Cold Shower Treatment
"Cold Shower Treatment"
I remember Junior High back in northern New Jersey
There was this kid named Corie McCuff
Corie was always causing trouble for somebody -- nobody liked Corie much
Nobody knew what made Corie so angry, but
He was a time bomb wired to blow
Some say it started when his dad left his mom--
I guess we've heard that story before
And Corie's mom did not know what to do
She'd get these phone calls from teachers at school
He's causing problems again Ms. McCuff
So Corie's mother would go pick him up (And she'd say)
(Chorus)
Corie why'd you do it? All these feelings inside you
Are gonna cause you pain if you don't let somebody help
And Corie something's got to change
And Corie, what's it going to take
For you to see how much you hurt yourself this way?
In the summertime the year before we started high school
A church in town took this youth camping trip
They had a pastor named Kevin and Kevin knew ho to get through to the kids
Kevin said hey why don't we see if Corie can
Join us this year for our youth camping trip?
Not even Kevin knew just how much trouble would be caused by that Corie kid
'Cause Corie wised off and kept picking fights
But Kevin knew Corie hurt deep inside
And then one night while the other kids slept
Kevin heard Corie crying in bed
(and Corie kept saying to himself)
(Chorus)
Corie, why'd you do it? There must be something wrong with you
Its just like mom keeps trying to tell you -- you better get some help
And everyone says I should change, but no one knows what it will take
And they don't see how much it hurts to live this way...
At the camp the group was at they had this way of dealing with
Campers like Corie who'd break all the rules
They called it getting the cold shower treatment
And here's what the camp staff would do
They'd let the cold shower run until that mountain water was almost like ice
Then the offender would strip to a bathing suit and take a cold shower
While all the other campers would
Watch you and tease you and laugh
It was the most talked about thing at camp
It was done in a spirit of fun
They never meant it to hurt anyone
Well Corie was constantly breaking the rules
"Let's give Corie the shower!" said the rest of the group
So they turned on the water and they gathered around
"Make him freeze!" screamed the merciless crowd
Like some death row prisoner Corie marched into the room
Showing no emotion as he listened to the group
They were laughing, mocking, shouting,
"To the shower with McCuff!"
And then that locker room fell silent
And as Corie looked up
There was pastor Kevin in this silly bathing suit
Taking Corie's shower, and shouting,
"Corie! God loves you!"
And Corie started crying as the other kids all left
Kevin got out of the shower and he said,
"Corie... God knows why you do it,
And man there's nothing wrong with you
That God can't help you learn to deal with, if you want God to
And Corie, everything can change
'Cause Jesus knew what it would take
For you to see how much you hurt yourself this way"
I remember senior high back in northern New Jersey
I had a friend named Corie McCuff
Corie was some kind of beautiful person
So full of forgiveness and love
Sometimes a person would ask him hey Corie
How come you're always so thoughtful and kind?
Corie would smile and say its hard to explain
Then he'd throw them his favorite line
He'd say, I started to live differently
When a good friend once helped me see,
That this carpenter -- took a shower once for me!
I remember Junior High back in northern New Jersey
There was this kid named Corie McCuff
Corie was always causing trouble for somebody -- nobody liked Corie much
Nobody knew what made Corie so angry, but
He was a time bomb wired to blow
Some say it started when his dad left his mom--
I guess we've heard that story before
And Corie's mom did not know what to do
She'd get these phone calls from teachers at school
He's causing problems again Ms. McCuff
So Corie's mother would go pick him up (And she'd say)
(Chorus)
Corie why'd you do it? All these feelings inside you
Are gonna cause you pain if you don't let somebody help
And Corie something's got to change
And Corie, what's it going to take
For you to see how much you hurt yourself this way?
In the summertime the year before we started high school
A church in town took this youth camping trip
They had a pastor named Kevin and Kevin knew ho to get through to the kids
Kevin said hey why don't we see if Corie can
Join us this year for our youth camping trip?
Not even Kevin knew just how much trouble would be caused by that Corie kid
'Cause Corie wised off and kept picking fights
But Kevin knew Corie hurt deep inside
And then one night while the other kids slept
Kevin heard Corie crying in bed
(and Corie kept saying to himself)
(Chorus)
Corie, why'd you do it? There must be something wrong with you
Its just like mom keeps trying to tell you -- you better get some help
And everyone says I should change, but no one knows what it will take
And they don't see how much it hurts to live this way...
At the camp the group was at they had this way of dealing with
Campers like Corie who'd break all the rules
They called it getting the cold shower treatment
And here's what the camp staff would do
They'd let the cold shower run until that mountain water was almost like ice
Then the offender would strip to a bathing suit and take a cold shower
While all the other campers would
Watch you and tease you and laugh
It was the most talked about thing at camp
It was done in a spirit of fun
They never meant it to hurt anyone
Well Corie was constantly breaking the rules
"Let's give Corie the shower!" said the rest of the group
So they turned on the water and they gathered around
"Make him freeze!" screamed the merciless crowd
Like some death row prisoner Corie marched into the room
Showing no emotion as he listened to the group
They were laughing, mocking, shouting,
"To the shower with McCuff!"
And then that locker room fell silent
And as Corie looked up
There was pastor Kevin in this silly bathing suit
Taking Corie's shower, and shouting,
"Corie! God loves you!"
And Corie started crying as the other kids all left
Kevin got out of the shower and he said,
"Corie... God knows why you do it,
And man there's nothing wrong with you
That God can't help you learn to deal with, if you want God to
And Corie, everything can change
'Cause Jesus knew what it would take
For you to see how much you hurt yourself this way"
I remember senior high back in northern New Jersey
I had a friend named Corie McCuff
Corie was some kind of beautiful person
So full of forgiveness and love
Sometimes a person would ask him hey Corie
How come you're always so thoughtful and kind?
Corie would smile and say its hard to explain
Then he'd throw them his favorite line
He'd say, I started to live differently
When a good friend once helped me see,
That this carpenter -- took a shower once for me!
Credits:
Words & Music By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1995.