Steve Taylor – What is the Measure of Your Success?

I previously wrote about how Steve Taylor is one of my formative theologians. I think I may have gotten a lot of my foundational theology from his music.

Below is a song he wrote called “What is the Measure of Your Success?”

It is a question that has plagued my life for several decades now, and only recently am I beginning to see that my answer the question is the same answer that Steve Taylor hints at in this video.

How do you define success? What is the cost to yourself, to your family, and to others to achieve it?

As you watch the video, be reminded that Steve Taylor recorded and performed in the 1980’s. Yes, he has the 80’s hair, and the 80’s clothes. But the ideas are still true today.

Lyrics:

In this city I confess,
I am driven to possess.
Answer no one, let them guess.
Are you someone I impress?

I am a big boss with a short fuse,
I have a nylon carpet and rubber shoes.
And when I shake hands, you’ll get a big shock.
You’ll be begging for mercy when the champ is through.
You better believe I’ll put my clamps on you.

In this city, be assured,
Some will rise above the herd.
Feed the fatted, leave the rest.
This is how we won the west.

I am a safebox,
I am the inner sanctum.
When the door locks I hold the passkey.
You say you can’t take it with you?
We’ll see about that, won’t we?

Push….push….push!

In the city, I confess,
God is mammon, more is less.
Off like lemmings at the gun,
I know better, still I run.

I am an old man,
And the word came.
But you can’t buy time or a good name.
Now when the heirs come around
Like buzzards on a kill,
I see my reflection in their envious eyes,
I’d watch it all burn to buy another sunrise.

Some men find the fire escape.
Old men learn it all too late.
Push….push….push the alarm
Old MacDonald’s bought the farm.