I heard an old favorite song on the radio early this morning: Up on the Roof sung by James Taylor. It was a popular hit for Taylor during the summer of 1979. After doing some quick research, I discovered that the song was actually written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The Drifters were the first to release it in 1962. It reached #5 on the US. Singles chart that year.

Here is a portion of the lyrics:

When this old world starts a getting me down

And people are just too much for me to face

I’ll climb way up to the top of the stairs

And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be

And there the world below don’t bother me, no,
So when I come home feeling tired and beat

I’ll go up where the air is fresh and sweet

I’ll get far away from the hustling crowd

And all the rat-race noise down in the street
I found a paradise that’s trouble proof

And if this old world starts a getting you down

There’s room enough for two

Up on the roof…

There is no doubt that the song writers were thinking in terms of escaping from the urban rat race in some sprawling city. One writer says:
… This breezy summertime song evokes the high-rise apartments in American cities where urban dwellers could escape from the stresses of daily living by climbing onto the tar “beaches” on the roofs of their buildings.

It occurs to me that the message of the song impacts even those who live in the most rural corners of America. Everyone needs a “roof” to escape to periodically.  I would go as far to say that all of us need a “roof” where we can find refuge every single day. Several years ago a friend of mine purchased a small building that had once served as an old-fashioned beauty shop. He moved it out to his farm in far West Texas. Somehow he managed to get the beauty chemical aroma eradicated from the interior and transformed that structure into a great hideout, as he called it. He added some manly leather furniture, as well as a refrigerator and microwave. His rural hideout was made compete with a satellite to receive ESPN and other cable amenities. Now that is my idea of a “roof.” But unfortunately such a hideout will most likely remain in the recesses of my vivid imagination.

I still need a “roof.” We all do. I have my own hideouts. There are a couple of places where I go on a daily walk. I find those places when people are just too much for me to face… There is a couch situated in a very bright spot in our home. It too serves as a wonderful “roof” when the rest of the family is gone. The deck in the backyard serves a similar role.

My roofs are very sacred. The writers of the song indicate that there is room enough for two on the roof, but I am not sure that is true. I prefer total solitude when I am up on the roof. It serves as a time to think and reflect. In the privacy of such an escape, I can pray clearly.
On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be

And there the world below don’t bother me…

Peace can be found up on the roof. It is not just the peace that is characterized by a lack of noise. It is a peace of mind and spirit that is fostered by real solitude. I think I will go up on the roof today because up there the world below don’t bother me. Oh and by the way…I suppose I won’t be so selfish…

And if this old world starts a getting you down

There’s room enough for two

Up on the roof…