June 13, 2008
Jack White Gets All Frank Peretti On Us...
In the tune "St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)" Jack White gets all Frank Peretti on us ... or does he?
"This battle is in the air
I'm looking upwards
Who is here to greet me?
St. Andrew don't forsake me
St. Andrew?
Don't forsake me
I'm not in my home
the children are crying
I'm moving backwards in ecstasy
where are the angels?
I'm not in my home
Where are the angels?
St. Andrew
I've been true
The children are crying."
Not sure why one of the apostles is invoked here. From what I could learn in a cursory search, nothing tells me why the singer would be calling out to him here. I could learn a lot about Catholic tradition. Perhaps if I did, this would make more sense to me.
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In songs like the Icky Thump title track, Mr. White talks about a "redhead senorita" that looks "dead" that asks him if he "need a bed?" This kinda feels like a Johnny Cash sort of take on life and temptation, where the writer doesn't avoid tough topics or squirm out of a touchy subject just because it's wrestling with right and wrong. In a lot of ways, so-called "Christian literature" and "Christian art" avoids subjects that "proper people don't talk about in public." That sort of attitude is very exclusive, as if non-believers aren't allowed in the conversation, much less able to hear it. It reeks of fear -- fear that addressing a situation might open up opportunity for someone to be "trapped by sin" or stumble into it.
Wake up, grandma! Opportunity is there. I remember a conversation with a Christian rock touring musician recently. They were at an autograph table before or after a show and they had gone to see some movie that day and were talking about it. One of the people in line (I can't remember if this character was a youth pastor, youth worker or just one of those "concerned" citizens) said something negative about how that movie was "inappropriate" and made it sound like this Christian band shouldn't have seen a movie where one of its characters wasn't a morally upstanding person. My friend told the guy: "Are you serious? There are kids in your youth group having sex and doing drugs ... and you're worried about the influence of this movie character?" It was funny to hear my friend get mad. I think the point that bothered him is how some believers get uptight about insignificant things and, at the same time, hide their heads in the sand instead of deal with reality that's around them.
Sin is available. I hope to keep my children innocent and ignorant of sin for the first 12 or more years of their life, but at some point as they grow up they will be exposed to what's out there. As a parent (and parenting is not always the best example to bring into a situation like this, because we don't parent other people's children. We don't parent our peers...) I want to be there to offer context to my children if and when they are exposed to sin and/or temptation.
An adult, however, is at some point (unless they're really good at hiding, which I presume some people are) going to be exposed to and confronted with sexuality, acquiring money, drugs and the inebriated life. I think a mature adult is able to choose when those situations present themselves. Believer or not, that person uses his or her upbringing, morals, wisdom and knowledge of consequences into their decisions. A writer like Johnny Cash didn't make any bones about his failures. He was a sinner. He was also a saint, and he understood that his sin was covered by the blood of the lamb of God (a carpenter that worked with His hands, named Jesus). He didn't gloat in his sins and failure. In fact, he wrote most eloquently about his remorse. This is, I think, one major reason why his music (and most prominently), his lyrics resonated with people. It was honest. He didn't get all "church lady" when it came to sin and temptation. He got honest and pointblank.
Perhaps Jack White is writing in this style. One interesting lyric that stands out in this song is:
"White Americans, what?
Nothing better to do?
Why don't you kick yourself out
You're an immigrant too."
Back in the day (late 80s), it was always a fun hobby to pontificate with friends as to whether such & such artist was "secretly a Christian band" and stuff like that. One sign we'd look for is if the album credits thanked God. Sure enough, I see that on about every White Stripes album release. Do you think....? Posted by Doug Van Pelt at June 13, 2008 09:06 AM