Psalm 88 Rephrased; Set to the Tune of "Covid-19"

 

 

Upholder, God of salvage, I’ve been crying in the night:

I need you to lean forward and turn your ear to listen,

—but nobody’s here.

Overloaded with griefs, I’m slipping down; brought to the edge of ‘who-cares?’

Count me in with the ghosts, write me off as beyond help,

alone among the dead, like a murder victim in the morgue:

you don’t remember them; the dead can’t reach you even if you cared.

 

You shoved me down to the bottom of this sinkhole;

into this dark rift, into this deep well.

Your turning weight is crushing me; your breakers push me down.

You distanced me from my best friends, made me frightful to them;

I am quarantined, with no escape.

My eyes are all blurry with tears;

I keep calling on you, God, every day; empty handed.

 

Will you do your magician’s tricks to an audience of the dead?

Do you think their ghosts will give you a standing ovation?

Will your charm be announced in the grave,

or your authenticity in the outer dark?

Will your act be seen if the theater’s empty;

or your perfection be known if no-one cares?

 

But I beg for help anyway, Boss, as soon as I clock in every morning,

so why, Chief, do you dismiss me? Why do you hide?

Why won’t you look me in the eye?

Seems like, since I was young, I’ve been miserable, ready to die;

I’m numb from putting up with these alarms of yours.

Your fierce weight has crushed me, your grim fears have shriveled me up.

They heave around me all day like a riptide; they close in on me from every side.

 

You’ve made my friends and companions avoid me;

all the people I know are hidden behind masks.

 

** 

⁽⁰⁾ A song. A psalm of the sons of Korach. For the leader.

Set to “Sickness that Causes Suffering.” A maskil of Heiman the Ezrachi.

 

88 (Complete Jewish Bible)

 

^{2 (1)} Adonai, God of my salvation, when I cry out to you in the night,

^{3 (2)} let my prayer come before you, turn your ear to my cry for help!

^{4 (3)} For I am oversupplied with troubles, which have brought me to the brink of Sh’ol.

^{5 (4)} I am counted among those going down to the pit, like a man who is beyond help,

^{6 (5}) left by myself among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave — you no longer remember them; they are cut off from your care.

^{7 (6)} You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into dark places, into the depths.

^{8 (7)} Your wrath lies heavily on me; your waves crashing over me keep me down. (Selah)

^{9 (8)} You separated me from my close friends, made me repulsive to them; I am caged in, with no escape;

^{10 (9)} my eyes grow dim from suffering. I call on you, Adonai, every day; I spread out my hands to you.

^{11 (10)} Will you perform wonders for the dead? Can the ghosts of the dead rise up and praise you? (Selah)

^{12 (11)} Will your grace be declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

^{13 (12)} Will your wonders be known in the dark, or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

^{14 (13)} But I cry out to you, Adonai; my prayer comes before you in the morning.

^{15 (14)} So why, Adonai, do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me?

^{16 (15)} Since my youth I have been miserable, close to death; I am numb from bearing these terrors of yours.

^{17 (16)} Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me, your terrors have shriveled me up.

^{18 (17)} They surge around me all day like a flood, from all sides they close in on me.

^{19 (18)} You have made friends and companions shun me; the people I know are hidden from me.