Tina Turner: River Deep, Mountain High
“Tina is that thunderstorm that drenches the earth, rattles the windows, and makes the world seem more alive afterward.”
SO I TURNED THE VOLUME UP and let her rip a couple of times today! I want to try to clear my head of the nasty sights and sounds that appear to have become an institutional necessity in some religious quarters. I’m ashamed of the cat calling and the hissing (from all sides) that is currently surrounding the news that “five bishops will cross the Tiber”. God help us. When will we learn to stop being so damnably rude to each other?
Whether River Deep in our “neighbourhood” is the Bhagirathi, the Ganges, the Indus, the Jordan, the Tiber or the Turag, whether Mountain High is Gerazim, Sinai or Zion – the crossing and the climbing – River Deep, Mountain High – should lead all of us to be able to say
“only now my love has grown – and it gets stronger, in every way, and it gets deeper, let me say, and it gets higher, day by day”
Why, O why does humankind wallow about in the swamps of subterfuge and self-righteous certainties? For God’s sake let’s stop firing our assertions at one another and make room for all of us to breathe. Jesus assured his own L-plate wearers, his own “disciples”, that they still had a great deal to learn. All great spiritual teachers encourage humankind still to aspire, still to reach out, still to hunger, still to grow towards a great vision of peace. So let’s do a bit less carping and name calling and a bit more growing. Can a woman be a bishop? Of course she can. Many already are in all but name. Do each of the many branches of the world’s faiths lead different people to proper and real experience of Almighty God? Of course they do … and Jesus recognised the fact. Have any of the said world faith traditions the right to insist that every man, woman and child must sign on their own specialised dotted line? Well, I seriously doubt it.
Does God stop loving us, does God withdraw the Divine Life from any of us when we behave like boors? Absolutely not. Because the Rivers are deep and the Mountains are high. We’re made to traverse and to climb, to grow and to keep on learning.
May something more of the Divine Love be seen in and amongst any and all who strive after the “things of God” – and may that love “rattle the windows, and make the world seem more alive afterward” … for God’s sake. And ours.
River Deep – Mountain High
When I was a little girl
I had a rag doll
Only doll I’ve ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grownAnd it gets stronger, in every way
And it gets deeper, let me say
And it gets higher, day by dayAnd do I love you my oh my
Yeh river deep mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, babyWhen you were a young boy
Did you have a puppy
That always followed you around
Well I’m gonna be as faithful as that puppy
No I’ll never let you downCause it grows stronger, like a river flows
And it gets bigger baby, and heaven knows
And it gets sweeter baby, as it growsAnd do I love you my oh my
Yeh river deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, babyIf I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, babyI love you baby like a flower loves the spring
And I love you baby just like Tina loves to sing
And I love you baby like a school boy loves his pet
And I love you baby, river deep mountain highOh yeah you’ve gotta believe me
River Deep, Mountain High
Do I love you my oh my, oh baby
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby
Your blog is always positive and encouraging, and a great help to me. Thank you, Simon.
Mary x
Mary, it’s good to hear from you. Thank you very much indeed for your kind encouragement. Simon