Critical Writing 110.28
Lyrical Essay
September 7, 2011
Professor Coleman
In “Giants” by Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers, is a gospel song that can truly uplift anyone who listens to it. This song serves as extra encouragement for anyone that may be going through something. Everyone has had a time where they feel like nothing is going for them or like they have nothing else to do but give up. Even for those that may not be born again through Christ can gain something inspiring from this uplifting arrangement.
As the chorus resounds throughout the song, it says “Giants, do die, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Giants, they die, just walk around the Jericho Wall.” These lines allude to two different biblical stories. The first one is the story of David and Goliath. David was just a young teenage boy and Goliath was the Devil in the flesh of a Philistine giant. No one would go to fight against Goliath except this courageous teenager David. Like any situation, David had those who did not believe in him because they were focused more on his physique rather than what, or who, he had on the inside of him. King Saul, the current king, even had to be heavily convinced to let David attempt at fighting Goliath. King Saul had already even issued a decree that whoever defeated Goliath would be king! David knew he had the power of God on the inside of him and that it would never fail him. In the end, David defeated Goliath and surely became king. Similarly, the second allusion is to the Battle of Jericho. In the book of Joshua, the first battle of the Israelites is recorded. The Israelites were being lead by Joshua into Canaan were they entered into the city of Jericho. God had commanded them to march with the seven priests around the city once every day for six days. On the seventh day, after marching around for the seventh time, the people shouted and sounded horns. After this, the walls of Jericho collapsed and the Israelites charged right into the city. They took victory by trusting God and not letting their “giant” (the Wall) hold them back.
Both of theses biblical stories can be taken literally as well as metaphorically. As a metaphor, a person can put themselves in the place of either character in each of the stories. A person can take it any apply it to any situation they may be facing. Through this, I believe that the audience is anyone who is going through something or ever went