Stay
with me here. It's a bit of a meander - just like my drive this
afternoon. It's been almost twenty years since I last went to my
father's house in Tipton County, and, with the sun out in a blue sky, I
decided to make my Sunday afternoon drive that way. I have been
listening to a lot of post/pending apocalypse zombie/Cthulu type
audiobooks lately, so I thought I would listen to something to cheer me
up. I chose the Blind Boys of Alabama album, Higher Ground, which is a
gospel-crossover album that I love because they cover a lot of soul and R&B classics.
I started off with "People Get Ready." Nothing better. I took the turn
to the house that I thought was right and reminisced about the few years
that my father hosted an entire afternoon and evening of potluck,
socializing, 4-wheeling fun for the Craigmont faculty. He never
understood why I begged him to change the name of this annual faculty
picnic, which he called "The Bush Bash." I was smiling to myself and
enjoying the memories and thanking my father's father who passed on to me his
sense of direction, because I drove straight to the house. Just as I passed the house and continued to the tiny Clopton United Methodist Church,
Jimmy Cliff's "Too Many Rivers to Cross" was playing:
Many rivers to cross
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost
As I travel along the white cliffs of Dover
Many rivers to cross
And it's only my will that keeps me alive
I've been licked, washed up for years
And I merely survive because of my pride
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's such a drag to be on your own
My woman left me and she didn't say why
Well, I guess I'll have to cry
Many rivers to cross
But just where to begin I'm playing for time
There have been times I find myself
Thinking of committing some dreadful crime
Yes, I've got many rivers to cross
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering, I am lost
As I travel along the white cliffs of Dover
Yes, I've got many rivers to cross
And I merely survive because of my will
Okay, now the sun was setting, the clouds were covering the skies and I
could barely see the road for the tears. Just about the time I worked
my way back to Austin Peay Highway and turned south, the Blind Boys, Ben
Harper, and Ben Harper's wah wah pedal came out to send me home to
"Higher Ground."
Thank you God, for all our blessings, but
today is a day for Psalm 100: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye
lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with a
song."
What would I do without other people's words?
