“I got a nephew in Iraq it's his third time back
But it's ending up the way it began
With the luck of a beginner he'll be eating turkey dinner
On some mountain top in Pakistan
Getting ready, oh we're getting ready
For the power and the glory and the story of the
Christmas day”
- From Getting Ready For Christmas Day by Paul Simon
I love Neil McCormick but how he reviewed this as a secular song last November is a mystery. Admittedly, as I say in my album review, Jesus is not explicitly referenced but he does feature in the word Christmas and the power and the glory makes reference surely to the story that is about him! That Simon duets with the voice of damnation preaching black minister Rev Gates recorded in 1941 surely leans to a Christian influence!
What Simon does is set the scene on the rest of his record. Here in the one song he weaves Christmas Day and the foreboding of Judgement Day, judgement of war and much more. There is this quite fascinating weaving of the God that Hebrews says it is a dreadful day to fall into the hands of and the God whose arms are open to the Prodigal returning abundant in love and grace. It creates great tension in the song... and so in life...
Comments