ME AND JESUS - TOM T HALL

SONG TITLE: ME AND JESUS

PERFORMER: TOM T HALL

SONGWRITER: TOM T HALL

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1972

COMMENTS: Listening to this song makes me feel as close as ever I will to wanting to believe in Jesus. It really feels like a June service in a little country church back home. I imagine the windows open and the curtain blowing freely in the air as the congregation joyously express their faith and joy in song, the service itself direct testimony to neighbors in a fair radius - as far as a bunch of farmers' hog-calling trained lungs can carry. The piano is stomping out those ecstatic chords that remind me where Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard learned their tricks. If ever there was a perfect musical expression of the Christian concept of "freedom in Christ," surely this is it.

There is also a strong sense of a close-knit community and belonging, thanks in part to the presence of the Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church choir. They sure sound like neighbors.

A few words about the song itself and the words are in order. First of all, this is a perfect Protestant gospel song, perfect in form and catchy as hell, ...er, heaven. It was sung in some churches and would have been in many more but for extreme religious prejudice against commercial popular music. But for the pro-religious lyrical theme, this is a perfectly credible old style pounding rock and roll song. (It will do nicely in contrast as a demonstration of the nothingness of most "art" or college rock.)

And the lyrics have a nicely expressed point. "Me and Jesus got our own thing going, we don't need anybody to tell us what it's all about." Besides the success in the regular gospel form, he makes a nicely diplomatic but crystal clear statement of reformation disdain for religious authority and high ritual and material splendor. "We can't afford any fancy preaching, we can't afford any fancy church. We can't afford any fancy singing, but you know Jesus got a lot of poor people out doing his work." Again, a vision of freedom in Christ.

In high respect to this song, I will resist the obvious tact of ending this review with some sarcastic anti-Christian remark. Instead I will just say sincerely that I wish my experience of Christianity was even half as uplifting as this song.

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