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When It’s All Been Said and Done by Jim Cowan
When It’s All Been Said and Done
by Jim Cowan
CCLI# 2788353
Review by Wes Kelley
(wesley[dot]kelley[at]duke[dot]edu)
“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (NIV)
Jim Cowan brings these words of Paul to mind in this piece that examines human worth at life’s end and beyond. Unfortunately, Cowan doesn’t strike the same deep theological chords as Paul’s warning. Cowan has been producing a steady stream of worship albums since the late eighties, and the style belies this. A campy, oblique rhyme closes out the song. Titling and opening a song with an idiom screams “cliché” for worship. Verse two could have been an interesting allusion to Paul’s unsettling description of final judgment, except that Cowan smothers his own good ideas by leaving rhyme scheme and meter unattended. Songs are supposed to be poetic, so their language must have at least a mildly patterned structure, but Cowan’s final product is a song that has little coherence aesthetically or theologically.
The first two verses would give me the jitters if they were left unto themselves. Will my worth in God’s eyes really depend on whether I “did my best to live for truth? The “Do your best” mantra hearkens back to motivational pamphlets, not the biblical corpus. I will not begrudge Cowan a chance to exhort Christians to consider the value of their life’s work. But “do your best” is the poetic equivalent of a quart of motor oil.
Fortunately, verses three and four confess the providential mercy of the Lord that ushers the believer into eternity. The most interesting feature of the song is the inclusive use of the title line. First, the line draws attention to the judgment of our works at life’s end; second it lays the melody to rest on the closing line, a confession that God will renew life when “life is gone.” The irony of the piece is that “it’s not all said and done” because of God’s steadfast mercy. However, Cowan does not explore how God’s mercy interfaces with his judgment of our works. The song declares that God will deal out both mercy and judgment, but the lyrics give no hint of how both can come from the same God.
Inconsistency in the use of the pronouns makes it unclear whether “I” or “we” are speaking to God. Not necessarily a flaw, since the Psalms have been known to switch speakers mid-stanza. But I add this to my list of the song’s quirks.
Conclusion: Neutral Recommendation
The speaker in this song is the individual, not the congregation, so I warn against pairing this piece with too many other me-focused songs. The song’s sentimentality would be balanced well with something more upbeat either before or after. The concluding lines focus on the end of life would make a natural ending to a time of worship. Perhaps this song could provide a transition into the sermon?
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