
Talking to the dunya and materialism – she’s so deeply engulfed in her love for Allah swt that these other things just don’t get to her


Take me away: A secret place.
A sweet escape: Take me away.

Take me away to better days.
Take me away: A higher place.
Pleading with Allah swt in these four lines – asking to get this test of the dunya over and done with already. To take her to Heaven

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love, and I know that it's all mine.
Oh.

Wish that you could, but you ain't gonna own me.
Do anything you can to control me.
Oh, no.
Talking to the dunya and materialism again, she’s too busy seeing Allah’s magnificence and knows what she’s on this world for – so worldly temptations don’t get to her.

There's a place that I go,
But nobody knows.
Where the rivers flow,
And I call it home.
In the Qur’an Heaven is constantly described as being full of gardens with rivers flowing underneath, so here she’s talking about reading the Qur’an where she is taken to a different place imagining what her reward will be (I’A) and she calls it her home because we all return to our Creator.


And there's no more lies.
In the darkness, there's light.
And nobody cries.
There's only butterflies.

The sun is on my side.
Take me for a ride.
I smile up to the sky.
I know I'll be all right.
She gets her strength from Allah swt and when you put your full trust in Him then you know you will be alright (:

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful interpretation!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your interpretation!! I like this song a lot but now it is my favorite because when I hear it I will thing of your interpretation!

So lovely!!

Anonymous said...

that gave me shivers down my spine..

you were talking about the interpretation to me
but i didnt understand the depth of it

Anonymous said...

vanessa you help light up the world

Allah truly uses great minds like yours to spread his love

:D

esra said...

DUDE vanessa
i totally did the same thing when i heard this song, i made it relate to islam.
bahahhaha
we are awesome.

Vanessa Fatima said...

I'm so glad that you guys liked it! if you have any songs that you interpret in an islam-esque way I'd love to hear about them!

gingermuffin said...

Woah, that was beautiful.