In the spring of this year, legendary singer/songwriter Paul Simon produced his eleventh full-length studio CD, So Beautiful or So What. Simon is 69-years-old, and is creating some of the finest music of his distinguished career. If you're not familiar with his work, I suggest you give him a listen. (A great starting place would be his Grammy-winning 1986 album, Graceland.) But the point of this blog is not to promote Paul Simon, per se.
Rather, I'd like to invite you to ponder along with me the lyrics to one of his latest album's songs, "The Afterlife." In it, Simon muses about heaven, wondering what it might be like for those who have died to enter God's presence. Ironically, he posits, the dearly departed may be disappointed to find themselves waiting in something that resembles a line at the local DMV.
Still I thought it was odd,
there was no sign of God
just to usher me in
Then a voice from above
sugar-coated with love said,
"Let us begin"
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
This comic twist is funny at first, and then pretty tragic if you think about it for long. After the toil and struggle of earthly life, what awaits you is... paperwork. A long line. Waiting. And lest you think being a particularly stellar individual, or even a high-profile religious leader, might earn you a right to cut in this line, Simon warns,
Buddha and Moses and all the noses
from narrow to flat
Had to stand in the line just to glimpse the divine
What you think about that?
...
It's all his design, no one cuts in the line
No one here likes a sneak
If given much reflection, the comedy of the song could turn pretty quickly into an ugly cynicism about the pointlessness of human life, and the empty promise of religion (in general), and Christian faith (in particular). But thankfully, Simon doesn't stop there. The final stanza of the song finds the protagonist finally reaching the front of the line and meeting God himself. And at that point, Simon ponders how he might respond to the very presence of God.
After you climb up the ladder of time, the Lord God is near
Face-to-face in the vastness of space, your words disappear
And you feel like you're swimming in an ocean of love and the current is strong
But all that remains when you try to explain is a fragment of song
Lord, is it Be Bop a Lula? Or ooh Papa Doo?
Simon's musical memory harkens back to Be-bop songs of the 40's and 50's, and when he finally steps into God's presence, all he can do is utter these nonsense syllables that exist somewhere deep within his memory, perhaps subconsciously. He acknowledges an "ocean of love" with a strong current. It seems, then, that the struggle of life and the long line in heaven were ultimately worth it for the love and wonder of God's immediate nearness. The cynicism of the first three verses gives way to this warm and poignant wonder at what it may be like to be in God's presence.
Simon is not a Christian, and describes himself as "not a religious person." "The Afterlife" is one of many songs on So Beautiful or So What that deal with some of the deepest issues of human existence. He asks deep questions, ponders big realities, and wanders up to the brink of God's love and presence, but stops tragically short of faith in Jesus. I pray that as he ponders these questions the Lord might be pleased to reveal truth to his heart.
In the meantime, here's a video of Simon and his band rehearsing "The Afterlife" in the studio.
Wow!
I have always been into Paul Simon. Graceland was the first album I really listened to beginning to end, and it has haunted me through the years. Where he's at spiritually doesn't surprise me. Great post, and again, great timing for me! Ha. And it made me happy to hear his music before and after the Andrew Peterson concert.
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