One of the smartest things the British-invasion bands did was to mime the catalogs of great American rock-n-roll song writers for material. The Beatles, The Stones, and the Kinks all did it. So did the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits and Manfred Man. Songwriters such as Carole King, Ellie Greenwich, Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan provided the material needed, a steady stream of songs for english bands to re-package and send back to us over the atlantic. The Animals were not immune from cross continental exchange. Most of their best known songs were penned by Americans in America and that includes the devotional for today "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" which was written by the legendary husband and wife songwriting team, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. the Animals Version reached no 13 in America and No 2 in the UK in the Autumn of 1965.
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
Oh yes I know it
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every night and day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
I know he's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every day baby
(Yeah!) Whoa!
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too
"We've Gotta Get Out of this Place" is a very American song. It's what people said in times past when they had to leave farms during famines, wars, religious and political persecutions and grinding poverty. It's what pilgrim fathers said in England when they set sail for America. They set out with a belief that they could find a better place, make a better life somewhere else.
This has been the thing about migration. People set out looking for a much better life than what they have to face now. Ireland during the great potato famine in the middle 1800's caused a migration of people to leave for America. Even before this Scots migrated and settled in the 1680s in east New Jersey, and at Charlestown, in South Carolina. Other countries across the world had Scots, Irish, Welsh, English migrants. Canada, Australia - some of the Australian migrants were sent there against their will but not all.
This has been the thing about migration. People set out looking for a much better life than what they have to face now. Ireland during the great potato famine in the middle 1800's caused a migration of people to leave for America. Even before this Scots migrated and settled in the 1680s in east New Jersey, and at Charlestown, in South Carolina. Other countries across the world had Scots, Irish, Welsh, English migrants. Canada, Australia - some of the Australian migrants were sent there against their will but not all.
In the Animal's song "We've Gotta Get Out Of this Place" there is a theme of seeking a better place, and the theme of journey, and a theme of there must be something better. That's why people set out on journey's in any case there is the desire for something better than this, or at least "there is more in the world to see" The lyrics suggest this.
In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refused to shine
Where the sun refused to shine
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
The song had an impact with young people in their last terms at schools and was played at record hops to signify that rebellion. It was a song that was played often on forces radio in Vietnam during the war their. The significance for the soldiers and military personnel is self evident. It also was featured in the soundtrack to the 1987 movie Hamburger Hill. It was used in a third-season episode of the 2000s television series Heroes. It was used as the theme song for 2002 BBC comedy TLC and the 2013 BBC series Privates.
In the Old Testament we find several journeys which also have a deeper spiritual meaning. The journey made by Abraham and also the story of the Exodus from Egypt both emphasise the theme of Journey and the theme of God journeying with his people and stress the importance of being willing to obey and trust God.
Abraham, a key figure in the Old Testament is shown in Genesis 12:1-9 leaving his home to go in search of a land which God promises to show him, becoming a 'pilgrim' or 'sojourner'. Abraham is will to obey God and is mentioned by other biblical writers for his model of faith and obedience.
In the story of the Exodus we find the journey from Egypt, the Israelites travel through the wilderness to the land of Canaan, experiencing both hardships and God's care and guidance. The Exodus Journey
is often spiritualised and given further meaning as it is often portrayed as a illustration of the christian journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land and was seen as a picture of the Christian journey through a fallen world towards heaven.
We find the theme of Journey through the life of Jesus. all the gospel writer show a chronology of Jesus life, where he went, what he did, what he said. In the final week of Jesus life the theme of "Journey" is a big theme with the gospel writers - the journey to the cross and the tomb.
Beyond these tragic days in Jerusalem there is a great story of "Journey" that only appears in one gospel, the gospel of Luke. The story of two people who have set out from Jerusalem to go to Emmaus.
"13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us.They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread."
The two disciples were leaving Jerusalem like they would leave a funeral. Downcast, needing to get out of the chaos that presented it's self in the previous few days. They had lost all hope, they did not have a plan for the future, they were living with dashed hopes. A stranger comes and travels with them on this Journey. We find out from the story that it's Jesus and the story goes on to highlight the risen Jesus doing to his disciples.
The story however shows another aspect which is important for us to notice in the world that we live in. "The absence of the divine" is a theme that is picked up by people in all spheres of life. Often debates on religious themes have a kind of "God is not here" or "Jesus has gone" flavour. For God's people in the churches too often the prayers of those conducting Sunday services, prayer meetings, bible studies, conferences etc.... or those praying in them "We ask you to come and be with us this today" These things reflect the theme of the absence of God. The person who feels that God is against them might say "God has distanced himself from me because of my sin" at worse we might hear this preached too "Your sin has caused God to retreat from you until you repent" It may not be as spelled out as that, but that is what is meant. Someone who is sick may feel that God is distant. We may hear "If God is really why does he not come and do something"
The Emmaus road passage shows a way of living with this. The beauty of the story of the Emmaus road is this - Luke writes that Jesus turns up on the road with the travellers and does not get noticed as Jesus. God turns up but is not noticed as God? That's an interesting concept. Which leads to the thought that Jesus is not absent, just hidden. Which then translates to God is sometimes not absent in our world, he is just hidden at times. The truth is he is still with us on the journey.
The story however shows another aspect which is important for us to notice in the world that we live in. "The absence of the divine" is a theme that is picked up by people in all spheres of life. Often debates on religious themes have a kind of "God is not here" or "Jesus has gone" flavour. For God's people in the churches too often the prayers of those conducting Sunday services, prayer meetings, bible studies, conferences etc.... or those praying in them "We ask you to come and be with us this today" These things reflect the theme of the absence of God. The person who feels that God is against them might say "God has distanced himself from me because of my sin" at worse we might hear this preached too "Your sin has caused God to retreat from you until you repent" It may not be as spelled out as that, but that is what is meant. Someone who is sick may feel that God is distant. We may hear "If God is really why does he not come and do something"
The Emmaus road passage shows a way of living with this. The beauty of the story of the Emmaus road is this - Luke writes that Jesus turns up on the road with the travellers and does not get noticed as Jesus. God turns up but is not noticed as God? That's an interesting concept. Which leads to the thought that Jesus is not absent, just hidden. Which then translates to God is sometimes not absent in our world, he is just hidden at times. The truth is he is still with us on the journey.
So If we like in the song "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place" by the Animals or the passage in Luke's Gospel you are heading out of someplace, some situation that is painful or if you are contemplating a move of home, work, or even country then you might find "God who is present" amidst all the worry and stress, amidst all the heartache and tears that, amidst the anguish that some how God may have departed from your life because of something you have done or at worse for who you are......."Don't believe it" God is not absent even if you cannot see him. He may just be hidden.
We all have a journey to make in life - a path or road that is marked out for us. We all may feel that circumstances are leading us to take a course of action that is unavoidable, that we have to leave something a situation or place. As you face the future may you face the future knowing that God has not abandoned you in your journey.
We all have a journey to make in life - a path or road that is marked out for us. We all may feel that circumstances are leading us to take a course of action that is unavoidable, that we have to leave something a situation or place. As you face the future may you face the future knowing that God has not abandoned you in your journey.
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