40 acres

(the garrison farm)

40 acres by Caedmon’s Call

Out on these Texas plains you can see for a million lives
And there's a thousand exits between here and the state line
About the last time that I saw you
You said call me Pandora, call me a fool

And I'm thinking this view it could do you some good
So drop these scales and take a look

There's 40 acres and redemption to be found
Just along down the way
There is a place where no plow blade has turned the ground
And you will turn it over, 'cause out here hope remains
'Cause out here hope remains...

Out here the Texas sky is as big as the sea
And you're alone in your room like an island floating free
Your spirit's hanging in a bottle out on a tree
You say that you're the black sheep, I say you're still family

So throw that bottle to the waves
They'll bring you in to me and from the shore you will see

Out here the Texas rain is the hardest I've ever seen
It'll wash your house away, but it'll also make you clean
Now these rocks they are crying too
And this whole land is calling out for you

This is one of my favorite caedmon’s call songs for a couple reasons.

a) I hope to someday own a house out on some land, be it a ranch, a lakehouse, a house in the hill country or house in the piney woods of east texas. Just a place outside of the city, a place to get away too. That just sounds so relaxing to me. A place to escape the busy-ness of life and take in the quiet and the scenery. I want this place to not only be a place to escape to, but a place where family and friends can escape to as well, a place where we can come together from all over and reminisce, relax and have some quality time. Be it on 40 acres or not, “this view away could do you (me) some good…”

My friend has a farm that we all escape to every labor day. It is wonderful. We eat, play on the lake, enjoy the view off the deck, ride the 4 wheeler, play some cornhole, float the river and layout under the stars. Oh and watch Leslie’s pageant videos of course. But more than that we get to spend time catching up on life, sit in silence as we look at the sunset, laugh about old memories, etc. It is a place that restores the soul and I hope to have a place like this some day.

b) But I really love this song because it is talking about restoration and I love that! perhaps because I so badly can’t wait to be fully restored. I love watching the Lord restore people! It is so exciting to me to see people changed and healed. And I love that He often does this in the context of relationships. As much as we try to keep our junk to ourselves and as much as we try to go at changing things alone, it never happens that way. We are only satisfied in Christ, but he uses human relationships to change sharpen us and to flesh out His love. I love love love the picture of healing and restoration, which is what this song talks about. Hope remains. One of the distinguishing marks of a follower of Christ is hope. We ought not to despair, because we hope in the Lord Almighty!