‘The Wire’ – Luke Jackson

Jane writes:

I first saw Luke Jackson and Shrewsbury Folk Festival what seems like a lifetime ago (2012ish). He was a bright young thing with a new EP out and under the wing of Martyn Joseph. He wrote of life experiences as he saw them. Stories of leaving home, playing in the woods and affection for the streets near his home. He still does the same but with more subtlety and anger now. He sees what life is like as a young man and has an eye for the society he lives in and the impact of the situations they are thrown into.

One of his latest tracks then is this – The Wire

The lyrics are scarily cracking and make scant reference to God seen as the never present help in times of trouble. I think that the sense that everyone is operating at the lowest ebb is a universal truth at present. It may be about finance, poor mental health, work stress, family hassle, “bad luck”, grief, ill health or anything you care to mention but everyone is almost certainly carrying something which means that they are down to the wire. Maybe not everyday. Maybe all the time or part of it. Maybe when they are let down by others. Down to the wire nonetheless.

What do we do now?

There’s nothing new in life about this and biblically there are many many characters who are handling the same sort of stuff. There’s hardly a chapter goes by without some stress or pain. Some tough situation to resolve and the responses are many. Everything from praying, running, weeping, promising through to laying out fleeces and dancing naked.

This song has a kind of fatalism to it. A kind of no-hope hope. A kind of acceptance that life is this way and some of it we are complicit in but the constant refrain may give us a key to finding a way out. What do we do now?

Whatever we do may make the shift for us. A small incremental one but nonetheless, a shift. It may be a change of scenery. It may be a new viewpoint. It may be a chance to get back to what matters at the heart of us. It may be a rest and a chance to take stock. We may need help – friend or faith – but however we get there doing nothing is unlikely to be a sensible option in the end.

If you’re down to the wire, reach out, whatever the reason. It may be the shift you need

You can find out more about Luke here https://www.lukepauljackson.com/