Three Wooden Crosses
Click here to go to the lyrics for Three Wooden Crosses
| This song is one of the most obviously religious songs that I have chosen as an example, but it has a clear link between death and religious faith. Once again this is a song that goes along with Grossman's idea of the religious song again. By looking at Randy Travis's history, it is clear that he had turned to religion in order to help him through his struggles, and now he portrays that through his music in order to help others, and even shows conversion in his songs, for example, in this one.
This song asks the question about 3 crosses on the side of the road and why there are there. It then goes on to describe the 4 people who were on a bus (a farmer, a teacher, a hooker and a preacher) that got into an accident and 3 of whom were killed. We then find out that the only survivor was the hooker who was spoken to by the preacher before he died, and he gave her his now bloodstained bible. The twist in the song ends up being that this story is being told by the hooker's son, who became a preacher himself and that was his Sunday morning sermon. |
When listening to the lyrics, there are many different places that the connection between faith and death. Initially, we hear that two of the passengers were searching for lost souls, and it would be be safe to believe that at least the preacher was heading to look for lost souls as part of a mission trip, as many churches do venture into Mexico for just that reason. So the fact that he is on his way to perform work for God is a sign of his faith.
In the second verse, the listener hears the line: "An' the preacher whispered: 'Can't you see the promise land?'/As he laid his blood-stained Bible in that hooker's hand" we can immediately look at this as an act of conversion, which was a huge theme in the Southern Protestant church. We see here that the preacher is even on his deathbed attempting to save a woman in any way he possibly can.
In the final verse, when we learn that the preacher is actually the reformed hooker's son, we see the theme of redemption clearly coming through, as this woman has turned her life into working with God to raise a religiously faithful son, after seeing the light through the deaths of three other people. She most likely felt as though she had been spared for whatever reasons, and that for that, she should devote her life to living in God's grace.
Overall this song shows a strong correlation between death and faith. The themes of redemption, conversion, and pure belief in God's plan are all very notable. Also, the use of the blood stained bible seems to possibly be a symbol for Jesus' blood, as he shed his innocent blood for the sinners, and the innocent teacher, farmer and preacher all shed their innocent blood for the hooker.
In the second verse, the listener hears the line: "An' the preacher whispered: 'Can't you see the promise land?'/As he laid his blood-stained Bible in that hooker's hand" we can immediately look at this as an act of conversion, which was a huge theme in the Southern Protestant church. We see here that the preacher is even on his deathbed attempting to save a woman in any way he possibly can.
In the final verse, when we learn that the preacher is actually the reformed hooker's son, we see the theme of redemption clearly coming through, as this woman has turned her life into working with God to raise a religiously faithful son, after seeing the light through the deaths of three other people. She most likely felt as though she had been spared for whatever reasons, and that for that, she should devote her life to living in God's grace.
Overall this song shows a strong correlation between death and faith. The themes of redemption, conversion, and pure belief in God's plan are all very notable. Also, the use of the blood stained bible seems to possibly be a symbol for Jesus' blood, as he shed his innocent blood for the sinners, and the innocent teacher, farmer and preacher all shed their innocent blood for the hooker.