Inspired by an encounter on the streets, Isle of Wight Street Pastors Co-ordinator David Ouston wrote a song, which has been performed in various places and is now available to download. There is no charge for the download, but if you are touched by the song please do consider making a donation to Isle of Wight Street Pastors, or becoming a regular giver through our 1 in 100 scheme.
Click to listen or right click to download - Street Pastors Song by David Ouston
what a beautiful song it sums up everything street pastors do
blessings from street pastors brothers/sisters in Blackpool
I listened to this and found tears streaming down my face, the reason for which I will try & explain in brief though the story is about my whole life and I am now 55. I was born on the Isle of Wight and lived a very happy childhood in Gurnard until I was 7 and had to move to Birmingham with my parents & brothers as work was paying much better for my Dad there. I was deeply unhappy & found myself in a place that seemed totally alien & cruel until one day a boy (known for being a bit of a tearaway)forced me to take notice of him in the playground & despite my initial response which was to swear & not being put off by that he continued to talk to me – I followed with a furious punch, which incredibly he was fast enough to duck away from – we became friends and spent the 3 years from 9-12 together. He taught me to swim and to run as fast as he could and not to care that kids laughed at me for playing piano, he played drums and was going to be a drummer in a band when he was older. We were separated at senior school and both had a very unhappy teenage time but later he did become a drummer in a band & toured America made several records and led the life of a rockstar for a time becoming addicted to alcolhol drugs and sex. The music business took its toll and the band broke up, he tried to get his life back on track got married and worked as a session drummer but it all fell apart as he was suffering mental illness from prolonged drug abuse, seizures and physical ill health. In May I heard he died alone in a flat on 7th July 1993 in a poor part of Birmingham covered in blood from a broken nose he sustained in a seizure followed by heartfailure caused by a virus which had caused severe damage to his heart.
I couldn’t descibe how devastated I am that this could happen to him and after listening to your song I find comfort in that you do not judge those that you meet suffering the effects of alcohol or drugs. I know he only tried to escape the pain of feeling inadequate and the sorrow he felt that the girl he loved all his life was “out of his league” and very glad that I told him when a chance meeting gave me the opportunity, that in fact that girl had loved him since she was 9years old and she was very proud of him and all that he had achieved and to put the drink and the drugs behind him – he hurt himself far more than anyone else.
What a fantastic song, heard it at streetlife today, will be using this at portsmouth promotions of street pastors, but giving you well deserved credit.