Ten Favorite Song Songs: Redemption Song (#2)

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Thin air up here on the mountain with the top two of my favorite songs that have the word "song" in the title. Here's an incredibly obvious song for today's entry in the countdown. #2: Redemption Song - Bob Marley How on earth could this be left off? One of the most definitive songs in Bob Marley's storied career, Rolling Stone listed it as #66 on their countdown of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Marley was a devout Rastafarian, and many of his songs had religious overtones. (Another song on Uprising, the album from which this great tune comes, is called "Forever Loving Jah.") The religious inferences are obvious ("My hand was made strong by the hand of the Almighty," "how long shall they kill our prophets?," "we've got to fulfill the Book"), and any person of faith can transpose those words to their own lives. However, according to Picky Wedia, Marley wrote this shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, and the slavery (including the "mental slavery") he referenced can be physical and emotional pain from a medical problem as easily as being chained to a job or a situation. The redemption can be physical (healing), or emotional (being at peace with the diagnosis), or faith ("to die is to gain," as the apostle Paul wrote). One great thing about Marley's work is that you can interpret his music for yourself and make it as personal as you want, or you can enjoy his religious/social meanings. We all need "One Love," as another song of his said, and we could all stand a little redemption from things that enslave us. Redemption Song Written by Bob Marley Recorded by Bob Marley From Uprising, 1980 None of them can stop the time: