Uncle Theology.
Uncle Theology · Psalms of Ascent · Track 5

Jerks & Giants

Psalms of AscentTrack 5 of 15
Jerks & Giants — song artwork, Psalms of Ascent by Uncle Theology
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About this songLatchkey kids, milk-carton faces, and duck-and-cover drills in 1983: a stadium-sized reminder that “if the LORD had not been on our side,” we would have been swallowed up. Psalm 124 as a Cold-War rap.
Big ideaThe world is full of jerks and giants; the only reason we’re still standing is the Lord’s covenant alliance — so before we go into worship, we stop and praise him.
Doctrine
Covenant deliverance
Anchor text
Psalm 124:1–2, 7–8
Form
Spoken address into ’80s rap-rock
Voices
—
Intro (spoken)

We aren't like those who worship
Without the taste of war
All our hair's been singed
Every knuckles sored
But if the Lord weren't for us
We would be no more

Chorus

This world is full of jerks and giants
And without the Lord's alliance
And His covenant, we'd have been consumed
And so now upon these temple stairs
Before we ever get in there
Let us take a minute to praise the Lord!

Verse

In '83 there were enemies everywhere our eyes could see
The Commies were gonna nuke us and the stranger danger spooked us
And we didn't really see our moms and dads that much
Latchkey was the main way to be, on the one hand free
But unprotected, you see?
Key on a shoelace swingin' 'round my neck
Missin' kids on the milk carton starin' at me through my Chex
Siren on a Tuesday, it's a test, it's a test
Duck and cover under desks like the wood's gonna save us from the rest

Chorus

This world is full of jerks and giants
And without the Lord's alliance
And His covenant, we'd have been consumed
And so now upon these temple stairs
Before we ever get in there
Let us take a minute to praise the Lord!

Bridge

Like a bird out of the snare
Of the fowler, we got free
The snare is broken, we're escaped
Singed and sore, but free
Our help is in the name of the LORD
Who made the heaven and the earth

Final Chorus

This world is full of jerks and giants
And without the Lord's alliance
And His covenant, we'd have been consumed
And so now upon these temple stairs
Before we ever get in there
Let us take a minute to praise the Lord!

Outro

Our hair's been singed
Our knuckles sore
But if the Lord weren't for us
We would have tasted more

Scripture References

  1. Psalm 124
  2. Romans 8:31
  3. 1 Samuel 17:45-47
  4. Psalm 121:2

Study this song

Teaching aids drawn from the song — for personal study or group discussion.

How the song moves

1
Singed and sore
Opening like a presidential address: God’s people aren’t untouched by war — but they’re still here (Psalm 124:1–5).
2
1983
Commies, stranger danger, and a key on a shoelace — free but unprotected. The dangers were real, and so was the Lord (Psalm 124:2–3).
3
The snare is broken
Like a bird slipping out of the fowler’s trap, deliverance is God’s doing, not ours (Psalm 124:7).
4
Our help is in the name of the LORD
The same confession as Psalm 121 — the Maker of heaven and earth is our ally (Psalm 124:8; Romans 8:31).

Key terms & allusions

  • “If it had not been the LORD” — Psalm 124’s repeated opening — Israel retelling their story with God as the reason they survived.
  • Fowler — A bird-catcher who used snares and nets. Satan and the world set traps; God breaks them.
  • Covenant — God’s binding, sworn commitment to his people — the “alliance” that holds when everything else fails.

Discussion questions

  1. What were the “giants” when your parents or grandparents were kids? What are they now?
  2. Why does the psalm insist on telling the story with God at the center?
  3. What’s a “snare” you or your family have escaped by God’s grace?

For contemplation

  1. Finish this sentence: “If the LORD had not been on my side…”
  2. Take a minute — right now, before anything else — to praise the Lord for one rescue.
  3. Where do you feel “unprotected”? Pray Romans 8:31 over it.