If I Were You
(Lyrics and Music by
Wayne Watson, 1999, “Field of Souls”)
If I were You, if I ran this place
There wouldn’t be no mercy, no
There wouldn’t be no grace
And people that wander off and go astray
I’d make real sure that they would pay
Yeah, that’s what I’d do if I were YouAnd if I were You, if I ran this town
The righteous would be sitting pretty
And the rotten would come tumbling down
Oh, they’d beg and they’d wrangle for a second chance
I’d say, “sorry, boys, but I just can’t”
Yeah, that’s what I’d do if I were YouBut You know me, I’m just a man
Of unclean lips and unclean hands
Some of the thoughts I have
Make me want to run and hide, yeah
Well, I don’t know much, but I observe
You’ve never treated me like I deserve
Your loving arms are always open wide, yeah, yeahOh, well, You know me, I’m just a man
Of unclean lips and unclean hands
Some of the thoughts I have
Make me want to run and hide, run and hide
Well, I don’t know much, but I’ve observed
You’ve never treated me like I’ve deserved
Your loving arms are always open wide, open wideIf I were You, oh, catastrophe, ooh…
I wonder what in the world
Kind of world would this world be
I guess I’ll take my place
Wrapped in amazing grace
Let You be You
Uh-huh, that’s what I’ll do
Yeah, that’s what I’ll do
Yeah, that’s what I’ll do, ooh…
lunch with some new friends and our conversation ranged in many directions and
then settled in on philosophies about God and man. We come from very different
perspectives on such subjects, but all agreed that the troubles of this world
ultimately come down to humans being cruel to other humans. My friends complemented
me on being a kind, forward-thinking, religious, person. If I had thought
quicker on my feet, I would have quoted Solzhenitsyn’s words to them:
it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not
through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either —
but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line
shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed
by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all
hearts, there remains … an unuprooted small corner of evil.
Since then I have come to understand the truth of all the religions of the
world: They struggle with the evil inside a human being (inside
every human being). It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its
entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each person.”
above and Solzhenitsyn’s words tell us what we already know. We are usually
people who strive to be good and do right. We think of ourselves and our
friends as the better part of humanity. Yet, inside all of us lurks evil that
has never been uprooted, a small weed in the corner of our hearts. If God
allowed any of us to “run the world” it would be a catastrophe. That is why God
asks and we do well to acquiesce to letting God be God while we humans take our place “wrapped in amazing grace.” “Uh-huh, that’s what I’ll do.”