Scott Freeman

My Favorite 9/11 Song and a Great Quote

I wish that I had a better video of this song as the words are staggering. I’ve wrestled with whether or not to blog about 9/11 today. I know that where I am at regarding that day and the aftermath may not meet the most receptive of ears at this time.
But I weep for those lives lost, not just on this particular day but the lives of all those lost
fighting the wars of man.
And I applaud the heroes of that day, those who saved, rescued and sacrificed. Heroism was pervasive and apparent on that Tuesday.
Yet, evil is all too pervasive and entwined in the hearts of man. And we have danced with the devil for so long it seems that we don’t know how to stop. War has spawned more war and violence has beget more violence.
Come quickly, Lord. May your Kingdom be made manifest, either through your triumphant return or through the righteous living of Your church.
All I can do in the aftermath of that day is consider my own response. Mark Erelli’s words ring true here. This song, The Only Way, was written shortly after the attack. He left it alone for almost five years allowing other artist to record it.
But earlier this year he released an album, Hope & Other Casualties, that burns with lament, passion and ethos. It has quickly become my favorite release in a year of stellar albums. Here are the lyrics to this beautiful song:

I read the paper
I watch the news
It seems there’s only pain and sufferin’
And there ain’t nothing I can do
It’s so senseless
I feel defenseless
So small

I could shut my windows
Bolt my doors
But if I don’t feel safe enough
To speak my mind anymore
Then what’s the use
I’ve nothing left to lose
No further to fall

(Chorus)
So I’m gonna love
I’m gonna believe
I’m gonna dream
But I’m gonna roll up my sleeve
And give everything until there’s nothing left to give
That’s the only way that I know how to live

It was a nightmare
No tongue can tell
The streets of New York City
Looked just like the gates of Hell
In a flash
The smoke and the ash
Falling down like rain

But they circled wagons
They gathered round
As they bravely pulled our brothers
And our sisters from the ground
And I know
I owe them more
Than to be afraid

(Chorus)

Why seek vengeance?
What comes of war?
I know freedom has a price
But it doesn’t keep score
It’s too much to swallow
It’s left me hollow
After all this time
All this time

I won’t tell you
What to believe
But I’m too young to be so cynical
And too old to be naive
Every action
Breeds a reaction
So let this be mine

Let me close with these words from Stanley Hauerwas:

In the face of September 11, I distrust words. I fear no matter how hard we try to say what needs to be said, what we say may threaten to explain when no explanation is possible. For me, a person seldom at a loss for words, I find my continuing reaction to September 11, 200l, to be one of silence. I simply do not know what to say. At least one of the reasons I have nothing to say is because I am a pacifist. I am, whether I like it or not, committed to Christian nonviolence. The horror, the terror, the strange beauty of the violence on September ll, calls for a response, a violent response. Being a pacifist does nothing to free me from the desire to set things right by punishing those who perpetrated such an outrage. Conflicted I remain silent, fearing any words I may say would suggest a confidence I do not have…
…If we are to preach truthfully after September 11, 200l, we must not try to say too much. We must not pretend we have an answer to explain what happened or know what response we–and who is the we?–might make. I have no pacifist foreign policy. I believe the church is God’s foreign policy. Which makes it all the more important that we be able truthfully to preach God’s word.