230. Rock Goes The Gospel - Bryan Adams "Do I Have to Say the Words?"

"Do I Have to Say the Words?" is a song written by Canadian artist Bryan Adams, Robert Lange and Jim Vallance for Adams sixth studio album Waking Up the Neighbours (1991). It was released in July 1992 as the fifth single from this album. The single peaked at 2 in Canada and at 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (20 weeks on chart), the song also peaked at 2 on the Mainstream Top 40. Song won SOCAR award. This Bryan Adams, Mutt Lange and Jim Vallance penned song was released as the fifth single from the singer's Waking Up the Neighbours album. It peaked at #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in Adams' native Canada. This began as a completely different song written by Adams and Vallance: a mid-tempo U2-inspired track titled "Rescue Me." Vallance recalled on his website: "Mutt Lange worked his magic, turned our chorus into a verse, slowed the tempo to ballad-speed, added a new chorus, and the song became 'Do I Have To Say The Words?'" The song's music video was directed by the Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn and partly filmed in Iceland with the female character. The main bulk of it was shot at Istanbul in Turkey.

Rescue me from the mire
Whisper words of desire
Rescue me - darling rescue me
With your arms open wide
Want you here by my side
Come to me - darling rescue me
When this world's closing in
There's no need to pretend
Set me free - darling rescue me

I don't wanna let you go
So I'm standing in your way
I never needed anyone like I'm needin' you today

Do I have to say the words?
Do I have to tell the truth?
Do I have to shout it out?
Do I have to say a prayer?
Must I prove to you how good we are together?
Do I have to say the words

Rescue me from despair
Tell me you will be there
Rescue me - darlin' rescue me

Every dream that we share
Every cross that we bear
Come to me - darlin' rescue me

"Do I Have to Say the Words?" is a song about being rescued from the hurts and brokenness of life. It's a saviour song. A song that is full of longing and hope. At the same time the song could also be about the desparate attempts of one person to keep a relationship going after it has died. I'm choosing today to see it as a song of hurt and rescue. The bible reading today is taken from Psalm 107:19-21. This is a song of rescue.

Psalm 107  is a rescue psalm with 4 pictures to it. This morning we will look simply at these four pictures in turn and see if we can come to a central theme.

Stranded in the Desert, Psalms 107:2-6

What a picture this is! Wandering in the desert. Hot. Sweaty. Desperate. Lost. Alone. Starving. Thirsting. Giving up hope. I have read some stories of individuals lost in the deserts in some of the world's hottest deserts,  Eating frogs, ants, sufferings from exposure… horrible suffering, exhaustion. Perhaps you would say, "this is my life…. I’m wandering in circles—keep coming back to the same old habits, the same hang-ups, repeating the same mistakes. I’m lost. I’m alone. Starving. Thirsting. Giving up hope."

Sitting in the Dungeon, Psalm 107:10-13

Damp, dark. Rats scurrying everywhere. Clink and scrape of chains as the prisoner tries to move to a more comfortable position. The iron gate locked tight. Only scrapes of old bread and thin soup. And the worst of it all…. Guilty with a death sentenced!  Trapped in life. Bound by habit or addiction. Chained by regrets. Locked in a prison of shame. Guilty and facing an uncertain future.

Suffering with Disease, Psalm 107:17-18

This is a picture of someone who is dying. Suffering. Certain death. No hope and no future, tired. Miserable. People around us are facing terminal diseases every day. People we know have incurable conditions and will face a painful end.

Sinking in the Deep, Psalm 107:23-27

One last picture and perhaps this is the most vivid. Out on a vessel at sea in the midst of a terrible storm. See the ship mount up to heaven on a tremendous wave and then crash down to depths. The crew is staggering around on the deck like drunken men. They don’t know what to do and are afraid for their lives.  Perhaps you know what it is like to be in the middle of a terrible storm. You are staggering through each day without hope of surviving.

The Truth of the Psalm

God sees and hears our cries no matter the problem and is compassionate and caring to help us in our time of need. God's mercy and Grace is great towards all of us.