Music that Points to Justice

Music: the ‘lingua franca’ of youth

[1] The Macquarie Dictionary (Second Revision), (Chatswood, The Macquarie Library, 1987), 1008.
[2] Flannery, Vatican II documents, Gaudium et Spes #44, 946.
[3] Pierre Babin, The New Era in Religious Communication, (Minneapolis MN: Fortress Press, 1991), 4. Note this comment came after he viewed the 1967 Expo in Paris. Forty years on, the comment is still valid. If anything, the need is more urgent.
[4] See “A soul kind of feeling” by Chris Middendorp in The Age, Saturday 14th April, 2007 and “Communicating Jesus’ message with iPods and videos” by Patricia Lefevere in National Catholic Reporter, 6th April, 2007.
[5] Daniel Levitin, “It’s just an illusion”, New Scientist, 23 February 2008, 38.

If Everyone Cared

IF EVERYONE CARED

Let’s start with the possibilities in the song If Everyone Cared by Nickelback from All the Right Reasons, Warner Music, 2005.

This song looks at the importance of living a life of love and integrity. The song itself is very good. The video clip – if you can source it (maybe Video Hits or MTV) – is amazing! The opening verse has the band playing their instruments and the lyric is relational, concluding with ‘Amen! I’m alive’. Certainly, one meaning is that we are truly alive while we are in relationship.

During the chorus:
If everyone cared and nobody cried,
If everyone loved and nobody lied,
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride,
Then we’d see the day when nobody died.

the images shift to the story of Bob Geldof who organised the Live Aid concerts to raise money for the starving in Africa. The concerts raised £150,000,000.00 in one day. We are shown the example of people being selfless and working for what is right. While the focus is on an individual, Bob Geldof, many people worked to make Live Aid a reality.

As the next verse is playing, the images show the story of Betty Williams who in 1976 witnessed the deaths of three children in Northern Ireland. Within two days she had raised 6000 signatures on a petition.

While the lyrics:
We’ll show the world they were wrong
and teach them all to sing along

are being sung, a graphic comes up mentioning that she led 10,000 people on a peace march to the children’s graves. One graphic tells us that the first march was disrupted by protesters but a second graphic informs us that a week later she organised a march of 35,000 people. This occurs while ‘Amen! I’m alive’ is being sung. Clearly, she was a woman who believed in her cause and would not be stopped. She was someone who was truly alive. The link to ‘I came that you might have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10) is strong.

The chorus is sung twice as the beginnings of Amnesty International are shown in a number of graphics of words and pictures.

While the following lyrics are sung:
And as we lie beneath the stars,
We realise how small we are,
If they could love like you and me,
Imagine what the world could be.

the band are playing their instruments again. We are shown a number of graphics depicting the story of Nelson Mandela, when the chorus strikes up again. A possible meaning here is that it took an enormous effort of forgiveness and love of others for Mandela and others working in South Africa to eventually gain freedom from apartheid.

After the band finishes playing, the film clip concludes with a quote from Margaret Mead: ‘Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.’
Christians are prompted to think of Jesus and his disciples and the enormous change that they managed to bring about – and the thousands upon thousands of groups of people who have followed in their footsteps.

Some uses

• We originally used the film clip as a reflection after a Social Justice Mass but it could equally well be used as a reflection during classroom prayer.
• The film clip invites discussion about a number of topics, rendering practical the song’s lyrics.
• As discussion starters, the following questions could be posed. How hard is it to care? Do you think the songwriter is suggesting that caring is part of being truly alive? Compare its themes with John 10:10. How do they work together? How important is it to be truthful and sharing? The film clip gives us examples of good people. Who inspires you and why?

Following are a couple of extracts from Scripture and one from the Documents of Vatican II that could be used in relation to this song.

Scripture
So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (Jn 10:7–11).

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him. (Deut 30:19-20).

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4: 16, 20-21)

Church teaching

Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, tells him inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged. His conscience is man’s most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths. By conscience, in a wonderful way, that law is made known which is fulfilled in the love of God and of one’s neighbour. Through loyalty to conscience Christians are joined to other men in the search for truth and for the right solution to so many moral problems which arise both in the life of individuals and from social relationships. Hence, the more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to by guided by the objective standards of moral conduct. (Gaudium et Spes #16)

Prayer
May we be prompted to follow the example of the Good Shepherd, caring for others so that all can live life to the full. Amen.

Jesus Walks

JESUS WALKS
Jesus Walks is by Kanye West from The College Dropout, Roc-a-fella Records, 2004.

If possible obtain the film clip of the song, put out by the artist. The speed of the images displayed here is counterbalanced by the speed of the vocal delivery. The opening of the song contrasts a man in a church setting with three different people; an African-American woman who we assume is a prostitute, a homeless African-American man and a group of young African-American men who look like they are gang members.

Then we are shown a gathering storm, followed by a fire and then a choir in a choir loft sing ‘Jesus Walks’. As they sing, ‘Jesus walk with me’, the three different characters begin walking through their ‘world’. The main singer, himself an African-American, Kanye West, is styled as the preacher in the church where the choir sings:

We are at war with terrorism, racism,
but most of all, we at war with ourselves

This would suggest that Kanye West believes that the difficulties of some of his people partly originate within themselves. This is an instinct about human nature shared by St Paul ‘I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want’ (Romans 7:18-10).

As the woman walks, a white man in a car follows her – he seems to be the one doing the soliciting. She waves him away.

The gang member runs away, but is shot, seemingly dead.
People are praising God in church in the evangelical style.
A homeless man staggers down the street, possibly drunk. The next line is:

My mama said only Jesus can save us

At this point an angelic African-American figure in a wheelchair stops traffic for the homeless man. The angel character blows a bugle. As the lyric ‘God show me the way’ is sung, the angel figure beckons the homeless man across the road.

The African-American woman climbs a fence helped by two African-American child angel figures. Another angel figure goes to the dead body of the gang member as the lyric ‘right my wrongs’ is sung. He is resurrected.

The three figures continue to walk alone, as the following lyrics are sung:

And I don’t think there is nothing I can do now t’ right my wrongs, I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long.

The three eventually walk into the church.

The lyric:
To the victims of Welfare,
for we living in hell here,
hell yeah Jesus walks with them
is sung and footage of the south-central Los Angeles riots from 1999 are shown.
This is followed by the lyric:
I want to see thee more clearly
words evoking a traditional prayer popularized in the song Day by Day from Godspell.

What is the implication of the words here?

‘Not here to argue about facial features’ (of Jesus?) are the words sung as the three characters walk past the startled congregation – does the congregation expect a white Jesus?

The angels who helped the woman climb the fence have rocks thrown at them – they turn into white doves and fly away. The angel character who helped the gang member is chased up a pole by dogs, then turns into a white dove and flies away. The angel character in the wheelchair also turns into a white dove and flies away. The dove is a biblical symbol for the Holy Spirit so what is being suggested here?

The homeless man puts down his bottle on the floor of the church. The gang member puts down his bandana, the girl lies down on the floor of the church. These symbolic actions all point to a renunciation of their former lives. The bottle and bandana are then shown aflame.

As the song closes, we see a storm, a tornado, a tree on fire, maybe reminiscent of the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Flame is another symbol of the presence of God and more specifically of the Holy Spirit.

The film clip concludes with a white dove rising and flying away with the stained glass window in the background.

Some uses

• As an Easter/Pentecost class prayer
• As a discussion starter: Is Jesus present today? If so, who might best represent him? If you/we really believed that, how should we treat those around us? How did the imagery from the video strike you? What parts in particular? What are some parallels in the Australian context? In our own experiences? (See further questions below.)

Scripture
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me (Matt 25:31–40).

Church teaching
Faced with a world today where so many people are suffering from want, the council asks individuals and governments to remember the saying of the Fathers: “Feed the people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you are killing them”, and it urges them according to their ability to share and dispose of their goods to help others, above all by giving them aid which will enable them to help and develop themselves. (Gaudium et Spes #69)

Questions for dialogue

Does this song speak to you about issues you are dealing with in your life?
How does this song reflect the background of the musician? Does the song cause you to think about how you see yourself? the world?
Is there anything in the song which is negative, exploitative or transformative?
Did the imagery from the video strike you? What parts particularly?
What are the values and beliefs in the song?  In what ways does this song evoke the memory of or reflect some part of the Christian story? Is Jesus present today? If so, who might best represent him? Does the song help you to see the Christian story differently? Does the song help you to see your life differently?
If you/we really believed that Jesus was present today, how should we treat those around us? How should we treat the homeless? The poor?
Listening to the song, what needs to change for the world to be more just? What actions can you take that will help? What actions can we take that will help?

Prayer

Lord, may I recognise your face in the powerless, homeless and poor of this world. May I treat everyone around me with respect. May I be inspired to act for justice in real, practical ways.

The Ghost of Tom Joad

THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD
The Ghost of Tom Joad is by ‘Rage Against the Machine’ from The Ghost of Tom Joad, Epic Records, 1998.

This song is a cover version of a song written by Bruce Springsteen commenting on the situation of workers in America in the mid-1990’s. In the song title, Springsteen is referring to Tom Joad who is the protagonist in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath.

‘Rage Against the Machine’ are a band who are very concerned about the rights of workers and those who are oppressed, regularly giving benefit concerts or donating money to good causes.

One of the important lessons that I have learned is that the educator does not have to use the whole song. In this case I focused on the last verse which runs from 3 min 50 sec to 5 min 10 sec. In this final part of the song Tom Joad is talking to his mother and expressing solidarity with all those who are oppressed or in need in some way, e.g. someone ‘beaten by police’, ‘a hungry new born baby cries’, ‘somebody’s strugglin’ for a pIace to stand, for a decent job or a helpin’ hand’, ‘wherever somebody’s strugglin’ to be free’. As Tom says to his mother…. ‘Look in their eyes Ma, you’ll see me’. The phrase ‘you’ll see me’ is repeated several times for emphasis.

As a religious educator, there are at least two strong themes that emerge here. Most obvious theme is compassion for those who suffer and solidarity with them. Pushing the image a little further and referring to Matt 25: 31-40, as Christians we see the face of Jesus in these ‘least ones who are members of my family’.

Scripture 
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead(James 2:14-17).

Church teaching
The struggle against destitution, though urgent and necessary, is not enough. It is a question, rather, of building a world where every man, no matter what his race, religion or nationality, can live a fully human life, freed from servitude imposed on him by other men or by natural forces over which he has not sufficient control; a world where freedom is not an empty word and where the poor man Lazarus can sit down at the same table with the rich man. This demands great generosity, much sacrifice and unceasing effort on the part of the rich man. Let each one examine his conscience, a conscience that conveys a new message for our times. Is he prepared to support out of his own pocket works and undertakings organized in favour of the most destitute? Is he ready to pay higher taxes so that the public authorities can intensify their efforts in favor of development? Is he ready to pay a higher price for imported goods so that the producer may be more justly rewarded? Or to leave his country, if necessary and if he is young, in order to assist in this development of the young nations? (Populorum Progressio #47)

Questions for dialogue

• Does this song speak to you about issues you are dealing with in your life?
• How does this song reflect the background of the musicians?
• Does the song cause you to think about how you see yourself? The world?
• What are the values and beliefs in the song?
• In what ways does this song evoke the memory of or reflect some part of the Christian story? Is Jesus present today? If so, who might best represent him? Does the song help you to see the Christian story differently? Does the song help you to see your life differently?
• If you/we really believed that Jesus was present today, how should we treat those around us? How should we treat the homeless? The poor?
• Listening to the song, what needs to change for the world to be more just? What actions can you take that will help? What actions can we take that will help?

Prayer 

Beliefnet contains many prayers that could be used or adapted for class use. Students themselves might choose and adapt these in response to the topic.

We Believe

• Reflection in the parish/school prayer in response to a fearful event – a response to acts of terrorism or a situation in the school or community that has caused grief, anger, pain or loss.
• It could be used as part of prayer during Holy Week or leading up to Christmas as well as in conjunction with social justice units or units that deal with costly love.
• Discussion starters might include questions like: What do you fear? What do your friends fear? Are there differences/similarities? What do you think gives life meaning? How important is belonging to you? Who/what do you believe? What is the origin of love?(For more see below)