Bob Dylan - With God on our side

Mungkin masih banyak diantara kita yang gak mengenal sosok Bob Dylan,...seorang musisi kelahiran Minnesota, 24 Mei 1941 ini menorehkan pengaruh yang besar dalam dunia musik dan bahkan dalam pergerakan politik Amerika Serikat di saat itu, turut mempengaruhi beberapa musisi sepeti Jimi Hendrix, U2, Gun's n Roses, hingga Iwan Fals di tanah air. Ciri khas dari seorang Bob Dylan adalah lirik2 nya yang puitis dan sarat akan perlawanan. Tokoh panutan Bob Dylan memang adalah seorang penyair yang menjadi cikal bakal pemilihan nama panggungnya, Dylan Thomas.

Salah satu lagu favorit saya selain 'Like a Rolling Stone' dan 'Blowing in the wind' adalah lagu di bawah ini,...tema dan liriknya benar2 universal, dan patut untuk dihayati,..hingga kalimat terakhirnya 'If God in our side,..He'll stop the next war'


With God on our side (Bob Dylan)


Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.


Mungkin ada benarnya point yang disampaikan Bob Dylan dalam lagu ini, semua orang menganggap dirinya disertai Tuhan dan melakukan apa saja atas nama Tuhan. Pihak Nasrani disertai Tuhan dalam perang salib, begitu juga pihak Muslim. Tentara Irak disertai Tuhan dalam perang teluk, dan begitu juga tentara Amerika serikat seperti pada perang di belantara Vietnam dimana mereka juga disertai Tuhan,..dan begitu juga tentara vietkong. Serdadu Israel disertai Tuhan disisi mereka saat berperang melawan orang orang Palestina yang juga disertai Tuhan disisinya,...bahkan pelaku terorisme di Indonesia akan mengaku disertai Tuhan dalam misi mereka,..dan disisi lain tim densus 88 berdoa kepada Tuhan sebelum melakukan penyergapan karena mereka percaya Tuhan berada disisi mereka. Tapi apa yang terjadi,....Tuhan menjadi alasan untuk peperangan, kekacauan, pembakaran, pengeboman, pemerkosaan, pembunuhan....God hates war, i believe that,...tapi mengapa mereka masih merasa Tuhan berada disisinya??


Mungkin sekarang saatnya kita berhenti bermain Tuhan dan menjadi lebih bijaksana,..dan sekali lagi mengutip kalimat penutup lagu di atas,..


'If God in our side,..He'll stop the next war'