95. Rock Goes The Gospel - Oasis "Little By Little"

"Little by Little" was first released as the sixth track on Oasis' fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry. In September 2002, it was released with "She Is Love" as the first (and only) double A-side single by the band, peaking at No2 in the UK Singles Chart. Little by Little was written by Noel Gallagher, and it is said that this is most likely a dig on his ex-wife Meg Mathews, who he married in 1997 and divorced in 2001. Their break-up was rather acrimonious, as Mathews accused Gallagher of infidelity and Noel claimed she was so annoying that he told her he was cheating just to speed up the divorce. Most critics found the sentiment more cloying than musing, but the song was still a UK hit when it was released as the third single from the album.

Robert Carlyle appears as a guest in the promo video, which is shot on location in "Heathen Street" and seems to portray the life of a little person who is on the street, whom people ignore and have no time for but in the film promo video we see the generosity of little people. Watch for the 50p piece.

"We the people fight for our existence
We don't claim to be perfect but we're free
We dream our dreams alone with no resistance
Fading like the stars we wish to be

You know I didn't mean what I just said
But my God woke up on the wrong side of His bed
And it just don't matter now

'Cause little by little we gave you everything you ever dreamed of
Little by little the wheels of your life have slowly fallen off
Little by little you have to give it all in all your life
And all the time I just ask myself why you're really here

True perfection has to be imperfect
I know that that sounds foolish but it's true
The day has come and now you'll have to accept
The life inside your head we give to you

You know I didn't mean what I just said
But my God woke up on the wrong side of His bed
And it just don't matter now

'Cause little by little we gave you everything you ever dreamed of
Little by little the wheels of your life have slowly fallen off
Little by little you have to give it all in all your life
And all the time I just ask myself why you're really here

Little by little we gave you everything you ever dreamed of
Little by little the wheels of your life have slowly fallen off
Little by little you have to give it all in all your life
And all the time I just ask myself why you're really here

Why am I really here?
Why am I really here?

This contribution that I write is more of a lament than a provision of solutions. More of a "Rant" or "Rage against the Machine" As i have let the song distil in me i have come to the relisation (Wrong or right) that the lyrics of this song are about the challenges and pit falls of being a person for whom the wheels have fallen off. The promo video pushes us to this ethos as well and helps us get the point. "Heathen Street" is such a telling motif.

The lyrics and the promo video speak of existence and the meaning of life in a world of indifference and power. This is never more poignant for those who are the ones that are hidden and who have no voice (The little people) The last, the least and the lost. The people who have no power and for whom society has no place. The people that even religion has forgotten at times. Don't get me wrong there are many things that the church does and does well. But I cannot help feeling that that our best efforts are not enough. They may well be first aid for the broken. I'm more keen to see lasting solutions. The song "Little By Little" highlights for us the general over consuming attitude of the poverty of "Being Generous"

I was dismayed like so many others by some recent articles on ‘defensive architecture’ but heartened by other responses to the plight of homelessness in the urban settings of our cities. In "The Guardian" newspaper yesterday (Wednesday 18th February)  There is an interesting report written by Alex Andreou of which this statement is part of it.

"From ubiquitous protrusions on window ledges to bus-shelter seats that pivot forward, from water sprinklers and loud muzak to hard tubular rests, from metal park benches with solid dividers to forests of pointed cement bollards under bridges, urban spaces are aggressively rejecting soft, human bodies."

There are some rays of hope though as part of Alex Andreou's report highlights a solution from Vancouver in Canada that sites a report in the "Independent" on Thursday 26th June 2014. Andreou's article finishes with a challenge on to collective social feeling of society in general towards poverty and homelessness.

"Defensive architecture acts as the airplane curtain that separates economy from business and business from first class, protecting those further forward from the envious eyes of those behind. It keeps poverty unseen and sanitises our shopping centres, concealing any guilt for over-consuming. It speaks volumes about our collective attitude to poverty in general and homelessness in particular. It is the aggregated, concrete, spiked expression of a lack of generosity of spirit."

As I write this I am all to aware of the homelessness that exists around the area where I live and work. I am also keenly aware of what Jesus alludes to, in more ways than one, in the gospels. Jesus does not point to homelessness in particular or singles out poverty in general. Jesus is not like a politician looking for a way to increase votes, but in my own view he does have something to contribute to the discussion as he displays to the world what generosity of spirit looks like. There are many good examples from the gospels - The stories of widows, children, prostitutes, those with no home, those with disabilities, those who have been rejected, the old and infirm, children, those in search of love and acceptance. He even met the rich, the powerful, the proud, the law makers as well as law breakers. One prime example of the people who Jesus met that would fit with the song "Little by Little" and with the Article by Alex Andreou would be the man called legion. 

The story of Legion is story of the compassion of Jesus towards a man who had been rejected and ejected by the force of society and common feeling. The story ends with the man in his right mind being restored to his own people and community. I cannot help but think and dream of how this happens in reality in our own towns and cities. There is a challenge here, with no easy answers but never the less a challenge that cannot be easily ignored and a challenge that will only be compounded by big business and the consumerism that we all are part of. For many the cry of hearts is before us "Why Am I really here" but along with that cry my own heart asks me "Who's really listening?"