Lyrics Du Jour - Kirsty MacColl

Kirsty MacColl was killed in December 2000 by a boat speeding through a restricted area where she was scuba diving with her sons in Cozumel. She had already shared her gift of music with the rest of us for many years prior to her tragic and untimely death. One song in particular stands out to me as it was played heavily on my favorite radio station in the 80's. The song "Walking Down Madison" was co-written with Johnny Marr (of The Smiths) and it's lyrics ring true for me as motivation for my volunteer work with OneCity (see link to the left). And, the lyrics can be a reminder to all of us to show grace to everyone we encounter, because in the big picture- we are not that different. Here is just a small taste of these poignant lyrics:

"See you give 'em your nickels, your pennies and dimes
But you can't give 'em hope in these mercenary times, oh no
And you feel real guilty about the coat on your back
And the sandwich you had, oh no

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train
It's not that far
From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
It's not that far
To the bag lady frozen asleep in the park
Oh no it's not that far
Would you like to see some more?
I can show you if you'd like to

Within every city and town there's a Madison
Frozen lives for whom nothing's happening
Hungry children is a mother's dilemma
Dumpster diving to feed her baby Emma
So you walk on by like it doesn't affect you
The held out hand that you pay no respect to
Nickels and dimes won't even buy your guilt
Another wino dead burnt to death in his quilt
It's a cardboard city, newspaper metropolis
The system can't cope or keep on top of this
The authorities come as you're not for display
Do they solve the problem no they move him away
They're in a vicious circle of no fixed abode
The social won't pay 'em the money they're owed
When you got no money you can't pay rent
Hypothermia kills 'cos the system is bent"

"The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:31 NIV

The lyrics display truth, the scripture quoted is just one example of Jesus teaching grace.