The Should-Coulda-Woulda Psalm

The Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda Psalm - Ps. 81

Saturday, July 21, 2018

4:31 PM

In an article in the New York Times back in 1994 by William Saffire covering the issue of Whitewater Gate scandal by the Clintons is an interesting question and answer and explanation of that answer.

Saffire writes:

"A hard-edged question was posed to Hillary Rodham Clinton at her Whitewater news conference: what about "the suggestion in the R.T.C. memorandum . . . you and your husband knew or should have known that Whitewater was not cash-flowing and that notes or debts should have been paid"?

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda," the First Lady replied. "We didn't.""

This answer so intrigued Saffire that he went on a linguistic journey of the phrase and found something interesting.

"On the sports pages of The Washington Post of Dec. 7, 1978, Gerald Strine wrote about the New England Patriots football team: "The Pats coulda, shoulda and woulda been ahead of the Cowboys by at least 16-3 at halftime . . . but three field goals were blown."

Eleven years later, in a United Press International account of another football game, the phrase again led with coulda, as a shamefaced kicker was quoted: "I should have kicked the extra point, but coulda, shoulda, woulda doesn't do it."

By the 90's, football players were fumbling the order. Said a Notre Dame tackle, Aaron Taylor, offside on his subject-verb agreement: "There's no excuses. Woulda, shoulda, coulda is not going to cut it."

although each elision expresses something different, when taken together, the trio conveys a unified meaning. Shoulda, short for should have (and not should of, which lexies call a variant but I call a mistake), carries a sense of correctness or obligation; coulda implies a possibility, and woulda denotes conditional certainty, an oxymoron: the stated intent to have taken an action if only something had not intervened."

later contacted the Clintons to have her explain her anwer.

"Mrs. Clinton passes the word that she heard the expression often in Arkansas, and interprets it to mean: "People can tell you that you should have, or could have, or would have, but the question is: Did you or didn't you?"

I call this the Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda Psalm. This particular Psalm actually starts out on a positive note. It elevates the emotions, it brings out the praises, the raised hands, the worshipful music, but ends in a negative downward fork in the road.

This seems to have been a Psalm by Asaph that summarized the Feast of Tabernacles.

It begins with A summons or a command to enthusiastically praise God. (1-5b)

There is a Call to Sing - Singing helps to Praise the Lord - it doesn't say to sing beautifully - rather it says to MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE and not just noise for noise sake - but make it UNTO THE GOD OF JACOB

A Call to make music- those who know how to play musical instruments take them up and they list quite a few stringed, percussion, trumpets and to play for the Lord.

This is followed by a word from God 5c-16

God Reminds - God took their burden, their slave labor. He answered their prayer. He gave them water at Meribah and then he says to stop and think on this for a minute.

Think about what God had done, pause for a moment.

God Reprimands - He gave commands verses 8-10 but verse 11-12 give the sad facts that they were disobeyed.

God in verse 13 moans a mournful wail - in the Hebrew language this is the most saddest of language and wording used. Think of God saying this to someone.

"Oh that my people had hearkened (listened) unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Then comes the shoulda-coulda-woulda

I should soon have subdued their enemies

God should have fed them with the finest of the wheat with honey from the rock

But he couldn't

Of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: "It might have been."

John Greenleaf Whittier

Does this apply to us today?

God has so much for each one of us - contingent upon our obedience to HIS WORD - not what we think his word or we want his word to say.

Are we listening to his voice? Are we obeying his commands?

Are we doing what he wants us to do?

Can he feed us with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the rock?

Shoulda-woulda-coulda won't cut it.

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas Layin' in the sun, Talkin' 'bout the things They woulda coulda shoulda done... But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas All ran away and hid From one little Did. Shel Silverstein

Another poet wrote:

Life Story

No matter what else you are doing

From cradle days through to the end,

You are writing your life's secret story--

Each day sees another page penned.

Each Month ends a thirty-page chapter,

Each year means the end of a part--

And never an act is misstated

Or even one wish of the heart.

Each day when you wake, the book opens,

Revealing a page clean and white--

What thoughts and what words and what doings

Will cover its pages by night?

God leaves that to you--you're the writer--

And never a word shall grow dim,

Till the day you write the word Finish

And give your Life's Book back to Him.

Author Unknown

What words will your book convey? I shoulda-Coulda-Woulda done this or that and eaten of the finest of the wheat and honey from the rock - or That you did what you was supposed to do and enjoyed the blessing of the Lord?

I want you to think through this throughout this coming week -