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ARTICLE
Music Review: Derek Webb, "The Ringing Bell"
by R.J. Carter Published: May 3, 2007
With the release of "The Ringing Bell", artist Derek Webb establishes himself officially as the Second Coming of John Lennon. Combining the peace warrior's philosophies with the sixties sound of the ex-Beatle's solo career, Webb once again assaults the Christian community from the inside with his uncompromising pacifistic stance.
Opening against the background sound of a sonogram with "The End", it's easy for the listener to presume there's going to be a pro-life stance somewhere in the enigmatic lyrics:
Here’s another story about the invisible knives
The elephant in the room trumpeting these lies
The slow hate, the hesitating voices in the dark
Here’s another story about the invisible wives
What would you do
if someone put a gun to your head
and ask you to tell them a lie?
What would you say
if you were pushed that way
to betray yourself to keep yourself alive?
Is life worth so much?
-- "A Love Stronger Than Our Fear"
Indeed, there is a pro-life stance to the album -- and it has nothing to do with abortion. Once Webb has captured your attention as you ponder the meaning of "The End" and it's bleed-in follow-up, "The Very End", he hits you with "A Love Stronger Than Our Fear", which bangs out a verse striking chords within Christians about the possibility of martyrdom, and what they might do if put in the life threatening position of forced recanting:
What would you do
if someone put a gun to your head
and ask you to tell them a lie?
What would you say
if you were pushed that way
to betray yourself to keep yourself alive?
Is life worth so much?
No sooner does the listener solidify their supposed agreement that, naturally, they'd sacrifice their life for their faith, Webb counters with the second verse, clearly designed to put the shoe on the other foot:
What would you do
if someone would tell you the truth
but only if you torture them half to death?
Tell me since when do the means justify the ends
and you build the kingdom using the devil’s tools?
Can time be so short?
While it may seem a bit disingenuous to draw such comparisons (one can hardly make the case -- this century, at least -- against Christians plotting terrorist attacks), it's a song that definitely has a visceral effect on the listener, creating either cracks in their defenses or galvanizing them further, depending on your reaction to the singer. Indeed, the bulk of the album is a catalog of protest songs, operating on the assumption that Jesus was a pacifist. With "An I for an I", Webb puts a twist on the tired-and-overused WWJD theme so popular with Christians today:
I’ve got a killer instinct bringing out all of my best.
I’ve got a poison conscience telling me to go with that.
This may not work and I don’t guarantee that it will
but I’ve got no choice unless you tell me who Jesus would kill.
Promoting the issue further, Webb introduces a political attack, something he first excelled at with Mockingbird. His satiric anthem, "A Savior on Capitol Hill", belts out the common man's frustrations with the elected leaders:
I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets and their hearts full of sin,
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election.
So come to DC if it be Thy will,
because we’ve never had a Savior on Capitol Hill.
It's not all heavy philosophy, however. There are a few songs that give mental relief. "I Wanna Marry You All Over Again" is a fun, upbeat love song to his wife, recalling all the best feelings of first falling in love and wanting to relive those moments again. But one then wonders, if this song was for his wife, who was "Can't Be Without You" for, as it seems clearly to be directed to a woman he cannot have:
I’m not scared to look into your eyes
even with him standing right beside you.
Love is hard, especially when you’re not mine.
So here’s to you,
you can take my heart
‘cause I’ve lost my mind
I don’t know the suffering of people outside my front door.
I join the oppressors of those who I choose to ignore.
I’m trading comfort for human life
and that’s not just murder it’s suicide
-- "This Too Shall Be Made Right"
Webb finishes out the album with the slow, melodic tune, "This Too Shall Be Made Right", that has the soft musical effect of hammering his point home with a lily. In one verse of the closing hymn, he references Ecclesiastes 3:8, part of the scriptures used by The Byrds in their hit "Turn! Turn! Turn! (There is a Season)". Webb, however, starts out with the reference and then carries it out to illogical extremes to demarcate his line in the sand:
There’s a time for peace and there is a time for war.
A time to forgive and a time to settle the score.
A time for babies to lose their lives.
A time for hunger and genocide.
This too shall be made right
Derek Webb - The Ringing Bell Track Listing
The End
The Very End
A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear
I Wanna Marry You All Over Again
I Don't Want to Fight
Name
Can't Be Without You
I for an I
A Savior on Capitol Hill
This Too Shall Be Made Right
It's a bold move by a fearless artist, and it's bound to cause controversy within and without the Christian music community. Instrumentally and vocally, the songs are an outstanding display of accomplished musicianship. The former Caedmon's Call singer even sounds like a young John Lennon as he smoothly transitions from crooning to shouting, from protest to pop. Religious or secular, liberal or conservative, hawk or dove -- but hey, "Don't let them put a name on you," as Webb cautions on such labels in "Name" -- everyone is going to find something to talk about after listening to this one.
