The Straw Men – Home is Where You Are

I received a request to review Home is Where You Are by one of its authors, Paul Stokes. Going by the band name “The Straw Men”, Gaz and he started writing music 17 years ago. He likes to write about his life before meeting Jesus, focusing on his journey from unbeliever to Christian.

He is married, has two teenage children, and runs music sessions for adults with disabilities. He lives in a little town called Heywood in the county of Lancashire in the North West of England. He finds each of these ministries rewarding and a major blessing to his life.

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1. What message does the song communicate?

It is a message of attitude.  The Straw Men presents two competing attitudes in the two verses, one that is full of prayer and blessing for other people; the other focused on self and the evils around them.  They recognize that apart from God’s love, they are spiritually dead.

The Chorus focuses on God as the ultimate dwelling place.  More specifically, it is Him who lives within us.  It is God’s love that compels Him to heal us, shifting our mindsets and hearts from the old self-centered nature to a life that looks more like Verse 1.

The pronoun “You” can be found throughout the lyrics, identified as “Lord” in Verse 1.  Adding their opening line that explicitly mentions prayer, God is the most likely antecedent.

Score: 10/10

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

Most of it agrees with the Bible; However, there is a minor issue in the Chorus.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

Dragging my bones from this bed with a prayer

An allusion to Matthew 11:28-30, where we come to Jesus and cast our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

Lord keep me safe from the evil out there

This communicates spiritual protection, the essence behind the Scriptures regarding God’s defense (Ruth 2:12, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 41:2, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 59:1, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 118:8, Psalm 121:7-8, Psalm 138:7, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 30:5, Nahum 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, and 1 John 5:18).

Blessings to all I meet on the way, to the glory.

This is a great attitude and consistent with Jesus’ words to bless those who do evil against you (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28).  Also, see Luke 23:34, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 1 Peter 3:9.

[Chorus]

And home,
Is where You are.

I love this!  This is not a rejection of earthly homes, a longing for a life after death, or a self-pity party over a terrible scenario.  It recognizes that God’s abode is in Him, regardless of our present location or situation.  He has made His home in our hearts; His Holy Spirit living within us (Acts 2:1-4, 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

And time,
Will heal the scars.

Though it does take time for our wounds to heal, it is not time itself that heals scars.  Rather, it is Christ who heals (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:31).

With love,
You tend my heart.

This speaks of the mechanism that God uses to fix broken hearts.  Not in a literal sense, but in the attitude that drives it, finding its apex in Romans 5:6-8.

And the end,
Well the end is just the start.

That is, the end of me and the start of God working within me (Ezekiel 11:19, John 3:30, Romans 6:1-7, Romans 8:12-13, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:16-18, Ephesians 4:22-24, Ephesians 2:14-16, Colossians 3:10, and 1 Peter 2:24).

[Verse 2]

Dragging my self through the day with a groan,
Ungrateful as ever, my heart like a stone.

Juxtaposed with the attitude given in Verse 1 and the Chorus, The Straw Men begins to express the self- pity party, a change in their demeanor.

The reference to the heart of stone comes from Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:26.

Heavy and sinking without your love, to stop me drowning.

The Straw Men understand life apart from God’s love and request Him for help, returning to the verse we start with, namely, Matthew 11:28-30.

Score: 9/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

It should be obvious to unbelievers that this is a religious song.  Whether it is Christian, Judaism, or Islamic in nature, it’s hard to tell.  However, it’s a far cry from a human lover.  It requires additional effort for them to understand that it’s a Christian song.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Despite my commentary in section 3, it ultimately glorifies God.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

The Straw Men’s Home is Where You Are is a great song.  Yes, it might be difficult for unbelievers to discern the worldview source without research and it has a minor issue in the Chorus; However, that does little to diminish the overall message of God’s transformative power.  If we allow God to work on us, it is Him who will help us become the kind of people we were always meant to be.

I’m not sure if I can recommend this for congregational worship.  It’s a great song for personal reflection, but not something that I feel would be appropriate for worship.

Final Score: 9/10

Artist Info

Track: Home is Where You Are (listen to the song)

Artist: The Straw Men

Album: N/A

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2018

Duration: 3:59

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

*Copyright ©2018 Paul Stokes & Gareth Lunt 2018. All rights reserved. Used by permission.