I am casting my mind back to Belfast City Hall around Christmas 1995 and Van's performance for President Clinton at the front of that building. Northern Ireland was in the throes of its peace process (it's still called that nearly 20 years later) and Van did a rendition of this song accompanied by Brian Kennedy.
The 'Days Like This' album had been released that summer from which this track is taken. Van is in reflective mood and observing a world where religion doesn't seem that important anymore - or is it! I wonder what he means when he says near the end of the song, "And it's so cruel to expect the savior to save the day
And there's no religion, no religion, no religion here today". There have always been religious undertones in Van's music as he has explored and apparently rejected most of them. As a generalisation most religion is about "doing" trying to do enough to merit some kind of divine favour beyond this life - like a heavenly insurance policy. Whereas, biblical Christianity, tells us that it's all been "done" and if we can grasp that one - difficult though it is - our approach to divine acceptance may start to look much brighter. James 1:27 says that "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world". There is an alternative to No religion.
I am casting my mind back to Belfast City Hall around Christmas 1995 and Van's performance for President Clinton at the front of that building. Northern Ireland was in the throes of its peace process (it's still called that nearly 20 years later) and Van did a rendition of this song accompanied by Brian Kennedy.
The 'Days Like This' album had been released that summer from which this track is taken. Van is in reflective mood and observing a world where religion doesn't seem that important anymore - or is it! I wonder what he means when he says near the end of the song, "And it's so cruel to expect the savior to save the day And there's no religion, no religion, no religion here today". There have always been religious undertones in Van's music as he has explored and apparently rejected most of them. As a generalisation most religion is about "doing" trying to do enough to merit some kind of divine favour beyond this life - like a heavenly insurance policy. Whereas, biblical Christianity, tells us that it's all been "done" and if we can grasp that one - difficult though it is - our approach to divine acceptance may start to look much brighter. James 1:27 says that "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world". There is an alternative to No religion.