Song of Songs Case SS Class Part 7
Solomon and Sinatra: The Song of Songs and Romance in the Church Robert Case A Sunday School Class Faith Presbyterian Church Tacoma, Washington 2016 Part 7 Turning to an allegory from the American Songbook, I have two selections: “Ghost Riders in the Sky” "Ghost Riders in the Sky" is an allegorical song written in 1948 by the prolific Stan Jones. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the top western song of all time! Those of us from Ellensburg love this song. The song tells the allegorical folk tale of a lone cowboy who has a vision of “red-eyed, steel-hooved” cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of Hell-bound cowboys. One cowboy warns our loner, like Dives in Luke 16:27, that “if he does not change his ways today,” he will be doomed to join them, forever "trying to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies". The song lyrics also have a faint echo of Deuteronomy 33:26, “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.” I Kings 8:47, “if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried”; “Psalm 68:33, “to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.” and Psalm 7:12, “If he does not turn, [God] will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.” Mr. Jones also wrote the music for the popular John Wayne western films The Horse Soldiers, The Searchers, Rio Grande and the television series Cheyenne, starring the Christian actor, Clint Walker.
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