Two Songs and an Identity Crisis
Released on July 14, 1978, Peter Townsend and his group The
Who, asked the question in the form of a song, “Who are you?”
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"
I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair
[chorus:]
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I took the tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin
I stretched back and I hiccupped
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there's got to be another way
Who are you?
Ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ...
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
[chorus]
I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees
I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still recieve your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?
[chorus]
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"
I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair
[chorus:]
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I took the tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin
I stretched back and I hiccupped
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there's got to be another way
Who are you?
Ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ...
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
[chorus]
I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees
I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still recieve your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?
[chorus]
It seems that one of the great questions we face in and out
of faith on a regular basis is this question of just who are you? When asked, often we begin answering who we
are by describing what we do. We are
quick to say I am a father, I am a husband, I am a college administrator, I am
a believer, or I am a sports fanatic.
Yet, the question remains, who are you?
My name is Mitchell Lee Marlowe.
Mitchell is my mother’s maiden name, Lee is my maternal grandfather’s
first name and of course Marlowe is my dad’s surname. There are times when I love hearing my name
called. However, just like you, I am
sure that there are many times when I do not really care to hear my name
called. For example, when a frustrated
parent calls me and they are upset about a charge on their student’s account or
when that person calls you at work that you dread talking to because you not it
is not going to be pretty.
Who are you?
About four years after this song was released, a TV sitcom
was introduced in 1982 whose theme song would enter our homes almost every
Thursday night the next 11 years.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/cheerslyrics.html
Are you humming that song yet? This of course was the theme song for the
long-running show CHEERS. The song
portrayed a place where it was okay to go, leave your troubles behind, and feel
the love of that place where everybody knows your name. Through the delusions, disasters and
disappointments life brings to us each day, there is great comfort in knowing
that someone cares enough to call us by name.
God sure seems to think about the importance of a name. In fact, the idea of a name is referenced
many times in His Word. In Isaiah 40:26
the Bible says, “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the
starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great strength, not one of
them is missing.” In Psalm 147:4 David wrote that “He determines the number of the
stars and calls them each by name.” The great passage in John 10 that
talks sheep and the great shepherd makes an interesting observation in that the
shepherd knows his sheep so well that he calls them by name. Several other places throughout scripture God
refers to the importance of the name being listed in the book of life. Psalm 68 refers to the enemies that King
David has incurred and one of the requests he makes before God is to blot out their
names from the book of life. Paul refers
to his fellow workers in Philippians 4:3 “whose names are in the book of life.” The book of Revelation refers several times
about this book of life and the importance of one’s name being in it. Revelation 3:5 states “He who overcomes will, like them
(referring to the people in Sardis mentioned in verse 4), be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book
of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels.” However, in other instances there are
great consequences for one’s name not being in the book of life (Revelation
13:8, 17:8, 20:15, 21:27).
With this in mind, here are a few observations.
- 1. God could teach us lots about love found in a bar. There are some strong implications for the church in both of these misfit songs.
- 2. God knows your name. He cares so much for you that He has made a way for you to have fellowship with Him through His son.
- 3. God wants your name to be written in the book of life.
- 4. God knows all about you yet through Christ He loves you!
- 5. The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin but calls you by your name!
- 6. God knows that there may have been lots of lost time between you and He, but He is willing and able to begin making you feel loved and appreciated right now.
Who are you?
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
The beautiful thing about the love of
God is that it is available to you and me right now, right here, and you don’t
have to get away. His arms are open wide
and He knows your name.
Who are you? In the eyes of God through Christ you are a
saint, you are a priest, you are a chosen people. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.
