The other day I was out with my mom. We were listening to a CD my dad had made of all his favorite songs and I was waxing nostalgic remembering all the times he had played these when I was a kid. I like them too and they bring back so many good memories of childhood.
One song stuck in my head, "Who Will Answer?", sung by Ed Ames and released by RCA Victor in 1968 when I was 6 years old. It's a hauntingly beautiful song sung by a man with an incredible voice. When I was a kid, I don't remember listening to the words of this song, but the melody was intriguing and the voice so blessed of God that I couldn't help but feel something special though, at the time, I was an Agnostic.
I decided to see if YouTube or GodTube had it and, as I was listening, the words spoke to me. I looked up the lyrics and read them over as Ed Ames sang them in the background and something jumped out at me that I want to share with you today.
Who answers when we cry out in pain over the sins and injustices of this fallen world? Although the Hallelujahs are echoing in the background, it doesn't appear the Lord is the one he is suggesting. I don't really know for certain if he is warning us that the things of the world that we look to are not the answer or if he believes there is NO answer. He shares with us who others have turned to, but those listed are merely institutions or symbols or just men. Take a look at this verse:
Is our hope in walnut shells
Worn 'round the neck with temple bells,
Or deep within some cloistered walls
Where hooded figures pray in halls?
Or crumbled books on dusty shelves,
Or in our stars, or in ourselves,
Who will answer?
It suggests that people put their faith and trust in institutions which have no power to answer us when we cry out in our agony. And he would be correct. We cannot put our faith in the things of this world, in its institutions or in its leaders. There is only one who promises to be with us through our pain and struggles. There is only one who promises a hope and has given us a way to the peace we seek so desperately here on earth. He is the Lord.
What this song asks is even deeper than this. Who Will Answer, I think, asks the question, "Why is there such suffering in the world?" It's one of the most common questions unbelievers ask and it's one that never seems to be answered satisfactorily even for Christians who are struggling with their faith when something catastrophic happens. Often well-meaning sisters or brothers say the wrong thing and those suffering a loss will pull further away from the Lord instead of holding on tight knowing the Lord will get them through it. How should WE answer? Well, that depends on the one who is asking.
God didn't make cookie-cutter people. Each sees the world differently based on his experiences. Each is a unique individual. You can't have, at the ready, a one-size-fits-all answer. It takes more communication skill which the Lord talks about numerous times in His Word. I talk about this very question in Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith.
I have the "video" here for you to listen to. The visual is only one still picture of an Ed Ames album cover so it's not much to look at, but the song is what I want to share with you. The words are listed below.
I know who will answer when I cry out in pain. I know who will be with me through everything I must endure as I live my life in this fallen world. I know who will answer. Do you?
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!, Hallelujah!
From the canyons of the mind,
We wander on and stumble blindly
Through the often-tangled maze
Of starless nights and sunless days,
While asking for some kind of clue
Or road to lead us to the truth,
But who will answer?
Side by side two people stand,
Together vowing, hand-in-hand
That love's imbedded in their hearts,
But soon an empty feeling starts
To overwhelm their hollow lives,
And when they seek the hows and whys,
Who will answer?
On a strange and distant hill,
A young man's lying very still.
His arms will never hold his child,
Because a bullet running wild
Has struck him down. And now we cry,
"Dear God, Oh, why, oh, why?"
But who will answer?
High upon a lonely ledge,
a figure teeters near the edge,
And jeering crowds collect below
To egg him on with, "Go, man, go!"
But who will ask what led him
To his private day of doom,
And who will answer?
(Chorus)
If the soul is darkened
By a fear it cannot name,
If the mind is baffled
When the rules don't fit the game,
Who will answer? Who will answer? Who will answer?
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!, Hallelujah!
In the rooms of dark and shades,
The scent of sandalwood pervades.
The colored thoughts in muddled heads
Reclining in the rumpled beds
Of unmade dreams that can't come true,
And when we ask what we should do,
Who... Who will answer?
'Neath the spreading mushroom tree,
The world revolves in apathy
As overhead, a row of specks
Roars on, drowned out by discotheques,
And if a secret button's pressed
Because one man has been outguessed,
Who will answer?
Is our hope in walnut shells
Worn 'round the neck with temple bells,
Or deep within some cloistered walls
Where hooded figures pray in halls?
Or crumbled books on dusty shelves,
Or in our stars, or in ourselves,
Who will answer?
(Repeat Chorus Below)
If the soul is darkened
By a fear it cannot name,
If the mind is baffled
When the rules don't fit the game,
Who will answer? Who will answer? Who will answer?
I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this. I agree; the words of this song has so much meaning to it. The way Ed sings it is intriguing and heartfelt. I love his voice, too. He played Mingo on Daniel Boone as well. He's quite the Godly man.
I like your interpretations on the lyrics. Very well thought out. :)
I was raised by two Atheists of Jewish heritage, married a non practicing Catholic and became a non denominational Christian due, in part, to some Amway meetings and a Jehovah's Witness who came to my door. My purple crayon writes with humor and almost always a little out of the lines.
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This blog is my creative and fun way of sharing my thoughts on communication skills relating mostly to homeschooling and sharing and defending the faith. It also reveals a bit about how the Lord took this shy Agnostic girl and allowed her to find her voice and her purpose, a zany voice to the Christian community with insight as to what unbelievers need to hear about Christ Jesus.
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I'll share news items, quotes, family friendly humor, tips, trivia, and my newest feature: Question of the Week. I invite you to come share your thoughts!
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For more creative fun with JoJo you can visit www.ArtofEloquence.com
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"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." -Proverbs 25:11
Feb. 8, 2009 - Thank you... love Ed Ames!
I like your interpretations on the lyrics. Very well thought out. :)
Fayd