"Lord Is It Mine" performed by Supertramp,
From Breakfast in America, 1979.
Composer: Roger Hodgson.
Soul
At birth given it
Deepest core dwells it
Alms fortify it
Grace nourishes it
Vices blemish it
Evil razes it
Often need search it
Strive to redeem it
Only I own it
God oversees it
Forever lives it --- Lisa Cole-Allen.
There's no bad song on English progressive rock band, Supertramps's
Breakfast in America, winner of two 1980 Grammy Awards, and one of
my all time favorite albums. Three singles from Breakfast were huge
hits, but my choice of best song is a deep track written by keyboardist and
co-founder, Roger Hodgson, whose writings are often of philosophical or
spiritual themes. Hodgson's plaintive tenor lead vocal adorns the poetry
of "Lord Is It Mine," prompting the listener to pause, hear and reflect on
the meanings within the music. Reader, do play the original album version
video of the beautiful "Lord is it Mine," Hodgson's finest work in both his
opinion and mine.
"Lord Is It Mine"
I know that there's a reason why I need to be alone
You've shown me there's a silent place that I can call my own
Is it mine, oh Lord, is it mine?
You know I get so weary from the battles in this life
And as many times it seems that you're the only hope in sight
Is it mine, oh Lord, is it mine?
When everything's dark
And nothing seems right
There's nothing to win
And there's no need to fight
I never cease to wonder at the cruelty of this land
But it seems a time of sadness is a time to understand
Is it mine, oh Lord, is it mine?
When everything's dark
And nothing seems right
You don't have to win
And there's no need to fight
If only I could find a way to feel your sweetness through the day
The love that shines around me could be mine
So give us an answer, won't you
We know what we have to do
There must be a thousand voices
Trying to get through
The speaker addresses the "Lord" when "there's a reason why [he needs]
to be alone." The Lord has "shown [him] the silent place that [he] can call
[his] own." The narrator looks into his soul to pray, the refrain questions
that pervade the poem: "Is it mine? Oh, Lord, is it mine?" What exactly is
"it?" What does "is it mine" mean to the questioner?
The Lord knows that the speaker gets "so weary from the battles in this life,"
and "many times" he feels that life is out of his control and God is "the only
hope in sight."
In the chorus, "When everything's dark and nothing seems right, there's
nothing to win and there's no need to fight," the narrator expresses his
sense of turmoil within himself, his helplessness to change it.
The narrator is incredulous at "the cruelty in this land." He believes that
through experiencing "a time of sadness" comes "a time to understand."
The speaker feels that if he "could only find a way to feel [God's]
sweetness through the day," put his troubles in God's hands, his restive
soul would find the peace he longs for.
This prayer in poetic song ends with a request of God: "Give us an answer,
won't you." The speaker humbly admits that "we know what we have to
do." We've all been taught right from wrong, how to live a good, fulfilling
life, but as human mortals, blind faith in anyone or anything is difficult; we
look for proof. The last line, "there must be a thousand voices trying to get
through," speaks to the universal fragility of faith, the fallibility of the soul.
"Is it mine? Oh, Lord, is it mine?" The desperation, the despair in the
questions are apparent. Will the speaker find inner peace in his lifetime?
Will there be salvation of his soul for eternity? He puts his faith in God,
"the only hope in sight."
