wordsout by godfrey rust
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PRAYERS IN TIME track 3
Save me (from my enemies)!

Listen or buy this track here.

Some people like making lists. Like Rock bottom blues, this was written with the help of the splendid, eccentric community of Café Church at St John’s Church in Ealing during a period where we looked at, and wrote our own versions of, a different kind of psalm each week.


Lyrics

Well some of these days I wanna say

I’m alone here in my room and won’t you please go away—

you can tell me I’m paranoid—

there are many things and people I’d prefer to avoid:

it’s safer in here with a pizza and beer

singing Cafe C songs ‘bout the things I fear—

 

Save me—from the wishing well!

Save me—from the fires of hell, well

save me, O save me!

I’m crying out to heaven, I’m down on my knees,

won’t you save me from my enemies?

(Give me some examples…)

 

Lethargy and selfishness and ingratitude,

cowardice and saying things that sound a little rude,

begrudging other people things that they might like

like a Snickers or a girlfriend or a nice new bike.

Save me from the people who do nothing but moan

and the interest on the interest on my payday loan—

 

Save me—from broken sleep!

Save me—from my iPhone’s beep, O

save me, O won’t you save me!

Please be frugal with Google’s robot sorceries,

won’t you save me from my enemies?

 

Jealousy, resentment, unforgiveness and greed,

rejection by the very people I most need,

being irritated by the smoothest of lies,

punching someone smug right between the eyes.

Don’t make me sit with people with a fake, fixed smile,

don’t make me take a lie detector test on Jeremy Kyle—

 

Save me—from my alibis!

Save me—from your prying eyes,

Save me—I’m just requesting that you save me!

Give me an app to delete them from my dreams and my

     memories,

won’t you save me from my enemies?

 

Self-deception, fear of failure and hypocrisy,

nosey people, anger, joblessness and poverty.

Save me from the things I think I’d rather not think,

the things I drink too much of that I better not drink,

chugging neat nostalgia from the fountain of youth

and rubbernecking the car crash at the death of truth—

 

Save me—from the mark of Cain!

Save me—from legerdemain!

Save me—it’s getting urgent that you save me!

Please take me out of scare quotes and italics and

     parentheses,

won’t you save me from my enemies?

 

Discouragement, loneliness, persecution—

save me frae believin’ in a final solution.

Save me frae Big Brother, the shame of it all—

don’t wannae be evicted by Davina McCall.

Save me frae ma doubts and fears, if you please

be certain to save me frae ma certainties—

(Well, that’s not very politically correct!)

 

Save me—from liberal irony!

O save me from a thousand different voices of theology!

They say they’ll get me into heaven when St Peter finds the
     keys—

won’t you save me from my enemies?

 

(For instance)

Helplessness, estrangement, temptation and pride,

save me up with interest at the Nationwide.

Save me from the future, save from the past,

save me for the last dance if it’s really the last.

Save me from my sickness, save me from my health,

save me from believing I can save myself—

 

Save me—from the wishing well!

Save me—from the fires of hell!

Save me, won’t you save me?

I’m crying out to heaven and I’m down on my knees,

won't you save me from my enemies?


Credits
Words and music by Godfrey Rust, with anonymous
     contributions from members of Cafe Church.

Godfrey Rust lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Laura Fontanills, Joel Rust backing vocals

Jude Smith vocal interjections

Adam Rust keyboards, synth bass, drum programming

Daniel Corbett electric guitar

David Fitzgerald saxophones

 

Recorded by Adam Rust and Godfrey Rust

Produced and engineered by Adam Rust

Co-produced by Godfrey Rust

Mixed by Enoch John

Mastered by Denis Blackham