Listen to this song keeping in mind that Shakira, the singer/songwriter, is a Colombian young lady who has always been Catholic… apparently she is questioning her beliefs and trying to utter these questions in this song. Very popular in Latin America and Europe, although I find her voice a little strange.
The content of this piece is what caught my attention.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyVv1uFHVO4]
How Do You Do?
Shakira
Oral Fixation
Lyrics –
Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who have trespassed against us
Give us this day our daily bread
Daily bread, daily bread
Gloria Espiritu Santo
What language do you speak
If you speak at all?
Are you some kind of freak
Who lives to raise the ones who fall?
Hey, would you tell me why
The cat fights the dog?
Do you go to the Mosque
Or the Synagogue?
And if our fates have all been wrapped around your finger
And if you wrote the script then why the troublemakers?
How do you do?
How does it feel to be so high
And are you happy?
Do you ever cry?
… I sometimes cry …
You’ve made mistakes
Well that’s OK ’cause we all have
But if I forgive yours
Will you forgive mine?
Hey, do you feel our pain
And walk in our shoes?
Have you ever felt starved
Or is your belly always full?
How many people die
And hurt in your name?
Hey, does that make you proud
Or does it bring you shame?
And if our fates have all been wrapped around your finger
And if you wrote the script then why the troublemakers?
How do you do?
How does it feel to be so high
And are you happy?
Do you ever cry?
… I sometimes cry …
You’ve made mistakes
Well that’s OK ’cause we all have
But if I forgive yours
Will you forgive mine?
Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who have trespassed against us
… Mehila …
Give us this day our daily bread
… Mehila …
Daily bread
Daily bread
Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory
Amen!
Comments
3 responses to “How Do You Do?”
This is interesting, and i wonder whether it’s a trend in music at the moment to be questioning one’s faith in the mainstream? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of mainstream music, but the content is worth commenting on.
There is a single by Robbie Williams out at the moment which raises similar seeds of doubt. Called “Bodies”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suDutlDnd80
What appears to be at first a praising of Jesus and God in the end finishes with the lyrics “Jesus didn’t die for you, what do you want?”
There are more examples of this too, but I wonder if it’s a trend or just me drawing parallels between 2 unrelated songs?
DISCLAIMER: I am not a Robbie Williams fan either.
I fell in love with this song when I first moved to Texas a few years ago. At the time, I was a lapsed Catholic being lambasted by evangelicals because I was not sufficiently “saved;” the song eased my homesickness with memories of the Sunday morning rituals of my childhood. In the end, the entire experience served as the final impetus to fully transition from lapsed Catholic to ex-Catholic.
There’s a rich tradition of pious Catholics arguing with and questioning God. I don’t think this is necessarily a sign that she’s losing her faith (although we can hope.)
Jews have a similar tradition of challenging God.
Protestants seem to be more reluctant to call God on his mistakes, or even to admit them.