This song was written during a week stay in Bangkok while filming with BMS World Mission in 2009. Where as much of “God Are You There?” was written before I left for Thailand, this song was informed and inspired by all that I saw and heard in that week.

I remember being impacted instantly as I boarded the plane. I had previously heard a statistic that 6 out of every 10 men on a plane headed to Bangkok were going with the intention of using the girls out there for sex. I looked around at the men on the plane and wondered what must be going on in their lives to want to travel so far for this experience. I remembered hearing of men deceiving their wives and girlfriends with stories about work trips in order to get to Bangkok. It was almost like this city had some mystical lure that was drawing men from across the world to its shores. I found out later that I wasn’t far from the truth.

On arrival I was reminded of the scale of the issue, as many white aging men were walking through the airport with young, slim, attractive Thai girls. As I arrived at my apartment and ventured out into the local streets it seemed to be everywhere I went, white men with young Thai girls.

My senses were in overdrive taking in all the sights and sounds from the poorest of the poor on the streets to cutting edge technology and high rise businesses flourishing around them. The noise of traffic, the smell of street restaurants, cattle walking past and music playing were everywhere, were evidence of a city full of every kind of life.

It was in this context I began to put pen to paper. Having written “God Are You There?” which was clearly going to be a rock song, I wanted to write something different for the second song. I was drawn to Jack Johnson and Bob Dylan, two of the greatest musical poets of our day, for inspiration and decided to write another story telling song. I was intrigued by both Dylan and Johnson’s ability to create music that was uplifting and yet write political or challenging lyrics.

The Song.

The whole theme of the song revolves around the story of a man who visits Bangkok. It would appear on the surface that this man who travels there is free. Free to choose where to go or what to do, free to choose what he buys because he has money and even free to choose from the rows of girls that line Bangkok’s streets. The reality is he is not free, but instead he is trapped by his desires that have a tight grip on them. He is out of control and a slave to something he cannot see. This became the content for the chorus, ending with the truth that only Jesus can truly free Mr Free Man.

Verse 1 paints the picture of the city. Everything in Bangkok seemed to be set among 5 or 6 story buildings, so there was this sense you were always deep in the heart of the city. The verse progresses to hint at the weakness of this man as he cannot resist spending money on girls who are nothing more than commodities to him.

As the song progresses the pre chorus brings a turn in direction. Where “God Are You There?” remained quite angry at these men, this song identifies with Mr Free Man in his weakness. I was caught unaware by this reaction in myself. I daily went through so many emotions. Anger at the men I saw and then sadness that they were so trapped and lonely that it was necessary to live out this lifestyle. Whatever I felt, I knew one thing. Jesus loved them and did not want to see them remain trapped.

Some of the men I heard stories about were so blinded and confused in their thinking they had led themselves to believe they were helping the girls by sleeping with them. They thought they were doing good by providing them with an income, meals out, trips to the cinema and so on. It was almost like watching adolescent boys trying to impress their first girlfriend on a date. These stories formed the basis of verse 2, ending with the line about the departure lounge, the place where Mr Free Man leaves behind the life he has lived in Bangkok until the next time.

During my stay, I was involved in conducting an interview with a charity called Night Light who work to rescue girls from prostitution. I was made aware of the spiritual dynamic at work in the sex scene in Bangkok.  Many bars perform spiritual rituals at the start of each evening to entice men in. Mr Free Man is the target of a deeper darkness at work, one that he is clueless about. The bridge explores this further and adopts some of Jesus words found in Luke 23:34 when he says “forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing”. There was the same sense of ignorance about Mr Freeman as he happily plays with lives unaware that his soul is in danger.

The tag section to the song didn’t come until some months later when I was rehearsing for the recording. My band and I were playing the song through and I knew God’s presence just like I did when I led a worship time using more congregational worship songs. I spontaneously began to sing “take my hand, let’s draw in the sand, let’s walk away from here”. I was deeply impacted again by the compassion I felt for Mr Free Man and knew Jesus wouldn’t leave him there. Just like he drew in the sand and said “Go and sin no more” to the woman caught in adultery, Jesus was requiring me to feel that compassion.

Mr Free Man has shown me a great deal about our God. A God of justice, yet a God of compassion. A God whose ways are far beyond our understanding, yet calls us to follow and imitate him. This is both the joy and mystery of the Christian life. Let us love all.

—————-

Verse 1

Deep within these city streets, where pretty business women meet

their customers who’ve travelled far and wide,

To spend their hard earned salaries, on bodies that are trained to please

And make you feel a man just for a night

Pre Chorus

And it’s an age old story, and it’s always been this way

But I won’t play judge or jury only God can say

Instead I’ll reach out with the same grace I’ve been shown

Chorus

Is the man from the free world walking free?

Is he bound by chains that he cannot see?

Just a prisoner of his frailty?

Who the Son sets free, is free

Verse 2

This tourist said he aims to please, while grabbing all that he can seize

convinced himself that he’s a generous man

His holiday atrocities, are mingled with philosophies

he’ll leave at the gate thirteen departure lounge

Bridge

Be careful Mr Free man for you know not what you do

You’re tangling yourself and you haven’t got a clue

Be careful Mr Free man it’s a dangerous game you play

Tag

Take my hand, let’s draw in the sand, Take my hand, let’s walk away from here (rpt)

copyrightpetejamesbangkokmay2009

This song is planned to feature on a new recording in 2010.