Killing My Old Man

Killing My Old Man (lyrics by Bob Hartman)

I think its gone far enough
I can’t take it anymore
I’ve got to even up the score
Before he sweeps me off the floor

I’ve really got to find a way
Of taking care of him for good
I know he’d kill me if he could
So I’ll nail him to the wood

Killing my old man
You may not understand
He’s a terrible man
Got to make a stand
And kill the old man

Every time that I think he’s gone and I’ve finally won
He just keeps coming back, puts me on the run

I think I’d better do it now
Get my hammer and a nail
Pray to God I that I won’t fail
Lest he’ll keep me in the jail
And I don’t wanna stay in jail!

This song was originally written for Petra’s 1977 album Come And Join Us but the record label rejected it. It was finally released on 1981’s Never Say Die. Lyrically, it expresses the same idea that Paul wrote about to the churches in Rome and in Corinth.

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4 ESV)

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:5-10 ESV).

Each one of us has a war raging inside us. Our sinful nature fights against the Spirit. There is a tension between doing what we want and doing what is right. Paul addresses it later in his letter to the Romans (chapter 7) when he says, “I know what I should do and don’t do it. I also know what I shouldn’t do and I keep right on doing it” (my paraphrase). It is a very real battle; one I feel every single day.

The first step in the battle is to recognize that we have a problem. We have to be willing to admit that we are sinners and that there is nothing we can do about it on our own. It’s only through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that we can become new creations. We’re forgiven (justified) by the blood of Jesus but that is just the start of our faith journey. Bob Hartman is writing about the process of sanctification. We are to listen and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and willingly give up our old ways of living.

Paul says we must “put to death” everything that is tied up in our sinful natures. Bob Hartman uses the image of nailing the old self to the cross with Jesus. After all, that is why He came and died. We are saved by grace through faith in Him. His death brings forgiveness. His resurrection brings the promise and hope of new life. His Spirit brings the transformation we so desperately need.

Grace and peace.