Music is a fascinating thing. Why you like it and when you connect with it. Sometimes it’s all about the lyrical content – this blog is testament to that. Other times it is about chord structure and harmony, and all that one note does when it hits you deep down in your core. It can also be about how much of your cold hard cash you’ve invested in it or, and this is more my thing, the sense of time and place it brings up from when it was first on your radar.
This track though connects with me because of a person. A dear friend and colleague who died in recent weeks. A man interested in others, and who carried an overwhelming sense of justice at the top of the list in the important things of faith. A gentle human who took the time to care and listen. A soul who was great at his job and knew his stuff. A navigator of the complexities of life, sometimes with more success than others. A funny, witty, and occasionally provocative storyteller. A guy with a lilting and rich voice who sang often and especially this song on request.
I don’t really know what happens when a person dies, but I certainly know what I’d like to think could be in store for a God-filled man like this one. Maybe the answer for me lies in a heavenward look to the stars and a listen to this song. A constant reminder that this gracious soul, full of light, made a dent in our lives, and the world was a better place for having him in it.
Here we are on that most devastating of days, Good Friday. The day when a world of hopes and dreams, of justice and liberation, came crashing down. There couldn’t be a better soundtrack to the day than this song of sheer hopelessness from Radiohead.
Today we walk the journey with Jesus as he takes his last steps towards crucifixion. We walk along the narrow Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem as
Rows of houses, all bearing down on me I can feel their blue hands touching me
We’re bemused by a system that allows an innocent man to be put to death; that continues to rule with tyranny; that prefers lies to truth; that lines its own pockets and laughs in the face of the poor and sick. We’re angry, we’re frustrated, we’re disgusted, we’re crestfallen, we’re broken.
This machine will, will not communicate These thoughts and the strain I am under Be a world child, form a circle Before we all go under And fade out again and fade out again
We watch with horror and distress as this man, who has shown us God and changed our lives completely, struggles under the weight that he is bearing on his shoulders. This is surely not what is supposed to happen. There has to be a reprieve. There has to be a change of mind.
Cracked eggs, dead birds Scream as they fight for life I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
There he hangs. Our Messiah.
All these things into position All these things we’ll one day swallow whole Fade out again Fade out again
Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.
Immerse your soul in love Immerse your soul in love
Just a ‘heads-up’ that this song contains the f*bomb a few times – a song of passion and justice sometimes does.
Max (age 17) writes:
‘Three Rivers’ is a poignant reminder of the trials and tribulations that immigrants face, not only in their home countries but also in this country – their so-called ‘refuge’. It follows the idea of 3 different groups of immigrants who have faced challenges from government and local communities in Britain – from the Windrush generation of the 60’s to the Syrian refugee crisis of the late 2010’s.
This song seems particularly relevant at this point in time with what is going on in Ukraine at the moment. The second verse strikes home particularly to me. The similarities between what Dave is saying about the conflict in former Yugoslavia seem almost eerily identical to what is happening in Ukraine. For me, this song is a masterpiece and really identifies the faults within society and our country’s immigration system. It’s a real ‘head wobbler’ and hopefully if more people hear it, more people may start looking at refugees and asylum seekers as humans running from an unspeakable evil, rather than foreigners ‘taking our jobs’.
A line that catches my attention is
We rely on migration more than ever before
They’re key workers, but they couldn’t even get in the door
It seems to me that throughout the COVID pandemic, we forgot the foreign nationals who kept our infrastructure afloat.
In conclusion, ‘Three Rivers’ is a song to make you think – which it does phenomenally well. Reflecting is the most important thing about humanity and I think with a little bit more Dave in our lives, everyone can become a little bit more human.
Look
Imagine an island where the party never ends Where it’s less about money and it’s more about friends Where the vibes can’t done It’s less about fundin’ and and more about fun Tropical sun, that’s life in the ’60s comin’ from the Caribbean You know Ian, Delroy, Vivian, Winston Who got drafted to England Windrush babies from Kingston to Brixton To say they’re the life of the party, you’re wrong My Jamaicans the entire party, you can’t see? Big Notting Hill carni, you can’t see? And the ride’s fiberglass, G, you wan’ see? Imagine a place where you raise your kids The only place you live says you ain’t a Brit They’re deportin’ our people and it makes me sick ‘Cause they were broken by the country that they came to fix It’s like
They came at the invitation of the British Government The passports were stamped indefinitely to remain But for some who were children then, that was a false promise “Thirty-seven years of paying taxes And I got a letter saying I was an illegal immigrant I came to England at the age of ten and I’ve lived here all my life”
Look, imagine a world that’s flawed and full of evil Where dictators and leaders are persecutin’ your people The bodies of the innocent are pilin’ to the steeples The ironic part is they’re preyin’ on the feeble That’s life in the 90’s, you’re Eastern European And you seein’ people dyin’ ’cause they’re fightin’ for their freedom And show you violence for havin’ a voice You move out with your kids in hope of havin’ a choice Life throws you a spanner, you can’t handle the pain So you gamble and you drink and then you gamble again You argue with your wife and then you sleep on the couch You hit your children, then start freezin’ ’em out You try and work things out, but it’s never the same All the women in your household are livin’ afraid When you look into the mirror you’re reminded again That you’ve become the dictator you were fightin’ against It’s like
We’re fightin’ for our rights, for all our mothers And then we, we We are fighting for our homes We are fighting for our own
Look, imagine a world that’s fucked and untrue Where the many pay a price for the few And every day the sun rises a little later That’s how it is when your oppressor is your liberator That’s right now livin’ in the Middle East Praise Allah for the peace Death from a sky littered with stars You run away with your kids so you can give them a chance But your asylum has got you in a different war Because the British wanna know what you’re livin’ here for We rely on migration more than ever before They’re key workers, but they couldn’t even get in the door When you’re at Heaven’s Gates, what you tellin’ the Lord? You wouldn’t even let a kid into some steadier shores That’s a life they may never afford Surely you would wanna give your people chances That were better than yours? No?
“In ten years of conflict More than twelve-thousand children have been killed or injured” “The children here are just a tiny fraction Of the estimated six-million In need of emergency humanitarian assistance It’s thought perhaps, as many of three-million No longer live in their own homes And up to two million children no longer attend school The opportunities of this generation Have been changed forever by this conflict”
“I went to silence when I need to who the, who the fuck I was, bro Like, I won’t hear anyone else, shut everyone else out So I could just hear myself, bro You know what I’m sayin’? ‘Cause we live in this world, yeah You stand still, the way the tides set up It will take you away from yourself, you feel me? So then I was like “Aight, cool” But, I had to get silent, but it’s not like mans goin’ against the tide ‘Cause goin’ against the tide still makes it about them Still makes it about the poison That you’ve internalized in your mind, you feel me? It’s like “Bro, why am I in this water? Man, this water doesn’t even like me, it’s not even for me It’s not takin’ me where I wanna go, it’s not takin’ me where I wanna go It’s who the fuck I am, bro, you know I’m sayin’? It’s like the tide will tell me that bein’ black is an obstacle See what I’m sayin’? I had to, switch rivers, bro It’s like bein’ black is an asset I am who I am because I’m black And I love everything about it, you feel me? And that’s who the fuck I am”
‘Darkside’ can be seen as a sad song, but it can give hope to people (especially teenagers).
The lyrics can make many people sad because the song is slow and the lyrics are not the happiest, but it can make teens feel not alone, and the sad but true truth is that this world isn’t always bright and colourful.
When you feel sad, you might want to be alone but not feel alone because you could be alone and switch the song on, and feel like there is someone there for you. The song makes the sad lyrics feel happy as the music is slow but makes the lyrics – which are sad when you read them – sound happy.
The tune is upbeat to pump you up, even though the lyrics are sad. Looking over this song from a different angle makes me see how much this song could make a person full of hope and can get some people through their day.
We’re not in love We share no stories Just something in your eyes
Don’t be afraid The shadows know me Let’s leave the world behind
Take me through the night Fall into the dark side We don’t need the light We’ll live on the dark side I see it Let’s feel it While we’re still young and fearless Let go of the light Fall into the dark side
Fall into the dark side Give into the dark side Let go of the light Fall into the dark side
Beneath the sky As black as diamonds We’re running out of time (Time, time)
Don’t wait for truth To come and blind us Let’s just believe their lies
Believe it I see it I know that you can feel it No secrets worth keeping So fool me like I’m dreaming
Take me through the night Fall into the dark side We don’t need the light We’ll live on the dark side I see it Let’s feel it While we’re still young and fearless Let go of the light Fall into the dark side
Fall into the dark side Give into the dark side Let go of the light Fall into the dark side
Take me through the night Fall into the dark side We don’t need the light We’ll live on the dark side I see it Let’s feel it While we’re still young and fearless Let go of the light Fall into the dark side
We hope that you are enjoying our Lent Friday Fixes from children and young people.
We’re still in need of one more Friday Fix for Lent so if you know anyone under 18 who loves music and would like to share why they like a particular song, please encourage them to send it in.
A grown-up could write it on their behalf, or forward it to us. A voice note would work too if they would prefer to record and send it. The email to send it to is thomasg@methodistchurch.org.uk.
“I’ll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes”
Ashes is a song by the folk band, The Longest Johns. It is about how sometimes people would rather worship the ashes of folk music till it’s dead and gone, rather than trying to keep it alive and active. The song calls on the listener to explore past the traditions and break the cycle of keeping folk music in a fixed box.
Not only is it a beautiful song, but it also has a very relevant application to faith as a whole. We find ways to adapt the way we worship independently and together so we can continue to tend to the fire of our faith, as shown by the dedication of worship leaders in lockdown who didn’t let the closure of churches kill the fire.
I believe that in faith, tradition in itself isn’t always inherently what matters – as the song puts it; “the lives and the loves and the songs are what matters”. It’s the people and our shared love of God that makes our faith what it is, not just the set traditions we follow. I think what the Church is sometimes guilty of is worshipping the ashes and “watch(ing) that old fire as it flickers and dies.” I would say we do this by doing things like we always have purely because that’s what we do. Now I’m not saying that tradition is bad or that it is in itself what kills the flame, but that by sticking to traditions in some situations, the Church misses the cues for change that would allow the continuation of the flame.
As a young person in the Church, I find myself feeling disconnected from worship at my home Church because I feel as though the way we worship there is worshipping the ashes. Do I believe that the people there have incredibly strong faith? Yes, of course! But are they conveying their worship in a way that encourages people of the younger generations to join in and explore God? Of that, I’m not so sure.
Matthew 13: 1-23, but particularly verse 23; “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” is reflected in ‘Ashes’ with the line “Bury some seeds and expect some strong branches”. Both are essentially saying that a seed does not grow tall and strong just by the seeds being sown, but that they need tending to with care for them to flourish.
Our faith is the same – we have to be consistent and tend to our faith for it to grow. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t expect a relationship with God without putting any work in. Relationships go both ways and I couldn’t expect to have a strong connection with God if I didn’t put the time into working on the relationship. In effect, I had buried the seeds and expected those strong branches.
Faith is something that is constantly developing for all of us, and like folk music, it shouldn’t be put in a box and we most certainly should continue to tend to the flame.
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LYRICS: The Longest Johns – Ashes
Watch that old fire as it flickers and dies
That once blessed the household and lit up our lives
It shone for the friends and the clinking of glasses
I’ll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes
Capture the wild things and bring them in line
And own what was never your right to confine
The lives and the loves and the songs are what matters
During Lent 2022, our Friday Fixes will be reflections by amazing humans who are under 18. We hope that you will find them as thought-provoking as ever, no matter how long or short they might be.
The Friday Fix Team
Barney (age 9)
The reason that I chose this song is because you need to be honest and true with yourself, and don’t be pressurised to be someone else.
‘Encanto’ is a Disney film and is currently streaming on Disney+.
The Friday Fix 