Does anybody hear her?

'If judgment looms under every steeple...If lofty glances from lofty people...Can’t see past her scarlet letter...And we’ve never even met her.'

I found those words on a friends facebook profile and googled them thinking them to be an excerpt from some brilliant text on Law, or perhaps a quote by some famous poet. I was quite surprised to be directed to a video on GodTube titled 'Does anybody hear her?' by Casting Crowns.

The artistes meant it to depict the judgmental attitude christians have toward many people looking for refuge in the Church; how our attitudes alienate people from the very message of hope that they need to be saved. However, because they brilliantly succeeded in delivering the lyric generically, it has been adapted to a broad spectrum of related situations. The central theme however, is about people fighting pain, depression, and loneliness who yearn for a caring word and only find a condemning gaze. Amazing how we write people off without ever even getting to know them huh?

Seeing as I'm not always up-to-date with the music scene, it's possible that this is a popular song and you're already familiar with it. If this is not the case, I urge you to take a moment to listen to it. I think you'll find it worth your while. The message is true and many-sided. Beneath the video, I have pasted the lyrics.




“She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon’s ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She’s another two years older
And she’s three more steps behind

Refrain:
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we’ve never even met her

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we’ve never even met her

Never even met her

He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction”