Thursday, April 10, 2008

PRAYING FOR TIME
These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars
And the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand
With ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
Because God stopped keeping score

I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all God's children
Crept out the back door

And it's hard to love
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time

This is the year of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity
Is a coat you wear
Twice a year

These are the days of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find
That what was over there
Is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say what's mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much
But I'll take my chances
Because God stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things
They sold you
Did you cover your eyes when
They told you
That He can't come back
Because He has no children
To come back for

And it's hard to love
When there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much, much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time

In The New York Times September 16, 1990, George Michael is quoted regarding this song: "No event inspired the song. It's my way of trying to figure out why it's so hard for people to be good to each other. I believe the problem is conditional as opposed to being something inherent in mankind. The media has affected everybody's consciousness much more than most people will admit. Because of the media, the way the world is perceived is as a place where resources and time are running out. We're taught that you have to grab what you can before it's gone. It's almost as if there isn't time for compassion."

2 comments:

Bitzky77 said...

I always thought that he delivered his message very clearly with this song. Simple & direct lyrics, and the rest of the music sort of washes past you.

Always liked that song a lot. You know he's on tour?

This girl sang it well. I gotta say though, I like the GM studio performance more than hers.

sela said...

I was not a Carrie Underwear fan during the season she was on Idol, but, I am now. I love to hear her sing. Maybe it's the song choice?! ;)