There has been a pretty significant conversation about Paul Simon's new album, So Beautiful or So What. It's religious content has many communities abuzz. Bruce Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball, is considered by some to be a religious album. Let's not forget Mercyland: Hymns for the rest of us, the new CD that came out earlier this year. It's a great collection of talent and of music. There's so much to say. And now Dave Matthews is sharing his offering.
Don't give up
I know you can see
All the world and the mess that were making
Can't give up
And hope God will intercede
Come on back
Imagine that we could get it together
Stand up for what we need to be
Cause crime won't save our feet or hungry child
Can't lay down and hope no miracles change things
So lift up your eyes
Lift up your heart
I'm just. Wow. It's so beautiful. Liturgical language abounds...though there's no guarantee that he meant to alude to the sursum corda.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with thy spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God. (or Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.)
People: It is meet and right so to do. (or It is meet and just.)
It's a beautiful lyric. Dave gets what reconciliation is all about. He sings of reconciliation and love, of having what we need even when we feel we might break.
Singing mercy will we overcome this
Oh one by one could we turn it around
Maybe carry on just a little bit longer
And I try to give you what you need
Me and you and you and you
Just want to be free yeah
But you see all the world is just as we've made it
And until we got a new world
Got to say that love is not a whisper or a weakness
No love is strong
So we got to get together yeah
Gotta get gotta get gotta get
Til there is no reason
To fight
Mercy will we overcome this
Oh one by one could we turn it around
Maybe carry on just a little bit longer
And I try to give you what you need
Yeah...
Ah...
Oh...
Yeah...
Mercy will we overcome this
Oh we come to far to turn it around
Oh and asked too much to be a little bit stronger
But I want to give you what you need
Mercy what will become of us
Oh one by one could we turn it around
Maybe carry on just a little bit longer
And I try to give you what you need
Again...it may just my connection, but after listening to "Bartender" I wonder if Dave doesn't have a eucharistic piety running about in his veins.
I'm trying to find a good video of a performance of "Mercy". DMB was on Fallon's late night show, but the video link that I've found is no longer valid. If you have a link, please share it. This is not DMB's first religous/spiritual tune. They've always offered something like this. Their Christmas song is one of my favorite. Love, love, love is all around.
More and more I wonder if the best (most popular?) preachers of our time are the singers. No longer in pulpits since people don't gather in churches as we believe they once did, the preachers and prophets are in stadiums and bars. Simon, Springsteen, Matthews...not to neglect Bono, of course, but he's been out as a preacher for a long time.
I'm all astonishment.
Here's the video. Over 14,000 people participated. This is what it means to be the Body, perhaps, if we stick with the eucharistic interpretation. We'll have to come together. One by one. Such a beautiful video. Yeah, I'm good with it. Realy good.
