“All good children go to heaven.” -The Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money
“God is a concept by which we measure our pain.” -John Lennon, God
“She’s gone to heaven so I got to be good, so I can see my baby when I leave this world.” -J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, Last Kiss
I’m looking for theological nuggets in basically secular songs from secular artists (no straight-up religious songs, don’t post the lyrics to the entire Jesus Christ Superstar musical).
If we were gonna lay out the tenets of the religion of Rock ‘n’ Roll, gimme some lines.
“God hates us all.” - Slayer, Disciple from the album God Hates Us All (2001)
“This man came up to me just the other day
He asked me if I’d been born again
I told him I didn’t think I had
That I had been rejected
But I think hell’s got all the good bands anyway” - The Flaming Lips, Ode To C.C. (Part II) from the album Oh My Gawd!!!… The Flaming Lips (1987)
… There’s an angel standing in the sun
And he’s crying with a loud voice
“This is the supper of the mighty one”
Lord of Lords, King of Kings
Has returned to lead his children home
To take them to the new Jerusalem
Supper’s Ready-Genesis. A very lengthy 24 minute song.
Hey St. Peter, won’t you open up your gate
I hear the Devil calling, now please don’t make me late
He’s got loud guitars, alcohol, cheap Jamaican whores
I don’t want to stay in Heaven no more
Too lazy to google the quote: “On what day did the Lord create Spinal Tap and couldn’t he have rested on that day, too?”
“Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes, everyone knows Brother Love’s show.” Neil Diamond.
“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?” Janis Joplin
“Hare Krishna…Hare Rama” George Harrison (My Sweet Lord)
“Imagine there’s no heaven…it’s easy if you try.” John Lennon
“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…” I did see Paul said he had a dream about his mother, Mary, who told him everything would be ok. But she was Catholic and he was baptized as such…I don’t think religion was emphasized in their house, so is the lyric religious? Not sure.
Tears in Heaven implies a hereafter. So does Highway to Hell.
Remember Seals and Croft? They apparently belonged to the Baha’i Faith. I always thought this was a really good song but it wasn’t a hit.
Moses went up to the mountain high
To find out from God why did you make us, why?
Secret words in a secret room
He said a womp bop a lu bop a lop bam boom
I take it anything from Dylan’s “born again phase” would be off-limits?
Would this be acceptable?
Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus You’ve got to help me make a stand You’ve just got to see me through another day My body’s aching and my time is at hand And I won’t make it any other way
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
The gods you worship are steel
At the altar of rock ‘n’ roll you kneel
A slave that forever rocks
Is bound in the devil’s locks
And slain by the bloody axe I wail
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they’d made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls
I think we already have a division between me and si_blakely. Because of course we do, we gotta settle the founding principles of this religion (well, what they will be once the Founding Great Prophet Lendervedder passes on). I’m thinking an alliance with Snowboarder_Bo, uh temporarily anyway, until I can elimin-errr, we can work out an equatable way to share power, I mean determine the true path and meaning of Great Prophet Lendervedder’s(may his blessings be upon you) teachings. Sound good yeah?
