One of my favorite musicians of all time is a man named Frank Turner. This thirty-four year old Brit has been creating lyrically intricate songs from a eclectic mix of genres for nearly 17 years. He began his music career as a teenager with the band Kneejerk, whose sound was a blend of emo, post hardcore, and rock. Now, he tours Europe and North America playing folk-punk and acoustic rock for the mavericks of the world. For me, one of the most important parts of a song is the lyrics, and Turner has some of the most powerful and symbolic I’ve ever heard.
Many of Turner’s personal views and core beliefs reveal themselves through his songs. These cover a variety of subjects, from history and folk tales to Turner’s past romantic pursuits. For me, one of the most interesting of these themes is his perspective on religion and God. Frank Turner is one hundred percent, without a doubt, an atheist. One of his more controversial songs, “Glory Hallelujah” centers around this theme. But as much as Turner does not believe in any of the teachings of the Bible, there are many Biblical themes that recur throughout his songs. He uses characters, motifs, and ideas within his music that contain numerous ties to the Christian faith. Sometimes, the connection is obvious. In “Journey of the Magi”, Turner recounts the death of Moses in explicit terms:
“Moses was old, a chill in his bones
Falling apart, he knew in his heart that his time had come
As he lay in his tent in the hot desert sands,
He smiled at how he would never see his promised land”
Other associations, though, are much more subtle. Turner explores life, death, and the search for meaning and purpose. One theme that Turner revisits time and again is life and the continuation of existence after death. Throughout the course of his solo career, Turner seems to have taken different stances on the topic. On the one hand, he expresses this underlying desire for continuation, to live on in the hearts and minds of the people and in the ether of the world, such as in his song “One Foot Before The Other”:
“And I will creep through their capillaries to the marrow of their bones
And they will wake to bright new mornings and then wordlessly they’ll know
That I remain
I am remembered”
This attitude is reminiscent of so many recurrent ideas in the Christian faith. The desire to live on after death, to attain ‘everlasting life’, is one of the main tenets of Christianity. It reflects a fundamental yearning of humanity. The idea that this existence doesn’t have to end, that all of our struggles are not for naught but rather have some greater purpose, is a wish that beats deep in the heart of the human race. Christianity presents a fulfillment of this desire by offering the defeat of death itself by Jesus. Followers of this religion are able to have confidence in their existence having purpose, assuaging a deep, fundamental fear of humanity.
Though Turner expresses a disbelief in this religion, he still revisits the desire to be free of this fear. He also explores the fear itself. His song “The Fisher King Blues” touches upon the inner being of humanity, who we are underneath the makeup of work, school, and other distractors. Turner delves into the true meaning of life within, the catalysts of our character and all factors that make us who we ultimately become. In the bridge of this song, he blatantly states the deepest fear of many:
“We were born without reason, we will die without meaning
And the world will not shrug all that much at our passing
Yes you can try and try and try
But no one ever makes it out alive”
Turner has a wonderful tendency to produce contradictory ideas and to write paradoxes into his music, something which really appeals to many of his fans, including myself. The world is rarely a straightforward place, and things are never as simple as they seem. But that doesn’t mean we should despair. As much as Turner presents contradictions in his songs, there is always a basal message of hope and a call to take action and create for oneself the world that could be. The song which summarizes Turner’s beliefs, “Glory Hallelujah”, outright rejects the existence of God from which to draw a deeper meaning in life. Rather than leaving it there, without conclusion, Turner presents his own solution:
“And I know you're scared of dying man and I am too,
But just pretending it's not happening isn't gonna see us through,
So just accept that there's an end game and we haven't got much time,
And then in the here and now we can try and do things right.”
Whether or not you believe the same thing as Turner, there is undeniable truth to his words. And though Turner espouses his disbelief in all things Biblical, he recognizes truth within the underlying message. The world is a confusing and messy place, and it can be difficult to figure out exactly what you believe. But believing in something is common to all, because without it, we would be without hope. And without hope, there would be no point.
