Stand By Me

Recently we experienced a worldwide pandemic. We were social distancing, covering our faces with masks, missing out on surgeries, hoarding toilet paper, and some of us were confined to quarters. We were told what was necessary and who were essential and non-essential personal.
We couldn’t get haircuts, eat inside a restaurant, or attend weddings or funerals.
The elderly were told they were susceptible to a dangerous disease and therefore must stay separated from others.
Numbers of pandemic deaths were being tracked and reported on the news.
Non-essential Business had been shut down. Jobs were lost. Schools, sports, movies, and vacations had been cancelled.
Legitimate protests spawned riots. Communities burned.
Expressing a different belief from the government viewpoint was angrily rebuked. Defamations of the character of public figures were offered several times a day.
World leaders seemed to suggest humanity was on the brink of extinction unless we followed their survival solutions.…...

Today, years later, we are, it seems, facing many of the very same survival challenges. We are still suffering through a loss of economic support. Many of those challenging human relationships exist today.
The world is on fire. Politics are vague and confusing. Media reports are contradictory.
There is a great deal of negativity right now. So much so, it’s difficult to think positive. The world certainly looks gloomy. But I know we will get through all of this.

Ben E. King cowrote and performed the timeless classic song titled Stand By Me. It is a song about loyalty, support, and the power of friendship. The lyrics suggest a message of unity, urging its listeners to stand by each other through the ups and downs of life. The song puts a voice to the universal need for a helping hand and to having someone to lean on during difficult times.
King was the lead singer of The Drifters, a 60s R&B soul vocal group. He wanted to write a song to honor his wife-to-be, Betty. The general consensus is that the inspiration for the song came from Charles Albert Tindley’s 1905 gospel hymn “Stand by Me”. Tindley’s song was based on the words of Psalm 46:2: “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”
King walked into the recording studio with the beginnings of lyrics and music he wanted for the song. He sang it a Capella. The session's producers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller liked it. Together they wrote the rest of lyrics and worked up the harmonies and developed the bass pattern that became the signature of the song.
King and fellow cowriters version has the familiar 1st stanza.

"When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we’ll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me"

In 2005, an opening verse was added and performed by the “Playing For Change” music group. It is an international group of street musician creating inspiration through music all speaking the same language of love and hope.

Their powerful opening verse, sung by Roger Ridley on the streets of Santa Monica, is:

“No matter who you are,
No matter where you go in life,
At some point you’re going to need,
Somebody to stand by you.”

The words in that song, I think, speak to our current challenges. My brother, who sings it frequently while performing karaoke, says “It could have been written about Jesus. I think this might have been what He was saying way back then and that He is still saying now!” I don’t think he knew it was written about a romantic relationship. I do, though, absolutely agree with my brother’s interpretation.

I certainly can hear Jesus say it now.

“No matter who you are,
No matter where you go in life,
At some point you’re going to need,
Somebody to stand by you.”

In this time of uncertainty, there is comfort in knowing there is Someone to stand by me.