Music, for many, is an outlet.  It helps to start the day, unwind from a long one, or simply helps makes it go by faster.  Whether you play an instrument, sing, or just like to turn it up and listen, music has the ability to change the way people think and feel.  From a Masonic perspective, music used to play a much more substantial role in all of our activities.  During the enlightenment (and for some great time thereafter) Brothers would write custom songs for meetings, degrees, dinners, and other Lodge activities.  This was done simply to make the activity that much more special.  It manifests in everything from lyrics, rhythms, album artwork, and more.  Interestingly, some very recognizable songs have Masonic references, roots Freemasonry or Masonic symbolism, or were written by a Brother.  Here are some examples of those well-known songs:

“Auld Lang Syne,” Bro. Robert Burns – This song, now commonly heard at the stoke of midnight on New Years Eve, was actually a poem.  While there are many interpretations as to his intended message, it is pretty clear this song is about making friends/connections among strangers, celebrating life, and cheerfully mourning those friends who have passed.

“The Magic Flute,” Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – This is a special one and it isn’t a single song; rather, it is an entire opera.  Unlike several of these examples, too, it makes no direct reference to Freemasonry, being a Mason, or anything of the sort.  Rather, the link to Masonry exists in the score itself.  HINT: it’s more than just the continuous repetition of the number three.

“Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon,” Bro. Irving Berlin – Written in 1910, the same year Bro. Berlin was initiated, this song actually makes direct reference to “Be[ing] a Mason,” and keeping a conversation between two prospective lovers in confidence.

“Jump Around,” House of Pain – This is a really odd one, mainly because it can be interpreted in a few different ways.  The authors, not known to be Masons, included two phrases in the song, “ Do you know about the Masons, about their nation?” and, “ To the 33^rd degree, you know that’s me.” In context, they could either be references to the ridiculous conspiracy theories dogging our craft, or, it could be a reference to our craft’s ideals of a peaceful and harmonious world.