Old Hymns
Reflections on Redemption: Brother Jack's Old Hymns Unveiled
Lyrics
Sitting on a bar stool, in this smoky haze
Sitting in a bar, surrounded by smoke
Got a gin and tonic to clear my mind
Drinking gin and tonic to clear thoughts
Sitting here thinking about the return of Jesus Christ
Reflecting on the return of Jesus
And the way it’s all gonna end
Contemplating the ultimate conclusion of all
I ain’t no bible scholar but I read a page or two
Not a biblical expert but has some knowledge
He was here once, guess he’s coming back soon
Anticipating Jesus' second coming
Will it be a big, big bang or soft and gentle
Speculating on the nature of Christ's return
Like the summertime rain on the old porch roof
Comparing it to gentle rain on a porch
Will I even notice, will I run outside to see
Questioning personal awareness of the event
Jesus coming down through the clouds
Imagining Jesus descending from the clouds
He lifts me up, I’m flying high
Feeling uplifted and transcendent
Looking down on all you left below
Viewing the world from a higher perspective
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there
Expressing assurance in being present in the afterlife
When we all get to heaven
Expecting a joyful reunion in heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
Anticipating a day of celebration
We’ll all be in paradise, but some of us more so than others
Acknowledging varying degrees of bliss in paradise
There’s a special place set up for the privileged
Noting a special place for the privileged
Body and blood of Christ, this holy meal
Referencing the sacrament of communion
Well, it turns into a big fatty steak with 25 year old scotch
Symbolizing spiritual elements as indulgent pleasures
Well, up there you have all them TV preachers who sent us to hell
Criticizing hypocritical TV preachers
Republican politicians will be there and maybe 2 or 3 lucky democrats
Mentioning politicians' presence, biased towards Republicans
Super rich guys will be there with their super skinny wives
Describing affluent individuals and their partners
And the guys who were the stars of my high school
Referring to high school stars in the afterlife
Well, I’ll be in there somewhere but I got to work harder than you
Acknowledging personal efforts for inclusion
Make sure my appetites don’t get the best of me
Committing to self-control and moderation
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there
Reiterating assurance of being present in the afterlife
Well, I’ll be there with my hobo brothers
Expecting to be with fellow wanderers
And all my dirty derelict friends
Including less conventional, possibly troubled friends
I haven’t always been real good, but I tried just the best that I could
Admitting personal imperfection but striving to do better
This stuff doesn’t come easy
Acknowledging the difficulty of spiritual growth
We’ll be sitting around feasting, we’ll be praising the Lord the best we know how
Envisioning a communal celebration and worship
Like the Bible says, blessed are the poor
Quoting the Bible on blessings for the poor
Blessed are the weak, blessed are the humble
Listing qualities blessed by divine favor
Blessed are the kicked around and beat up
Acknowledging the suffering of the downtrodden
Blessed are the spit upon and blessed are the drunk, the dirty, the worthless
Extending blessings to societal outcasts
And blessed are the lonely
Recognizing the value of the lonely
We’ll be there singing our drunken hobo praises
Imagining unconventional praises in the afterlife
We’ll be happy just to be somewhere other than here
Expressing contentment to be away from the current state
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there
Reiterating assurance of being present in the afterlife
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