Ben Rector – The Thanksgiving Song

Thanksgiving is a time of celebration.  We Americans know the drill: get up early on Wednesday morning, fight traffic to check into the hotel, bed and breakfast, or (if you’re fortunate) family guest room.  Thursday is a stressful time for the women (and a few men) who prepare Thanksgiving dinner.  Though originated in 1621 with the harvest feast shared with the English colonists and the Wampanoag people, it has since become synonymous with football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade, and Black Friday.

I decided to take a different direction for 2022.  Instead of selecting a Christian artist’s song, I decided to review Ben Rector’s The Thanksgiving Song.  I’m not sure if Ben is a Christian or not, but he is a pop artist who  released several albums, including 9 studio, 2 live, and 4 EPs.  He is most famous for his 2015 album Brand New and 2018 album Magic.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Ben-rector-the-thanksgiving-song-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

This song focuses primarily on the trappings of a typical Thanksgiving celebration.  Ben Rector visits his parent’s house, where he grew up.  The leaves are brown and on the ground.  As my six-year-daughter would say, “the trees are naked”.

Rector reminisces about his childhood.  He remembers his beliefs, behaviors, and time with his siblings and parents.  The setting looks the same, but his perspective has changed.  He is a different person than he was.

In the year 2020, after several months spent in isolation due to COVID-19 restrictions, Rector happily indulges in their traditional Thanksgiving events: a meal served with drink, with older folk and younger folk sitting at separate tables.  They watch football together and remember the “good ol’ days”.  Rector’s Thanksgiving party is filled with laughter and love, though knowing that his days are numbered.

When Rector says “Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day”, there are two ways to take this.  One, he could be using an idiom to express feigned gratitude for what appears to be Rector’s main focus: enjoying himself.  Two, that thanking God is the reason for this celebration, just as George Washington intended it.  Given that “Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day” is the only time that God is acknowledged, it seems that the former explanation is more likely the truth.  The rest of the lyrics described focus on the trappings of Thanksgiving and doesn’t acknowledge that God is the “reason for the season”.

Do not misunderstand me.  The trappings are Biblical (as shown in section 2) and saying “thank God for thanksgiving” can be understood as, well, thanking God for what we have.  After all, telling others what we’re thankful for is part of the Thanksgiving tradition for many families (including mine).  There’s nothing wrong with celebrating Thanksgiving over a hot meal, cool drinks, and watching a bunch of overgrown men slam into each other, trying to get a pigskin (which is really made out of cowhide) into the goal line.  However, when God’s creation is the focus, rather than the Creator, this leads to idolatry.

Still, the message is overall positive and Rector makes a few good points about how things look similar but different, and that life is short.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

The whole song agrees with Scripture, except its use of “thanking God”.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-4: Rector travels to their hometown to visit family at their place of origin.

[Pre-Chorus]

Lines 1-4: This is one of those true-isms that many of us have come to believe.  From personal experience, I’ve gone back to my old house for Thanksgiving and experienced something similar to Rector.  Nostalgia takes hold.  This is where I slept.  This is where my siblings and I did such and such.  This is where we had many Thanksgivings, Christmases, and other family gatherings.  Much of the place is physically the same, but I’ve changed as a person.  I am growing in sanctification (2 Peter 3:18).  Rector probably feels the same way.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-3: These are the typical activities of Thanksgiving.  We eat, drink, and spend time with family we probably haven’t seen in a while, enjoying the fruit of our parent’s labor (Ecclesiastes 8:15).

By “the kind of love”, Rector is referencing familial love.  The kind of love that a father has for their child, siblings have for each other, and child has for their mother.  As Christian parents, we have a duty to model Christ’s love through our actions.  I cannot think of a better passage to describe familial love than Ephesians 5:21-33 and Ephesians 6:1-4.  The wife represents the church and submits to her husband’s authority.  The husband represents Christ and submits to his wife by sacrificially serving her and, if need be, acting as her bodyguard to shield her with his body.  Children obey their parents, which represents obedience to the Father’s instructions.  Fathers discipline their children and train them up in the Lord, yet, avoid provoking them to anger.  Children who grow up in this sort of loving home will likely model their parent’s behavior for their children, leaving a legacy for parents who loved well (Proverbs 22:6).

Side Note: While it’s Biblical to enjoy food, drink, and good company, we must avoid using Thanksgiving as an opportunity to sin (Romans 6:1-2, Romans 13:14, and Galatians 5:13).  This includes gluttony and drunkenness.

Lines 4 and 5: This is consistent with James 4:13-17, that life is short.  Older people tend to realize this more than younger people.

Line 6: The point of Thanksgiving is to “acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor”.  As stated in section 1, I don’t get the sense that Rector meant “thank God for Thanksgiving” this way.

Line 7: I’m going to go out on a limb here.  This line represents the joy that Rector feels amid his Thanksgiving celebration.

[Verse 2]

Line 1: Watching the game is one of the typical Thanksgiving traditions.  However, it also provides an opportunity for Rector to see how his extended family has grown.

Line 2: Though not our Thanksgiving tradition, our family often does this during the family Christmas gathering.  The “older folks” sat at one table, while the “kids” and their families sat at the other table(s).

Lines 3 and 4: Not just physical traits, but also behavioral tendencies (Proverbs 22:6).  Grandma sees her grandson’s (I’m assuming positive) traits that mirror her children, causing her lips to quiver in nostalgia.

[Chorus 2]

Line 1: Repeats Chorus, line 1.

Line 2: In Rector’s family, the kids put the dishes in the sink.

Lines 3-5: Given that this song was written in 2020, these lines most likely poke fun at what is commonly called the “lost year”, when the USA essentially shut down much human interaction.  For many of us, 2020 felt like the longest year in history.

Lines 6 and 7: Repeats Chorus, lines 6 and 7.

Score: 7/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Rector’s language is everyday and clear.  He describes a typical traditional Thanksgiving party that most people will recognize.  However, Rector does a disservice to unbelievers by not clearing showing that Thanksgiving is about thanking God, not indulging ourselves.

Score: 6/10

4. What does this song glorify?

While it glorifies God that the trappings of the Thanksgiving celebration are supported in the Bible, and that Rector reminds us that life is short and that people can change (hopefully, for the better), its focus on Thanksgiving elements with feigned thanks to God does not.

Score: 7/10

Closing Comments

Ben Rector’s The Thanksgiving Song should remind us that it is easy to forget to thank God for the blessings we have.  Have fun at your parties.  Eat, but don’t overindulge.  Drink, but not to excess.  Watch football with family and put those dishes in the sink.  Be thankful that we’re done with COVID-19 lockdowns.  But, remember that God is the reason for our celebration.  This will help unbelievers become more aware of why Christians celebrate this holiday.

Even if it rated better, this song is not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 7/10

Artist Info

Track: The Thanksgiving Song (listen to the song)

Artist: Ben Rector

Album: A Ben Rector Christmas

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2020

Duration: 3:05

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.