During the lockdown due to the current coronavirus pandemic, I spotted on a friend’s Facebook post that they’d enjoyed a film called “Fisherman’s Friends”, so looked up the trailer (here). I’ve always enjoyed the rich history of folk songs, and love Cornwall’s rich history, so thought I’d give it a watch. It was very much worthwhile, so thanks Mike for posting that recommendation!
One of the wonderfully uplifting, anthemic, songs in the film is “No Hopers, Jokers and Rogues”
Here are the lyrics:
Come, all you no hopers,
You jokers and rogues
We’re on the road to nowhere,
Let’s find out where it goes
It might be a ladder to the stars, who knows
Come, all you no hopers,
You jokers and rogues.Leave all your furrows in the fields where they lie
Your factories and offices;
Kiss them all goodbye
Have a little faith in the Dream Maker in the skyThere’s glory in believing Him
And it’s all in the beholder’s eye.Turn off your engines and slow down your wheels
Suddenly your master plan loses its appeal
Everybody knows that this reality’s not real
So raise a glass to all things past and celebrate how good it feels.Awash on the sea of our own vanity
We should rejoice in our individuality
Though it’s gale force, let’s steer a course for sanity
- our furrows are potentially being left due to an ideological position which has caused our country to turn its back on migrant workers who help feed us from the harvest they reap,
- our factories and offices are emptying due to lockdown,
- many of our cars are now being used less, leading to less pollution and in the northern hemisphere the land is greening once more as the ancient promise of our Creator is upheld, and
- the pace of life has been radically altered for a lot of non-key workers now furloughed or wondering what the future holds financially.
We seem to be on the road to nowhere at the moment. Some would urge attempting to discover where this all leads. Others would simply give up and say there’s no hope. The British sense of humour can be quite dark, and indeed there are some jokers who are attempting to find humour even in the midst of this as a coping mechanism. Yet, there’s wisdom in not worrying about the future, and simply letting the future come to meet us as we journey along this road together.
Our grand master plans, from getting married, sitting and celebrating the end of exams, moving home, building extensions to our homes, going on holiday and more, have all had to be put on hold. It does seem pretty hopeless, a joke.
Our own vanities have come into question whilst the worlds tiniest thing, a molecular virus, humbles us, showing that we are not masters of this world at all! They may not have lost their appeal, but for many, simply surviving this takes precedence.
Our world system that’s been based around ever increasing profit margins, rampant consumerism, at the expense of our planet and our own souls, is shaking to its very core. The ‘seas’ of humanity churn as confusion is sown into our social media feeds by Bad Actors attempting to destabilise our various democracies, and we start to see all sorts of different pressures boiling away as we watch the ‘realities’ of others online who seem to have got so much of a better grip on their lives than us. It all seems pretty hopeless, a joke.
Are we able to raise a glass and celebrate all things past, whilst at the same time believing in and having faith in the Dream Maker in the sky, who made all things “Very good!” and somehow we’ve lost our way? What if in believing and having faith in him, we’re able to somehow reconnect with not just the Eternal One, but our own souls? What if we stop for just ten minutes each day to reconnect with our Creator, we may indeed find that the road we’re on is actually a ladder to the stars, where we’re accompanied by angels (both human and non-human). By stopping, may we be able to perceive this other reality which is more real than our current understanding of real?
There will always be some who say that those who yearn for a better world, who march to a different beat than destructive consumerism, are no hopers, jokers and rogues… Is this actually a bad label to have? It would seem very apt for Jesus Christ, who at this time of the year we remember being crucified as a rogue, dangerous to the system in charge at the time. Yet, even in that account, there is hope for the hopeless (the sheeple without a shepherd), the jokers (to laugh is part of who we are as we image our Maker who laughs) and the rogues (the dodgy tax person and the thief on the cross) – hope of the resurrection and the life to come.
During this Easter time, when light shines in the darkness, even if it doesn’t understand it at the time; when hope comes out of hopeless situations, let’s spend time lighting our candles in the darkness, in whatever way that means to each of us, whether it’s dropping some food around to a needy family, or praying as we light candles each Sunday evening, or banging and clapping our key workers on Thursday evenings! Let us not forget what it means to be human – we are not meant to be alone!!!
Through this storm of life, let us steer a course where sanity prevails, rather than the insanity of hoarding loo rolls and tins of beans whilst shouting “me, me, me!” at the weak and vulnerable trying to survive.
At the end of this, will we go back unchanged, allowing injustices against other humans, animals and the planet continue? If so, I fear we may be brought up sharp once more by the planet our Dream Maker created. Or, do we hold out for resurrection hope, as we see signs of the world which has been forced to work until we drop, being able to breathe and reflect upon what could be?
To those who are working hard on the front line, where there may be little hope seen, either in hospitals, shops, services and suchlike, we are truly thankful and please remember: self-care is not selfish. Be good and true to yourselves, and take time each day to recharge with the Dream Maker.
So, come all you no hopers, you jokers and rogues! Let us celebrate what makes us individuals in all this whilst at the same time all journeying together along the road set before us, not knowing where it leads, but knowing Who accompanies us and guides us to a better, more hopeful place to be.
God of Green Hope 