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Psalms

The Ride of Your Life: Why New Beginnings are so Vital to Your Voyage (126)

On Sunday mornings at Highland, we’ve been reflecting on the overlap between some contemporary songs and some ancient songs.  The contemporary songs we’ve been exploring come from television’s “The Travel Channel” which produced a list of the “Top 40 Travel Songs of All Time.”[1] These are the songs which people say they most love to listen to when they drive or fly.  Song #37 on that list is by a group called U2.  The song is entitled, “Where the Streets Have No Name.”  Bono, the group’s lead singer, was inspired to write the song after learning that on certain streets in Northern Ireland it was possible to determine the religion and wealth of a person simply from which side or end of the street they lived.  That is, the name of the street told you something about the religion and wealth of those who lived there.  The street names served to divide and segment people.  In an interview, Bono remarked, “That said something to meAnd so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name.”  Let’s listen to the first part of that song: I wanna run, I want to hide, I wanna tear down the walls, That hold me inside, I wanna reach out, And touch the flame, Where the streets have no name, I want to feel, Sunlight on my face, I see the dust cloud disappear, Without a trace, I want to take shelter from the poison rain, Where the streets have no name… The song is cry for things to change.   Bono hopes for a time when people will no longer be divided and segmented—a time when streets have no names.  It may seem an odd travel song.  But I think people voted for it because it’s about the ultimate journey—the journey from the way things are to the way things ought to be.

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The Ride of Your Life: Why Providence is so Vital to Your Voyage (Ps. 124, 121) Chris Altrock – April 25, 2010

At the end of 2008, the website connected to television’s “The Travel Channel” posted their list of the “Top 40 Travel Songs of All Time.”[1] A song by Billy Joel came in at #29.  The song is called “Travelin’ Prayer.”  In it, Billy Joel sings about a loved one who is travelling.  And he prays that this loved one will have all she needs during her journey.  Here is the first part of his melodic prayer: Hey Lord, take a look all around; And I’d a-find where my baby’s gonna be.  Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight.   ‘Cause she is far across the sea.   Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight.  And make sure that she’s gonna be alright.  And things are gonna be alright with me.  Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight.  And make sure that all her dreams are sweet.  Said now, would ya guide her along the roads.  And make them softer for her feet.  Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight.  And make sure that she’s gonna be alright.  Until she’s home and here with me. The song is about providence—divine provision during a journey.  Billy Joel prays that God will provide sweet dreams and soft roads and that God will look out for his loved one during her travels.  He prays that God will provide what’s needed for the journey.  Some of us have probably prayed similar prayers for our loved one as he/she travelled.  That common experience helped make Billy Joel’s “Travelin’ Prayer” one of the top 40 travel songs of all time.

 

Read More »The Ride of Your Life: Why Providence is so Vital to Your Voyage (Ps. 124, 121) Chris Altrock – April 25, 2010

The Ride of Your Life: Why Community is so Vital to Your Voyage (Ps. 133)

At the end of 2008, the website connected to television’s “The Travel Channel” posted their list of the “Top 40 Travel Songs of All Time.”[1]  The list came from a poll of Travel Channel fans regarding what music they love to listen to when they drive or fly.  The web site tabulated the results of the poll and produced a list of the top forty travel songs. 

 

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