Lazarus – Everything is Borrowed

  

John 11 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011

The title track from The Streets fourth album ‘Everything is Borrowed’ contains the wonderful repeated line ‘I came to this world with nothing and I leave with nothing but love.

Everything else is just borrowed’. Throughout the track there is a sense of the temporary nature of life and a call to make the most of the time we have. Unfortunately it would seem that Skinner is still to realise that this life is not all we have. There is certainly truth to be found in his assertion on memories but his ‘tomorrow’ fails to recognise the eternal tomorrow we claim as followers of Christ.
  
This is my hour, I’m never going to bed. 

The sky is still black, but begs to be red. 

I just put my book down, but it begs to be read 

I’m not nod, I’m not napper, never rest my head. 

Some days I feel I’m getting smaller and smaller, 

But some nights, I seem to grow taller and taller. 

And we keep shrinkin’ and shrinkin’ but this will not finish. 

You’re never nothing, if you didn’t disappear. 

Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they change it. 

Just when I’m loving life, it seems to start raining. 

I pulled the sail safe switch, sea sail and I’m into the stars. 

I love the rain out my skies. The sky’s now red, my eyes reflect jets. 

Smiling at this blessing, this life is the best.
I came to this world with nothing 

And I leave with nothing but love 

Everything else is just borrowed 
I want to notice chances I’ve passed without notice 

I want to see details previously veiled. 

I want to grab that chance, carry it home 

So I can marry and know 

That I noticed every chance 

That I could have passed without notice 

I saw details that to all were veiled. 

And I grabbed those chances, carried them home 

And then I’ll have had it with roaming 
I came to this world with nothing 

And I leave with nothing but love 

Everything else is just borrowed 
I want to speak every cliche but tweak if i’ve seen change 

In new way it could be said. 
If it’s bleak, or if the week’s leaking down the street 

Or if any days wasted I want to face facts. 

My time on this earth is my only penny, 

Wise is the gent counting every moment spent. 

I don’t want to explain things, don’t wanna fill in the gaps, 

I want to look at my friends and in that minute be at : 
Memories are times we borrow 

For spending tomorrow. 

Memories are times we borrow 

For spending tomorrow. 
I came to this world with nothing 

And I leave with nothing but love 

Everything else is just borrowed 
If spit like luck, you can only seem, 

To borrow it, you can’t keep it. 

When the wind of change whistles into play 

Will I blink or flinch away? 

The wind of change won’t whistle me away 

If I spin my tails and sail. 

And sail away, let yesterday become today.
I came to this world with nothing 

And i leave with nothing but love 

Everything else is just borrowed 
As time will say, nothing but 

I told you so 
Memories are times we borrow 

For spending tomorrow.

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1. The Wilderness – Never Went to Church

Matthew 4:1-11

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204:1-11

Perhaps Mike Skinner’s most poignant and heart breaking song features on his third studio album with The Streets. ‘Never Went to Church’ is the stand out track on an album otherwise dedicated to Skinners rise to fame and fortune. In a clear clash of moods with the other album tracks it tells the story of the death of Mike’s dad from cancer and the way in which he responded from his initial anger and grief to his realisation that he continues in his fathers steps.

“Never Went To Church”

Two great European narcotics,

Alcohol and Christianity,

I know which one I prefer

We never went to church,

Just get on with work and sometimes things’ll hurt,

But it’s hit me since you left us,

And it’s so hard not to search.
If you were still about,

I’d ask you what I’m supposed to do now,

I just get a bit scared,

Every now,

Hope I made you proud.

On your birthday when mom passed the forks and spoons,

I put my head on the table I was so distraught with you,

You tidied your things into the bin,

The more poorly you grew,

So there’s nothing of yours to hold or to talk to.

Put your hand up and interrupt the conversation with a, but..

People say I interrupt people with the same look.

Sometimes I think so hard I can’t remember how your face looked,

Started reading about dreams in your favourite book.

Panic and pace when I can’t see the right thing to do.

You’d be scratching your head through the best advice you knew.

And I feel sad I can’t hear you reciting it through,

I miss you dad but I’ve got nothing to remind me of you

[Chorus]

I needed a break when your book about dreams was taken,

I needed to pray or see a priest that day,

I needed to leave this trade and just heave it away.

But I cleaned up my place like you so I could see things straight.

I never cared about God when life was sailin’ in the calm,

So I said I’d get my head down and I’d deal with the ache in my heart,

And for that if God exists I’d reckon he’d pay me regard,

Mom says me and you are the same from the start.

I guess than you did leave me something to remind me of you,

Everytime I interrupt someone like you used to,

When I do something like you you’ll be on my mind or through,

‘Cause I forgot you left me behind to remind me of you.

[Chorus x2]

But you you still tell me how you didn’t know what to do even now,

And then I’m not so scared somehow,

‘Cause I know that you’d be proud.

I got a good one for you dad,

I’m gonna see a priest, a Rabbi and a Protestant clergyman,

You always said I should hedge my bets.

Reflecting on The Streets

Jenny from over at the My Bradford blog mentioned on Twitter that she’d been listening to Original Pirate Material by The Streets today and that, in turn, reminded me about some reflections I’d written during Lent last year. So, I thought I’d blog them over the next few days. 

Each day I’ll post a link to a song, a bible story and a few words of reflection. 

Please let me know if anything connects…

First off though some words of intro…

  
Mike Skinner and The Streets
The Streets were an English hip hop and UK garage project from Birmingham, England, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included several other contributors, most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and vocalist Leo Ihenacho.
The project has released five studio albums: Original Pirate Material (2002), A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004), The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008), Computers and Blues (2011), an internet-only album Cyberspace and Reds (2011) and a string of successful singles in the mid-2000s, including “Has It Come to This?”, “Dry Your Eyes”, “When You Wasn’t Famous” and “Prangin’ Out”.

Mixing a blend of hard hitting and humorous lyrics, The Streets have always followed a writing formula that speaks from the experience of the UK urban youth scene. From stories about meeting girls in clubs (and losing them) to the heart break of his fathers death, Skinner adds his own unique style of poetry causing simple every day actions to become moments of comfort or revelation.

This ‘everyday’ quality, I believe, elevates The Streets from a simple ‘secular’ band to artists who are able to connect with our most fundamental spiritual desires. After all, where are we more likely to experience Gods enduring presence than in the everyday cycle of his creation?

So I invite you to listen to/read the lyrics of the track I have chosen to accompany today’s theme and allow God to speak through it into your everyday existence.

Media hysteria

It’s tragic that there are people that have lost their lives in the recent outbreak of swine flu….

however, i really dont think it warrants the level of hysteria that the media have managed to conjure up

i like Mike Skinners take on it….

view with caution this clip contains sections from some of the best zombie films ever made!

Alleged Legends – A rap star goes to the Holy Land

I found this video fascinating. It’s a clip from one of Mike Skinners video blogs. Two ‘normal’ guys who love to find inspiration for their music take a journey to try and find religion. Some of the stuff they talk about is really quite revealing and pretty deep. I was certainly very interested with their comparisons between the Christian ‘attractions’ and the Jewish ones.

Have a look for yourself but please do be advised that the language is pretty ’real’ in places

and this is the song inspired by the visit……

As in the video blog I get the impression that Mike can’t really make his mind up about ‘Religion’. Obviously there’s a few things in his potted description of Christianity that i would argue are much more to do with his assumed understanding of organised religion than any basis of a living faith.

There’s some big questions for those of us who are part of Christian communities but maybe some of this can provide us with good starting points when we’re trying to talk about our faith?