![]() Save this article to favorites 3 comments In any event, it makes me wonder how many people feel the way Father Cassian described-drifting, fragmented, anxious-but continue to get up and do the same thing over and over just like the people in “Baker Street.” Convinced that in another year, then they’ll be happy. How many of us feel this way? I’d be lying if I said I did not identify to some degree with the description above (although, like many men, my feelings usually exist in a state of healthy repression).ĭreher, I suspect, would probably suggest this is the result of people of faith living in a secularized world. Fragmentation, fear, disorientation, drifting-those are widely diffused characteristics of our society,” the monk continued. ![]() He brought up Pope Benedict’s observation that “the Western world lives as though God does not exist.” Why? A monk who spoke to Dreher-one Father Cassian-might have touched on a clue. In his book, Dreher concludes that disorder is “the defining characteristic of the modern world.” It permeates most parts of our lives in the Western world, and it affects people of faith and non-believers alike.Īs a result, many of us have found ourselves walking through life much like the two people in “Baker Street”-lost, aimless, dead on our feet. However, I think many Christians suffer from a different (but similar) problem in our culture: a lack of a coherent order. Now, most Christians would not confess to living in a state of meaninglessness. The song made me think of something I recently read in Rod Dreher’s new book The Benedict Option, which focuses on Christian living in a post-Christian nation. This is especially true, I think, if people lack clear purpose and meaning in their lives. The point of the song gets at what I believe is an important truth: our lives often turn into sad patterns that are difficult to escape. (And, of course, there are additional ways to cope or distract ourselves that are more common to modern man: texting, workaholism, Twitter, internet porn, day-trading, etc.) Health professionals say it’s quite common to cope with feelings of meaningless like the people in Rafferty’s song-late nights, booze, one-night stands. is the ‘crisis of meaning.’” Some mental health professionals have linked this crisis to the surge of mental illness in our society. It has been more than a decade since Pope John Paul II observed that “ne of the most significant aspects of our current situation. And though the song is 40 years old now, I have a hunch it resonates even more now than it did then. ![]() I think part of the reason the song was such a success is because the lyrics touched on something a little deeper than most rock tunes, something that resonated with audiences. “Baker Street” peaked at #3 in the UK and held the #2 spot in the U.S. The relationship is probably dysfunctional, but they are struggling to change. They find comfort in booze, chemicals, and (occasionally) each other. I’ve never heard “Baker Street” explained, but my take on the song is this: It’s about two lonely people in a city. It’s not your typical rock/pop song about finding or losing love. The lyrics-in contrast to the seductive sax and upbeat strings and keyboard-are rather dark. ‘Cause he’s rolling, he’s the rolling stone He’s gonna give up the booze and the one-night stands He’s got this dream about buying some land He opens the door, he’s got that look on his face Way down the street there’s a light in his place Just one more year and then you’d be happy It’s got so many people, but it’s got no soul But at some point-I don’t know when-I began to pay attention to the song’s lyrics. Most people, of course, remember “Baker Street” for its wailing saxophone, and my friend was no different. “I never paid much attention to the lyrics.” When my friend mentioned that he loved the song, I agreed and noted the song’s powerful lyrics. I was recently in a bar having dinner with a friend when Gerry Rafferty’s hit 1978 song “Baker Street” came on.
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