BODIES

One of my daughters got upset the other day when she heard the new Robbie Williams song "Bodies" on the radio, with its line, "Jesus didn’t die for you, what are you on?"

If you haven't heard it yet, here it is, along with the lyrics:



God gave me the sunshine,
Then showed me my lifeline
I was told it was all mine,
Then I got laid on a ley line
What a day, what a day,
And your Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

UK and entropy,
I feel like its ****in’ me
Wanna feed off the energy,
Love living like a deity
What a day, one day,
And your Jesus really died for me
I guess Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Praying for the rapture,
‘Cause it’s stranger getting stranger
And everything’s contagious
It’s the modern middle ages
All day every day
And if Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
Bodies in the bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
So God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Jesus didn’t die for you, what do you want?
(I want perfection)
Jesus didn’t die for you, what are you on?
Oh Lord
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh
(Jesus really died for you)
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh

According to the BBC, Bodies, has been described by the singer's PR machine as an "apocalyptic conspiracy-laden" song. The epic Trevor Horn production certainly backs that statement up, and brings the familiar Williams sound firmly into 2009.

Whatever.

I don't know about "apocalyptic conspiracy-laden" but Williams spiritual search has long been evident.

"Bodies" cuts to the heart of so much contemporary obsession - our juvenile concern with, "All we’ve ever wanted is to look good naked." You don't have to dig deep in the magazine shelves to see that this desire is high on many peoples priority lists, but what is more interesting is Williams' interaction with the gospel. He gets straight to it in the first verse - a recognition of the goodness of God in creating the world, "God gave me the sunshine." Then swallowing the satanic lie that it is all about me, "I was told it was all mine." And then the hope of the gospel, that Jesus is the only way out of our mess, "And your Jesus really died for me, then Jesus really tried for me."

The final verse brings us to Williams' dilemma - he just doesn't seem to be able to bite the bullet and submit to the grace of God in Jesus Christ as the only way he can achieve the perfection he so desperately seeks. So there is a defiant rejection of the cross in, "Jesus didn’t die for you, what are you on?" yet an echoing longing for what the cross can achieve in, "Jesus really died for you."

In this song Williams sums up the spiritual state of his generation. Which is great! Because salvation won't be found in a perfect body, or under the Bhodi tree, but it is to be found in Jesus. So whenever we hear a defiant, "Jesus didn’t die for you, what are you on?" lets keep the steady echo of truth bouncing back, "Yes, Jesus really died for you." That is the song our culture needs to hear.