‘Heaven Knows’ – Robert Vincent

Jane writes:

Any track that starts with the line “Open your eyes, disasters are waiting to happen” has got to be worth a listen in my book. It’s such a short song and carries within it a sort of fatalism and yet a strong sense of what really matters when the chips are down.

There are times in your life when you generally don’t know what the hell is going on. Everything around you seems to be turning into something pretty unpleasant, and the opportunities to understand are limited. You also know it’s not going to get better any time soon, and quite literally the aforementioned disasters hang over your head like an anvil.

Quite often in such moments, the themes that are distressing seem to be on repeat from other times and places in your existence and as the lyricist writes:

The patterns are clear

Only you can appear to address them

They’re open armed with deceit not too far behind them

When it all becomes clear

Only you will be able to stop them

In their tracks, in their tracks

But there’s rather an assumption that you have any personal resilience to deal with stuff. In such life moments people will say “lovely things”

· “It’ll be right”– if they’re from Yorkshire

· “The Lord knows what he’s doing – he has plans to prosper you not harm you” – well-meaning people of faith who can quote scripture

· “You’re not alone in this, God is there” – also from people of faith but the less astute kind

· “You’ve got this” – people who can’t bear that you’re in pain and essentially want you to pull yourself together

· “Well you can spend your energy on moping about or on being happy” – people who are making assumptions that how you feel is in fact within a hairs breadth of being in your control

· “Ahhh, it is what it is” – that’s one of my own because I’m at a loss to find a solution and I think some response is better than none

But there are people who get it. Typically they just love you and put up with you and let you grieve for/about whatever it is that ails you. I’m never sure if you can head off disasters at the pass, or indeed deal with them when they land, and occasionally there is an opportunity for personal agency or of course a cry to God. I wonder though if it’s those who “get you” rather than those who “claim to” that really make a difference.

When all else fails then, even the lyricist says:

Disciples will gather

As your enemies shatter around you

And you call Heaven knows

Keep those God-given people close for they are the ones who are the living embodiment of what love is meant to be about. Patient; kind; not self-seeking; protective; hopeful – you know how it goes…

You can find out much more about Robert Vincent here https://robertvincentmusic.com/