Superpower

June 16, 2014

by Bob Farrell

The Final Call

WWII ended in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Imperial forces of Japan by Allied forces, but right on the heels of that triumph began The Cold War, as Communist Russia under Joseph Stalin began oppressing Eastern Europeans - an enslavement that continued until the Wall they had erected in 1961, dividing East from West Germany, was torn down in November, 1989.

Myself and the rest of the world learned all manner of new terms during the Cold War, such as ‘fallout shelter’, ‘nuclear detente’, ‘Iron Curtain’, and the moniker that denoted the two major opponents in the struggle, the U.S. and the USSR: superpowers.

During the 80s Jayne and I travelled and sang several times in Communist Poland and East Germany, including 30 shows in Moscow and Leningrad in 1988. We got to see first-hand that Wall begin to crumble.

I’ve never been a very politically-charged animal, but the heart we had for the plight of Eastern Europeans led to several songs making their way onto F&F albums, including “The Meek and the Mighty”, “Manifesto” - and “Superpower”.


As I penned this song with my good friend, collaborator, and F&F bandmate, Dave Robbins, our thoughts pretty much centered on the stunning arrogance of the Evil Empire.

BIG MEN - BIG GUNS

ENOUGH TO BLOW US ALL TO KINGDOM COME

ANOTHER SUMMIT - ANOTHER PLAN

FALSE SECURITY MADE BY MAN

THEY LOVE TO FLEX THEIR POLITICAL MUSCLE

THEY THINK THE EARTH IS A JIGSAW PUZZLE

Man loves to strut and control, but ultimately man answers to One greater than him. 

TOO MANY MEN WANNA BE MAN OF THE HOUR

BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE WHO CAN BALANCE THE POWER

SUPERPOWER

THE HIGHEST IN COMMAND

HOLDS US IN HIS HAND

SUPERPOWER

MAKER OF IT ALL

MAKES THE FINAL CALL

Psalms 24: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” 

BIG SKY, BIG SUN

THE SAME LIGHT SHINES ON EVERYONE

ONE GOD - ONE EARTH

HE HOLDS IT ALL BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD

WE LOVE TO THINK WE CAN PULL THE RIGHT STRINGS

AND WE SHAPE OUR OWN DESTINY

WE TAKE CONTROL - EVEN IN THE NAME OF LOVE

BUT THE ULTIMATE POWER ONLY COMES FROM ABOVE 

So, let man posture and preen, empower and impress, control and constrain, prance and parade - in the end it will all come to naught.

When Gog and Magog, Armegeddon, and the return of Christ, all long foretold, come to pass, “We shall all see Him coming in the clouds - and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

Now, that’s what I call a superpower.






(Music and Lyrics from “Superpower” by Bob Farrell and Dave Robbins, circa 1988)
Photo - pinterest.com