"Tired Tired Tired" by Jonathan Rundman (5th Sunday in Lent)

Connect with Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34
“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the LORD.
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”


Today’s Song: “Tired Tired Tired” by Jonathan Rundman, from the album, Sound Theology - Disc One)
1. i'm so tired of songs about drinking
i don't care to ever hear it again
i'm so bored by your self-pity
call me when you got something new to sing

Chorus
'cause i'm tired tired tired
and i've had it up to here
tired tired tired
you got me covering my ears
i'm tired tired tired
i've had just about enough of you

2. i'm so tired of teenaged smokers
standing on the corner
going nowhere slow
passing 'round a lighter
cussing and complaining
i don't wanna hear it
i don't wanna know

'cause i'm tired tired tired
and i've had it up to here
tired tired tired
you got me covering my ears
i'm tired tired tired
i've had just about enough of you

3. i'm so tired of idiot parents
tearing their children down every day
it's no wonder they grow up smoking
and singing about drinking their lives away

i'm tired tired tired
and i've had it up to here
tired tired tired
you got me covering my ears
i'm tired tired tired
i've had just about enough of you

Matt Thorbe: drums
Jonathan: electric guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonica, vocals

Jonathan’s comments on “My Apology”
I have a healthy Lutheran paranoia about works-righteousness, but, at the same time, I really try to avoid what [theologian] Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” It’s a tough tightrope to walk. This song represents the more pious side of myself. The first place I sang it was at the Electric Lounge in Austin, TX. After I played, the other band said to me, “I guess you’re mad at us for smoking, right?” The title is quoted from the comedian Chris Rock’s HBO special “Bring the Pain.”

Jonathan’s Question to Ponder
How socially/politically liberal or conservative are you?
Does your position have anything to do with your theology?

Behind the Music
1. 1. Stanza 1, what makes Jonathan tired in this stanza?
2. Chorus, what’s a little surprising by the rather harsh tone in the chorus?
3. Stanza 2, what makes Jonathan tired in this stanza?
4. Stanza 2, is there ever negative stuff that you “don’t wanna know”?
5. Stanza 3, what does Jonathan blame teenage smoking and drinking on?
6. What is ironic about the type of song Jonathan uses here?
7. Is Jonathan preaching Law or Gospel in this song?
8. Does the reading from Jeremiah sound like God gets tired of our actions like Jonathan?
9. How does God intend to correct the problem of our actions? When will this happen?
10. Is the reading from Jeremiah Law or Gospel?
11. Jonathan says this song represents his pious side. What do you preach against from your pious side?
12. Do you know what Jonathan means by avoiding works-righteousness?
13. In living out our Christian faith, we avoid “cheap grace,” getting the gift of salvation without doing anything in return. In what ways have you lived our your faith lately?

Lyrics, comments, and questions reprinted with the kind permission of Jonathan Rundman.

Jonathan wrote these songs with an eye to the Lutheran Book of Worship appointed readings for each week of the church year but has told me that he does not necessarily connect a specific reading with each song. Therefore, the reading I have selected to use for reflection is my choice and not Jonathan's.

Click here to find out about Jonathan Rundman or his record label, Salt Lady Records
Click here to read my review of Sound Theology.