"Tuesday's Gone" is the second track on Skynyrd's first album. One of the band's most popular songs, its relaxing pace and serenading guitars have made it a fan staple. The lyrics are band frontman Ronnie Van Zant's realization that his normal life is finished forever with the band's new MCA/Sounds of the South record deal. "Tuesday," representing life as it was, is gone with the wind. The song is similar in mood to the band's signature tune "Free Bird". Once in an 1975 radio interview a caller asked Allen Collins, the song's co writer what his favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd song was and Allen answered "Tuesday's Gone". Al Kooper adds upfront Mellotron string sounds to the chorus of the song. It is one of a few Lynyrd Skynyrd songs that Bob Burns the original founding member and drummer did not play on. Atlanta Rhythm Section's drummer Robert Nix played on the studio version. Bob Burns however can be heard playing on the demo version from the same session.
Won't you please take me far away?
Now I feel the wind blow outside my door,
Means I'm, I'm leaving my woman at home.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
My baby's gone with the wind again.
And I don't know where I'm going.
I just want to be left alone.
Well, when this train ends I'll try again,
But I'm leaving my woman at home.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
My baby's gone with the wind.
Train roll on
Tuesday's gone
Train roll on many miles from my home,
See, I'm riding my blues away.
Tuesday, you see, she had to be free
But somehow I've got to carry on.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
My baby's gone with the wind.
"Tuesday's Gone" is a song about giving up the life you have had and moving on. In keeping with Ronnie Van Zant's thoughts -That your normal life is finished forever. Giving up the normal life in the lyrics comes with a break up of a relationship. There are many situations in which we all give up our normal ways and take on something different. The song "Tuesday's Gone" is reminiscent of the other Skynyrd song "Freebird" which are both from the same first album and are classics. In the devotional passage from the bible today we find Jesus calling his disciples to leave their normal life and to embrace the life of a pilgrim on the road with him. We find the reading in Matthews gospel and chapter
In 1914 Ernest Shackleton, looking for crewmen for his upcoming Antarctic Expedition, placed the following ad in London newspapers
"Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success"
Would you have volunteered? Amazingly, many men did and thus began a 634 day adventure that
led them across the Atlantic and nearly cost all of them their lives.
If you were living in first century Palestine, would you have answered this ad to follow Jesus?
"Disciple of Jesus Christ. Low wages, possibility of imprisonment or even death, probable alienation from friends and family, loss of status and former income, but retirement plan is out of this world"
The expression “follow me” would be readily understood by Jews of Jesus’ day as implying a call to become the permanent disciple of a teacher. When he spoke those words initially, they did not misunderstand His call. As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.
The command Jesus gave them that day still rings true for us today. “Follow me.” He did not begin with things we might have expected, like find yourself, or "pray more", or "be tuned into spirituality", or "help the poor", or "give to charity", or "listen to your heart". He said simply, “Follow me.” On twenty different occasions Jesus said, “Follow me.” Whether you have been a seeker of Jesus for 50 years or 50 minutes, the command is the same. It sounds so basic, so simplistic, but make no mistake—simple doesn’t mean easy. Belief is easy; following requires discipline. the same kind of discipline and hard working people that Shackleton was looking for. Jesus Christ sacrificed everything so that we could be forgiven, become His followers, and spend eternity in His presence. As Oswald Chambers said, “One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it.”
Discipleship has never been a popular product. We live in a materialistic, consumer-driven world. People expect freedom to choose. People want satisfaction guaranteed. Jesus replies, “Follow me”. He isn’t looking for customers. Jesus desires disciples. Disciples on the biggest adventure of their lives. Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have. It's the call to leave our normal lives to follow after him who gives life. Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross (daily) and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) God wants each one of us to grow and develop. This cannot be compartmentalized into tidy sections of my life. Every facet of my life must be surrendered to God’s call. Each day is another step deeper into the waters of His call. Each step should draw me closer to Him, worshiping more deeply and serving more selflessly. The end goal of discipleship can be nothing less that being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Truly this is the end of my normal life. In a sense "Tuesday's Gone" and life and adventure has come.
May we be willing to place our lives in the hands of the Master and follow His calling daily. May we give wings to our faith, to obediently venture into uncharted waters. May the Lord fill us with a passion for His things, and may we thirst for His voice as we journey along the path of becoming a disciple.
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