The Joseph of the Nativity story is a cipher: one of those New Testament characters whose very blankness seems to invite us to step into their sandals and ask what we would do if we were witness to such strange events. It wasn’t until I became an adoptive father that I suddenly (if narcissistically) saw Joseph as a poignant and even heroic figure in his humble acceptance of his role and responsibility. The New Pornographers go to the heart of this story and character in “Joseph, Who Understood.” The song does what maybe we all hope the season will do: turn a question into a declaration.
– Tom Fredrickson is the proprietor of the unparalleled music blog, Lost Wax Method.
