Lifesaver

May 5, 2014

by Bob Farrell

No Kiddin'

Seems appropriate today to talk about swirling water, as it was four years ago this past weekend that Jayne and I were caught in the deluge of rain, rain, rain that fell on Nashville.

A very long day was May 1, 2010, as we fought the rising brown water (which eventually rose to five feet in our home) engulfing us and all our worldly possessions.

You can read my account of our experience of catastrophe, aftermath, and recovery in my book When the Rains Fall (on Amazon) - the full 4-1-1 of miracles and blessings the Lord bestowed on us.

One of those blessings was The Lifesaver Tribute, a benefit concert given by our good friends to raise funds for our comeback: performances by Amy Grant, Kirk and Deby Dearman, The Pat Terry Group, Susan Ashton, Mark and Brynn Gershmehl.   Sweet Lori Loving performed most of the promoting and logistics for the concert.  Pat Terry sang an old F&F song of mine that night that hit the perfect chord.

About almost drowning.

I used to spend my life swimming away 

I’d dive into most any river wherever it was fun to play 

And I never paid no mind to the warning signs

 Until the day I couldn’t swim back to shore 

But I promised not to do it no more 

If I could only get back to shore 

Life imitating art? Yeah, pretty much. Though I could never have envisioned my metaphor becoming real flood waters 40 years after I penned those lyrics. And when the actual event smacks you you find how unprepared and helpless you are (btw, Deby Dearman produced the video above). 

Lifesaver, my life was sinking down and down and down 

Lifesaver, I thought I was gonna drown, thought I was gonna drown 

Lifesaver, You turned my life around and around

You pulled me out of the deep deep water

Put my feet on solid ground  

In actual fact we did have to swim out of our house to solid ground. Huh. So much for metaphors.

It’s crazy how I lived like nothing was wrong

The current swept me into swirling water

But I kept on a-floatin along and along

I always thought that the river was my friend

But I finally realized how I’d been fooled

That I was caught in a whirlpool

So, I cried out, Lord, for You

Yeah, You, You - I cried out for You

Jayne and I found out you don’t mess with the river - running smooth and placid one minute, rising and raging the next. 

In life you’re constantly near the river, playing in the river, trusting that the river won’t suddenly go out of control and sweep you away in a torrent.

My advice to you is what the little brown mouse told Cinderella in the Disney animated classic: “Be caref-y, Cinderell-y”.








(Music and Lyrics, Bob Farrell, circa 1975, recorded on Farrell and Farrell, 1977)