Song of the Week - Double Cure - Vigilantes of Love

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure;

Save from wrath and make me pure.

Thus go the words of the famous Anglican hymn by Augustus Montague Toplady, "Rock of Ages." And this verse paints a very vivid picture of the fact that the water and blood that flowed from the wounds of Christ being a "double cure" for us - saving us both from the punishment for our sins, and our own sinful natures themselves.



This classic hymn inspired the song "Double Cure" - written by Bill Mallonee and released on the Vigilantes of Love albums V.O.L. and Live at the 40 Watt among others. Now, if you've never heard the Vigilantes of Love, I'm sorry for you, but I do have some advice: go find some now. When my friend and fellow worshipper Joel introduced me to these guys, it was an eye-opener, to be sure.



Today I'm sick of all I am,
today is my setback.
First I swear I'll love you
Then I stab you in the back!



The "you" in this verse is, of course, God. And when we look at things, look at ourselves, and our lives, we find that in fact, we've made promises to God we can never keep. But Bill shows us hope as well:



I wanna drink out of that fountain,
on a hill called Double Cure.
I wanna show you my allegience, Lord
I wanna be a son of yours!



The imagery is startling. A "hill called Double Cure." Instead of looking at Calvary as a place of death and suffering, we should be looking at is a the source of our cure - the place we can go to be healed of the (often self-inflicted) wounds in our lives. According to Bill, the idea of the song is "...understanding how close God is when He seems the farthest away." Nice. My favorite part is at the end:



Ask me why I love Him
He gave riches to this poor...
Yes and I will one day see that face,
Over yonder shore!



As for the song itself, the original recording moves from gentle acoustic ballad to blistering electric rocker and back with ease, flavored by a beautiful Celtic 3/4 beat. (Although the song was originally written in 4/4, and this version can be found on a bonus track.) The opening riff (which is repeated throughout the song) is taken from another hymn, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." The song was nominated for a Dove Award, but lost to a song called "Epidermis Girl" by a band called Bleach. (Really? Epidermis Girl?)



V.O.L. broke up in 2001, but performed together last year, and is rumored to be working on a record. You can purchase the song from iTunes. Or you can go see Bill Mallonee at Lifepath Church in R.I. in October with me, 'cuz I will be there.



Until then, watch this rare acoustic version performed by Mallonee.