Back-story:
In
the early 1970s my friend Mark Warfel
and his girlfriend gave me a Braille copy of the New Testament. At the time, I was a “recovering Catholic,”
and I was not in the market for any religion of any kind. I initially started reading the book to
improve my Braille reading skills, but as time moved along, I found myself
drawn to the book every day. I only read
about a page or two, and then I gave myself some time for reflection and
meditation. Well, it is now 2021, and I
am still a “recovering Catholic,” not in the market for any religion of any
kind. The book is old, and the Braille
is worn down; but I still read a page or two a day, reflect, and meditate. So, go figure!
As I read these stories over the years, I
would often find myself making connections with my life and the book’s
episodes. For example, in my classroom,
whenever I would have to stop kids from selling candy for their fund-raisers, I
would find myself chuckling, thinking about Christ turning over the tables of
the money changers who sold their goods in the temple. When I told the kids that my classroom was a
house of prayer, not a den of thieves, no one got the allusion, and once again,
I found myself laughing alone.
In
addition to teaching, I also saw connections with the Bible and the music
world. Siobhan and I play a wide variety
of venues, and some of these places have introduced us to some rather seedy
characters. I am very comfortable with
these undesirables because I am just as much an outcast as they are. The New Testament verifies this. If you look closely, the stories of the Bible
often lump the deaf, dumb, blind, crippled, prostitutes, tax collectors, and
criminals into one group of rejects.
They’re all waiting around to be cured or saved. Christ often gets criticized for spending
time with these pariahs, but he responds by telling the Pharisees and Sadducees
that he did not come to heal the healthy.
As a result, when I am with my outsider friends in some dive bar, I
often look around to see if Christ has stopped by to spend some time with
us. Quite often he does, and when it
happens, I usually hear his voice coming out of the mouth of one of my unsavory
friends.
By
now, you readers of the scriptures know where I am going, so I will quickly
clear things up for you nonreaders. In
the New Testament Christ sends his disciples on their mission. He tells them to go from town to town
spreading their message. If they are
accepted, they should embrace the members of the community; however, if the
people of the village reject the message, they should shake the dust off their
sandals, and move on to the next town.
This
simple story has inspired me for years.
Teaching and playing music have always subjected me to rejection, and
this little tale has always restored my spirits and given me the confidence I
needed to persevere. As a result, the
phrase, “Shake the dust off your sandals” has become a code by which I live.
“Shake
the Dust Off Your Sandals” emerged into a song sometime in the mid ‘90s. I don’t know where I was when it
happened. It could have been while I was
practicing, on a walk, or riding in the car.
What I do remember is the song started with the chorus, so it probably
got going shortly after one of my re-readings of the story. Also, most likely I was rebounding from a
defeating experience in either teaching or music. The chorus developed as a code for living
because that was what the phrase was for me.
Because this code or phrase, whatever you want
to call it, played such an instrumental part in keeping my heart and soul
spiritually free, I decided the verses would reflect my own life’s experiences. I created the verses into a ballad where I,
the narrator, recount the trials and tribulations of my life. At the conclusion of each verse, I indicate
that my freedom has come from listening to my Friend. In the final verse I reveal the identity of
my friend. It is my heart. My heart has kept me free throughout my life,
because whenever the message coming from it was rejected, my heart encouraged
me to shake the dust off my sandals and move on to share the message with
someone else.
The song, a folk song with spiritual nuances,
moves along in a somewhat free flowing manner falling somewhere in the middle
of a tender ballad and a hard driving tune.
With a guitar, a mandolin, a harmonica, a bass, drums, and backup
harmonies, John and Joe Dady (now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame) and
Tim Chaapel (owner of Mobile Music in Canandaigua, NY), all quintessential
musicians, helped Siobhan and me in creating one of those songs for
contemplation, reflection, and inspiration.
I like it, and I hope you do, too.
Lyrics:
Verse 1
When I was a young man
just out of school
I was cautious and
careful, and followed the rules
Searched for a good job,
looked for a wife
Wanted a family, the
so-called "good life"
But as I went down each
one of these roads
For me, these things
became too heavy a load
And the doubts that
developed way deep down in me
Soon ended when a good
friend said, "Set yourself free!"
Chorus
Shake the dust off your
sandals when you start every day
Don't worry about
scandals that may come your way
Shake the dust off your
sandals, just continue the grind
And fend off the vandals
who play with your mind
Verse 2
So, I travelled through
my life with this advice
Some days were awful,
and some, they were nice
Sometimes I lost, and
sometimes I won
Some days were work
while others were fun
Some folks were mean;
some, they were kind
Some, they had vision
while the others were blind
Some were imprisoned;
some, they were free
The free ones had
listened to what my good friend told me
Chorus
Instrumental Break
Verse 3
Now, as an old man,
nearly eighty or so
I've started to place
all my ducks in a row
Reflection has shown me
that through the years
I've enjoyed some
smiles, and I've coped with some tears
And I'm thankful that
through life I took a stand
My soul did not submit
to those in command
And I'm grateful for the
guidance that my good friend gave me
I've listened to my
heart, and it's kept me free
Chorus (Two Times)
Here is a link to the song on YouTube. It’s an auto generated video created FOR
YouTube by CD Baby, our distributor. If
an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will
start. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XswPl-Orq1U&list=PLmaM3h4AoHN-pRSCzG9xMGkJuCeDDLaf4&index=26
If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major
platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.
