The Clanging Chimes of Doom

OK, I love CT's Weblog. Five days a week Ted Olsen (and Rob Moll) put out the best religion blog anywhere. It's insightful, funny, and comprehensive. It's a must-read for religion writers. They know everything, and they know who wrote about it.

Sometimes, Weblog is a bit, how should I say it, nitpicking. Today's Weblog eviscerates the remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid.


For those too young to remember, "Do they know it's Christmas?" was a charity song written by Bob Geldoff and sung by rockers like Sting and Bono. It raised millions for the famine in Ethiopia.

Olsen says the song should have rewritten or binned:


The reason: The lyrics are absolutely idiotic. Here's the chorus:

?There won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Where nothing ever grows
No rain or rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmastime at all?"

Well, it's true that there won't be much snowfall in Africa this Christmas. But given that the only part of the continent in the northern hemisphere is also in the tropics, that's hardly surprising. There won't be snow in Australia this Christmas time, either. In winter, South Africa does get some snow. And of course Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is perpetually covered in snow and ice.

Things do actually grow there, including coffee, cotton, and cocoa. In fact, most Africans work in agriculture. That's partly because of the rain and rivers that flow there.



Thanks for the geography lesson, Ted. But you're missing the point. This isn't a song about the details of life in Africa. It's about the drought and famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s, where nothing was growing, no raining was falling, and people were dying by the millions. It's also about the difference between Christmas in the First World, where our biggest worry is getting all our shopping done on time, and Christmas in the Third World where children starve to death.

The lyrics may not be precise , and the may not be as poetic as Shakespeare (or Dickens) but they pack a whallop 20 years later.

Here's the part that always gets me:



There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing
Is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring
There are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you


Profits of the song will benefit refugees in Darfur. That's what Christmas is all about--making the love of God visible in the world.

The BAND AID folks could be singing "Let's put the X back in X-mas" for all I care--if it raises money for starving people, that good enough for me. Good enough for the Christ child's birthday as well.


Here's the whole song, in case anyone's interested.


It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid
At Christmas time we let in light and we banish hate
And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time

But say a prayer, pray for the other ones
At Christmas time it's hard, but when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window and it's the world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears
And the Chirstmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom
Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow
Do they it's Christmas time at all

Here's to you, raise a glass for everyone
Here's to them, underneath that burning sun
Do they know it's Christmas time at all


Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time
Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time