“The Problem”
Written by Marc Martel and Jason Germain
Copyright 2008 Centricity Music Publishing/Germain and Martel Publishing/ASCAP
There’s got to be some reason for all this misery
A secret evil corporation somewhere overseas
They’re pulling strings, arranging things
It’s a conspiracyOr what about the ones who shape the course of history
What if we petitioned for one grand apology?
I’ll write to my prime minister
You, write your presidentEverybody’s wondering how the world could get this way
If God is good, and how it could be filled with so much pain
It’s not the age-old mystery we made it out to be
Yeah, there’s a problem with the world
And the problem with the world is meSome will say the devil and his legions
They put us in a headlock of submission
But they lost all power over me
A long, long time agoAnd since I was a kid you know I’ve caused a lot of hurt
And no one ever taught me how to put myself first
It came so very naturally
But I’m not a prodigySo I will look no further than a mirror
That’s where the offender hides
So great is my need for a redeemer
That I cannot trust myself
No, I cannot trust my self
I dare not trust myself
So I trust in someone elseThe sooner you can sing along
The sooner you can sing this song
The happier we’ll be
The problem with the world is me
Sometimes the poets say it better than all of the philosophers, scientists, and politicians. This time the guys from the band “Downhere” have said it well, “the problem with the world is me.”
(Of course, an astute reader will recognize that the boys from “Downhere” are quoting the great G. K. Chesterton. Chesterton was once asked by a London newspaper to join other authors and thinkers to address the weighty and important question of “what’s wrong with the world.” His response:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G.K. Chesterton.)