Song of the Week (First week of Sept.)
Song of the Week (First Week of Sept.)
"When The Levee Breaks"
by Led Zeppelin
This song was written and originally recorded by a husband/wife blues team in 1927. The lyrics specifically refer to a 1927 flood of the Mississippi Delta that devastated the residents destroying homes and farms and crippling the economy of the region. If that sound familiar it’s because Katrina was not the first and will not be the last devastating natural disaster to face humanity. It happens to be the one we all think about now but that will unfortunately change as we are confronted by the next storm, fire, earthquake, etc. Led Zeppelin recorded the song as the final track on the now famous IV album (known for the intoxicating “Stairway to Heaven” among others). The music is haunting as John Bonham’s thundering drum beat intros the song and we are forever haunted by the lyrics of the bridge “Cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good, when the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.” When the water of life is rising you’ve got to move!
Disasters like that of Katrina call us as humanity to task in two ways. First it reminds us that we are not in control of creation. In our world of cloning, space exploration, global economies, etc. we humans can get pretty arrogant about our place in creation. Rather then seeing ourselves as a part of a greater creative experience, we behave as though we are in some control over the world we inhabit. Then comes Katrina (or the next big natural catastrophe) and we ask “Why does this happens?” Creation is not our personal sand box. We are a part of this creation; at the same time both beautiful and brutal. When we start thinking that we are somehow better then the rest of creation we forget that we live because creation allows it. God’s world is amazing and wondrous; complex and yet simple. We are not called to lord over creation with our advanced intellect but rather to protect creation from the destructive, self-absorbed tendencies of a humanity that is out of touch with God’s love.
That brings me to our second task. In the wake of tragedy, we are called by God to not only love creation in all its forms but to respond in love to the needs of others. Just as humanity can become selfish as a species, we tend to become selfish individuals of humanity. We turn our backs on each other and overlook the glaring needs of the other until a storm like Katrina makes it impossible to ignore. Katrina exposed the deep racial, cultural and economic divides in the Gulf Cost region, but before we feel all noble in helping those in need in those regions devastated by this latest storm, we must realize that there are people in need here in Fort Collins, CO. The media focus on something like Katrina exposes a reality that exists everywhere and we must not only respond to this tragedy but God calls us to respond to the great need all over the world and yes in our own backyards! That need and our call to respond does not stop at the boundaries of humanity but extends to all creation. If God calls it good then who are we to challenge that.
Ultimately, it is not when the levees of life break that we are challenged but when life returns to normal and we allow “normal” to go unchecked by the love and grace of God. Our Challenge is to keep God’s love in front of us like a pillar of fire in the darkness of life and use that light to seek out those in need, even when they are not on the evening news!
Grace and Peace,
Peej
When the Levee Breaks (Lyrics)
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, [X2]
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.
Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.
Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.
All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you...
Going down... going down now... going down....
