Is there such a thing as Christian blues? On the one hand – yes. The Bible even has its fair share of laments where God’s people express their frustration, their anguish at the state they find themselves in. On the other hand – no. No Christian blues can ever be 100% “blue” as there always remains the promise of redemption, new life and new creation.
Two Christian artists who have done well to rummage around in the gap between despair and hope in a bluesy style are Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love) and the Irish folk-singer Brian Houston.
I’ve been a fan of VOL for a while and even saw them play in a bar in York when I was a student. They write intelligent Americana from a Christian perspective. My favourite Christian “blues” track of all time is their song Resplendent which I already talked about on this blog.
The best thing you could do would be to listen to (legally) get hold of their music. If you can access Spotify, check them both out on there. But, if you can’t or you won’t, then at least read their lyrics – they read like modern Psalms. Below, then, are the lyrics to When you’re Blinded By The Light, a track by the Vigilantes of Love:
I trusted you until it hurt
Don’t wanna go there for awhile
Can barely recognize the word
I’ve been forgetting how to smile
It’s funny how supposed friends
Trip in here so fancy-free
Ah, but when the story ends
We just rewrite our history
And it’s no good telling stories
When my ears are sealed up tight
It does no good to see the sunrise
When you’re blinded by the light
Gave you all the best we had
Of our labors and our trust
Played a benefit of doubt
Yeah, but we couldn’t raise enough
Bought a one-way ticket to nowhere
On a ship called “Lost at Sea”
It was there I found my courage
She was sleeping next to me
Lord, show to me Your face
Lord, show to me Your skin
Lord, show to me the places
Where they put the nails in
Gonna crawl in there with all my fears
Introduce them to my pretense
Yeah, introduce them to my sorrows
They’ll become the best of friends
And this from Brian Houston’s latest Christian roots record Gospel Road. The Lord is still the Lord:
The dark night is coming, but the Lord is still the Lord
You might feel like running, the Lord is still the Lord
Now fear might be on your heels, the Lord is still the Lord
Cos Jesus knows the way you feel, the Lord is still the Lord
Lift him up
Lift the sweet name of Jesus up x2
Now you might have enemies, the Lord is still the Lord
Filled with envy and jealousy, the Lord is still the Lord
Feel as if you can’t go on, the Lord is still the Lord
When every scrap of hope is gone, the Lord is still the Lord
Well now, the price of property is going down, the Lord is still the Lord
And every job is leaving town, the Lord is still the Lord
When you don’t know just what to do, the Lord is still the Lord
Yeah the Lord will still provide for you, the Lord is still the Lord
Thank you Lord for these guys and their music. It seems to me there is a real paucity of singer/songwriters like these out there who pen thoughtful, non-showy songs inspired by a Christian worldview. If you have any suggestions of Christian bluesmen out there who I should listen to, let me know!
beyond random 