And people's parents who warned, "If you don't clean your room and continue to have a garden gnome in the house, you won't go far in life" were obviously wrong!
Now to be fair, here's the original artist, Miranda Lambert, doing it. No gnomes.
The lyrics are as follows:
I ain’t the kind you take home to mama
I ain’t the kind to wear no ring
Somehow I always get stronger
When I’m on my second drink
Even though I hate to admit it
Sometimes I smoke cigarettes
Christian folks say I should quit it
I just smile and say “God bless”
‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we’d get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine
Daddy cried when he saw my tattoo
Said he’d love me anyway
My brother got the brains of the family
So I thought I’d learn to sing
‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we’d get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine
I’ll fly away
From it all one day
I’ll fly away
These are the days that I will remember
When my name’s called on the roll
He’ll meet me with two long-stemmed glasses
Make a toast to me coming home
‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we’d get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine
Oh, yes He would
Lambert explains in the video that although she grew up in Church, she has her own idea of how Jesus would be.The rebellious protagonist in the song doesn't fit in with the values that are espoused in the culture (supposedly). She's not the kind of girl you would bring home to your mother. She has a tattoo. She drinks to get strength. In effect, she's the opposite of the convert who is the central character in "Amazing Grace" who claims to have once "been lost" but "now I am found. Was blind, now I see" after admitting to be a "wretch" saved by grace.
Oddly enough, both this song and the hymn "Amazing Grace" have a basic tenet of American Protestantism running through the song. That is, Jesus Saves. More importantly, only the Lord knows your heart and that's what matters. And you get to make up how "Jesus would be" (with our without the Bible).
Catholics have a different idea of grace. Grace isn't done to you. It's given. And one can fall from it. From the admission that one is a sinner, a wretch or even the kind you don't bring home to mama, one has the responsibility to progress with the help of God's grace in righteousness. It's just not a cloak that's thrown on top of you but rather a transformative power that works from within.
This song, of course, speaks to the values of a Protestant culture. Smoking, drinking, tattoos are all somehow seen as evil to the mainline Protestant. In the same vein, Protestantism strongly promotes self-identity over following rules. It's what's in your heart that counts (Rm 10:9).
Catholics, of course, have no prohibition on smoking:
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| G.K. Chesterton smoking |
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| Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) has a brewski |
Or even tattoos:
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| Kat von D (ok, she's not like Chesterton or the Pope but still, Catholic) |
Caveat: None of the above is a requirement for Catholics, either!
Smoking and drinking fall into the standards the early Church dealt with. The Kingdom of God isn't made of eating or drinking (or prohibitions thereof) says Romans (14:17). Consistency with the example of Christ is what's important. Be a person of peace, love and worship God with all your heart. To do otherwise is to create scandal (Mk 9:42, Mt 18:6, Lk 17:2).
When a man is ordained to the diaconate, he is told to live as he believes. This is good counsel for all of us. It can be a blessing or a curse.
Depending on where your heart is (Mt 6:21).
