Paul didn’t know all of that, though. Paul wanted to be one that set the bar on the
loudest, rawest, dirtiest standard.
During the recording sessions for the White Album, they recorded and
re-recorded the song several times over.
One version running 12 minutes long, and the now-famous “I got blisters
on my fingers!” outburst from Ringo came after the 18th take in one day
and Ringo threw his drumsticks across the room and yelled (yeah, you got it) “I
got blistuhs on muh finguhs!” When it
was released on the White Album, it was by far much louder, much more raw, and
much dirtier than the puny little “I Can See For Miles”. It was a nuclear missile in response to a cap
gun with wet caps.
The up and down, mountaintops and valleys reference in
the first “Helter Skelter” devotional were easy dots to connect. This one requires a little more honesty with
ourselves. Paul didn’t want to be
outdone. He had never heard the other song,
but he wanted to make sure that his response was more
than adequate to be the bar setter.
Sometimes we hear rumors or whispers about us behind our back. Sometimes they’re true and sometimes they’re
not, but what we want to be sure of is that our response is more than adequate
to outdo the rumor. That wasn’t
instruction, by the way: that was
observation. Upon rereading I thought I
should clarify. We either explode into a
fit of rage about the rumor or we reply with something ourselves. It usually depends on whether we know the
source or not, I suppose. If it’s
general hearsay rumblings, our exasperations and retaliations are probably a
bit limited in where we can aim them.
It’s hard to get into a game of one-upsmanship with an unknown
gossiper. But if there’s a name attached
to a rumor’s origin…oh boy, watch the fireworks!! And the he said/she said volleys are even
stronger serves when we talk about the younger generation and the age of social
media. Moment of honesty for most of us,
though, our first thought (the first three words even) when someone does
something like that is most likely, “I’ll show them!” and then we do.
I’m reminded of the episode of the Full House sitcom where
Stephanie got into it with a girl named Gia over some boy. Gia’s response was to tell everyone that
Stephanie had paid the boy to go out with her.
Stephanie’s response to THAT was to get a friend to steal Gia’s school
folder, and then they enlarged Gia’s horrendous report card to bulletin-board
size and posted it on the wall. It’s
like a reminder of the Cold War and the fear of Massive Retaliation, as it was
called. Don’t launch that missile
because of what might get sent back your way.
If the missile was launched from some unknown country, well then just
raze the whole region to make sure you get the right one? That’s the way we respond sometimes…we hear
something about us, and it sounds like something that old so-and-so might have
said, so lower the proverbial boom! But
what if wasn’t old so-and-so? What you
just bombed Canada when you should have bombed Greenland? What if you just nuked Southeast Asia when
you should have blasted the European Union?
(Not saying that your response should be that at all, just painting
pictures) But what if it’s worse? What if you hear something attributed to
“they said” and your retort is some earth-shattering rumor that you’ve heard
about them? But what if what “they said”
wasn’t really what was reported to you?
What if you’ve just written a “Helter Skelter” in response to an “I Can
See For Miles”?
But the message for both sides of the gossip fence is
easy. Listen for the Whisper that sounds
like Proverbs 16:28. A dishonest man spreads strife, and a
whisperer separates close friends.
(that’s not a whisperer like “Listen for the…”) If you don’t like that one, try Proverbs
6:16-19 on for size: 16 There are six things which
the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. Did you catch that? How about we just lay it out there and roar it like a Lion? Can we roar it like James 1:26? 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Wow, James just called your religion WORTHLESS if you can’t control your tongue!! Oh, what’s that? That’s just James, you say mockingly? You want someone with actual scriptural authority, well let’s read some of the “red words” then…like the ones in Matthew 12:36: But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. How about them apples? Are you ready to give an accounting? That goes for both sides of the fence. Are you starting the gossip? Are you repeating it? Are counterattacking it? It’s all the same. An accounting for Every. Careless. Word. Let that sink in. Every. Careless. Word.
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. Did you catch that? How about we just lay it out there and roar it like a Lion? Can we roar it like James 1:26? 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Wow, James just called your religion WORTHLESS if you can’t control your tongue!! Oh, what’s that? That’s just James, you say mockingly? You want someone with actual scriptural authority, well let’s read some of the “red words” then…like the ones in Matthew 12:36: But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. How about them apples? Are you ready to give an accounting? That goes for both sides of the fence. Are you starting the gossip? Are you repeating it? Are counterattacking it? It’s all the same. An accounting for Every. Careless. Word. Let that sink in. Every. Careless. Word.
So if you hear something juicy and want
to go tell your best buddy, pardon my French, but shut up! If you decide that somebody is doing
something you don’t like so you feel they need to be brought down a notch or two,
shut it! If someone comes to you and
says, “old Bertha May just told me that you did/said whatever” then let it
go. Maybe go to Bertha May and kindly ask
her why she’s saying it. Maybe you can
resolve a misunderstanding or maybe you can’t.
But whatever you do, don’t write a “Helter Skelter” in response an “I
Can See For Miles.” Or for that matter,
don’t write a “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” or a “My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean”
or a “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” or a “Fishin’ Hole Andy Griffith Theme
Song” either. Whether it’s with Bertha
May or whoever, at some point you’ll have to give an account for everything
you’ve said. And while this is strictly
my opinion and not exactly scriptural, I’m pretty sure “well SHE started it!”
won’t work any better on the Day of Judgment than it did with your mom.
So regardless of which side of the gossip
fence you’re on…whether it’s the mudslinging side, or the pitching it back over
the fence side…your first reaction shouldn’t be, “I’ll show them!” The last thing you want to happen is to have
a “Helter Skelter” overreaction to “I Can See For Miles”. So instead of “I’ll show them,” remind
yourself that the first three words we need to think of are “Every. Careless.
Word.”
~Dwayne
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