The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he's my brother
He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
Songwriters: Bob Russell / Bobby Scott
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother lyrics © Music Sales Corporation
Growing up in the 1970s, I loved the Osmond Brothers. Not just Donny, all the brothers. I couldn’t articulate what I liked about their music - the harmonies, the content, the instruments – but I knew I liked it.
One of my favorite songs from this album is “He Ain’t Heavy”. I know they weren’t the first to sing it, but they were the ones singing when I first heard it. I loved that it was five brothers singing about carrying their brother when he’s down.
Of course, the message is on a much broader scale.
Life is not now as it was in the seventies. For better or worse.
Times were turbulent. Drugs were prevalent. The United States was at war. Protests were erupting all over in opposition to the government.
Hold on, maybe things aren’t that different today.
But I do think there was a simplicity to our society then that doesn’t exist today.
There were still the lingering societal mores from the fifties where neighbors looked after neighbors. Churches took care of their parishioners in times of crisis and need. People considered government assistance to be a last resort, not a career choice. You accepted an hand up when you needed it, but not a handout.
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
I don’t even know all my neighbors. I’m amazed when I find out someone I know actually lives near me. People stay inside, lock their doors. They keep their problems under wraps. We don’t share because we don’t want others to know our life is less than perfect. In other words – normal.
No one goes through life without a bump, or two, in the road.
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
I watch the news now and my heart is sad. And angry. People don’t care about one another. It is every man for himself.
When I first started this post it was during the terrible, senseless, violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The trouble there lasted for several days. A young woman was tragically murdered by a protester with his car. Military personnel died in a helicopter accident during those clashes. Days later a police officer was ambushed and killed in her patrol vehicle. All the words written above were from my heart during that time.
Sometimes I write, and wait. Sometimes I want to polish the piece. Sometimes I write in a stream of consciousness and stop when the stream dries up and then finish it later. My blog list is littered with drafts of just that nature, waiting for the lightning bolt to hit with the words to pull it together. The above was one such piece.
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey came ashore over Rockport, Texas as a category 4 storm, leaving destruction in its wake. The path shifted ever so slightly and moved northeast, stalling over Houston. Feet of rain dumped on Houston in less than 24 hours. Flooding was everywhere. Thousand of people were trying to evacuate. Harvey turned and headed back into the Gulf of Mexico, trying to gather a new head of steam, and made landfall again around Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas. Right on the border with Louisiana.
The national media outlets descended on the area and of course, the footage of the disaster area left from Hurricane Harvey is actually more heartwarming than watching the protesters fighting each other over an ideal. The scenes of the Cajun Navy rescuing the stranded brought tears. Seeing miles of pickup trucks with fishing boats on trailers, drivers awaiting instruction of where to start looking made your heart smile. This was how people are supposed to help fellow human beings.
The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he's my brother
He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
Two national events in eleven days. Two different responses. Two different results.
God Bless Texas, and everyone from anywhere who has lifted their Texan brother on their shoulders and carried him down that long, winding road - to drier ground, to shelter, to food, to comfort.
When we work together, no one is too heavy to help.
