HEAR THIS: Beres Hammond “Giving Thanks”

Why Not Make Every Day Thanksgiving Day?

“Gotta take time out to say much respect to the Father,” Beres remarks on this live cut from his double-disc retrospective Can’t Stop A Man. “Because without Him we couldn’t have made it here tonight. Wanna say thank you Father. Thank you, yes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart…”

So what is Thanksgiving day all about? Macy’s? The Dallas Cowboys and the genocide of the “Indians”? Turduckens? If you’re like me, watching people pushing and shoving to grab up the last can of cranberry sauce at the supermarket makes you feel anything but grateful. Especially in the midst of a recession, many of us may be thinking about what we’ve lost this year—our jobs, our homes, our vanity—instead of focusing on what we still have. But Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be so complicated. And it sure doesn’t have to wait for one day each year. That’s why I’ve got to spin this Beres selection on a day like today. As many times as I’ve seen the man’s show I’ve never heard him touch the stage without livicating at least one song to the Man Upstairs. Whether you’ll be carving turkey today, dipping into some Ital stew, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or missing loved ones—we can all use a reminder of what thanks-giving is all about:

GIVING THANKS By Beres Hammond

“Right yah now I’m taking it easy

Check my steps, I’m not in a hurry

Soon I’ll have the things that I needed so bad

Morning sun rising behind me

Stars at night come out to remind me

To give thanks for everything that I have.

All is well I’ve got my health and in such good shape

Pockets broke and I’ve got nothing, waiting for the break

But I’m giving thanks, all I’ve got

Giving thanks, whether or not

Giving thanks for the life in me

Giving thanks oh God.

Right yah now by friends I’m surrounded

Are but few I’m glad I’m not crowded

Just enough, just enough for me to concentrate

One by one I’m counting my blessings

Getting close to goals that I’m setting

And if I make mistakes, correct me, don’t you hesitate.”

Run the track…

[audio:https://www.boomshots.com/tunes/GivingThanks.mp3]

And not for nothing—thanks to you too Mr. Music.