Follow-up to Pacing the Cage

Yesterday's blog quoted Bruce Cockburn's amazing song, "Pacing The Cage." In that song sunset is a metaphor for aging and death. It is a dark and brooding song about the sundown stage of life. In this follow-up I quote Wayne Watson's "There Goes Sundown." It has some of the same melancholy and sorrow of a man looking back over his life. Yet, in this song, sundown is much more hopeful. It is a sign of God's faithfulness. Sundown represents another day that God has given us on this earth.
Certainly the song also contains the singer's mental struggle about whether it is better to be on this earth (growing old with that girl of his) or for the Lord to return and renew this life he lives. In this we hear echoes of the apostle Paul saying,

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. (Philippians 1:21-24)

There is hope. God is faithful, he is good, and he knows the number of the days of a man . . . and a woman.

There Goes Sundown
(Words and Music by Wayne Watson)

Doomsday... Some day
But not today so far
Said this world wouldn't
Be here much longer
But look around, here we are.
Only God in his wisdom
Surely not me in mine
Knows the number of the days of a man
Every day he shows me a sign.

There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown again.

Some days I pray this prayer more than others
For My Lord to come
When I'm weary of fightin'
When I'm tired of runnin'.
Other days I wanna stay around
Grow old with that girl of mine
Most of the future is out of my hands
He reminds me every day about this time.

There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown again.

I Don't Believe
We've been forgotten
God's too faithful
He's too good at keeping
All his promises
He's gonna come for me
Just like he said he would.

There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown
There Goes Sundown again.