Category: The Belly of the Whale

Writing Crusin’ for a Brusin’ – The Jonah Songs

Post author By elvisgumby
Post date November 1, 2018
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Several years ago, I wrote a song called The Belly of the Whale. It was based on the familiar story from the first three chapters of the book of Jonah. In the story, Jonah is called to preach to the people of Nineveh, he runs away from God, is swallow by a whale, is spit up after three days and he finally goes to Nineveh to preach where the people turn to God. My song stopped at this point in the story. This is also the point where most people stop when they are telling the story of Jonah. But there is one more chapter in the book.

Performing Six Minutes After Seven Album The Belly of the Whale

Fish Songs

This past weekend, I did special music during the worship service at the church I attend. Most of the time I do special music, I just sing one of my songs. I try to select a song that relates to the scripture lesson for the service or at least the theme for the service. This Sunday, I chose to go with a theme that related to the passages from several recent Sundays and sessions from other programming.

I wore an old pair of jeans, sneakers, my oldest, favorite sweatshirt and a 2014 Elvis Week ball cap. I told everyone that my wife asked me before I left the house, “Why are you dressed like that?!?” I told her that I was going fishing.

Six Minutes After Seven Album Song Writing The Belly of the Whale

Notes on The Belly of the Whale

Post author By elvisgumby
Post date January 4, 2014
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I have written music off and on throughout my life. Most of the things I did early in my life weren’t work keeping around. There are bits and pieces of this music stored away in drawers at my father’s house but it’s really not worth digging up. Sometime around 1998 or 1999, I started work on the song that would become The Belly of the Whale. At the time, I lived in Livingston, Tennessee. We only lived there three years and my youngest child was born while we were there. She might have been born before I started working on this song. At the time, I felt that I was being moved to minister to people that I really didn’t like. By writing this song, I attempted creatively address this feeling.