Derek Webb - This Too Shall Be Made Right
from The Ringing Bell
I usually post good songs just for the musical qualities. That’s where my strength is. I like deciphering lyrics, but I feel like I’m not that good at it. Derek Webb is one of those artists who challenges me to contemplate the lyrics and not just listen to the chords. I feel like when he writes really moving words, he intentionally puts very simple music behind them to not distract from them. He tackles deep stuff in his lyrics, and he’s not afraid to turn people off as long as it invokes thought and raises awareness. And to me, that’s rocking hard. Here are the words:
People love you the most for the things you hate
And hate you for loving the things that you cannot keep straight
People judge you on a curve
And tell you you’re getting what you deserve
And this too shall be made right
Children cannot learn when children cannot eat
Stack them like lumber when children cannot sleep
Children dream of wishing wells
Whose waters quench all the fires of Hell
And this too shall be made right
The earth and the sky and the sea are all holding their breath
Wars and abuses have nature groaning with death
We say we’re just trying to stay alive
But it looks so much more like a way to die
And this too shall be made right
There’s a time for peace and there is a time for war
There’s a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
A time for babies to lose their lives
A time for hunger and genocide
And this too shall be made right
I don’t know the suffering of people outside my front door
I join the oppressors of those I choose to ignore
I’m trading comfort for human life
And that’s not just murder it’s suicide
And this too shall be made right
