# Rock n Roll theology **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 12, 2020, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759 "2020-10-12T03:32:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/42 "2020-10-12T20:51:26Z")
Then I saw her face. Now I’m a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind. – The Monkees ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/43 "2020-10-12T21:09:12Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > 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). _Why should the devil have all the good music?_ - **Larry Norman** **re: God gave Rock and Roll to You** > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Originally by Argent. I came to it via the _Petra_ cover, which I see predates the _Kiss_ cover by many years … ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/44 "2020-10-12T21:10:48Z")
If you believe in forever Then life is just a one-night stand If there’s a rock n’ roll heaven Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band The Righteous Brothers ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/45 "2020-10-12T21:11:33Z")
Several from Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung”, but the one that came immediately to mind: " And I asked this God a question And by way of firm reply [He said: “I’m not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays”] So to my old headmaster and to anyone who cares Before I’m through I’d like to say my prayers" from “Wind-up” Also one which they caught a lot of flak for at the time: " People, what have you done? Locked him in his golden cage, golden cage Made him bend to your religion Him resurrected from the grave, from the grave He is the God of nothing If that’s all that you can see You are the God of everything He’s inside you and me" from “My God” ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/46 "2020-10-12T21:16:24Z")
> [@Dogginit](#): > > Several from Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” Well, looks like I missed my opportunity to be original by about 5 minutes. There’s a lot of anti-organized-religion stuff on side 2 of Aqualung. The side as a whole is even called “My God” - not just the first track of the side. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/47 "2020-10-12T22:06:37Z")
> Blockquote > One day while I was not at home > While she was there and all alone > The angels came – “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/48 "2020-10-12T22:10:34Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Well, looks like I missed my opportunity to be original by about 5 minutes. There’s a lot of anti-organized-religion stuff on side 2 of Aqualung. The side as a whole is even called “My God” - not just the first track of the side. Been a while, but IIRC the liner notes start out “In the beginning, man created God, and so in his likeness created he Him.” The whole album is anti-organized religion. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/49 "2020-10-12T22:32:08Z")
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” Patti Smith “There ain’t no devil; there’s just God when he’s drunk.” Tom Waits ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/50 "2020-10-12T22:33:04Z")
The Kinks - God’s Children: Oh, the rich man, the poor man, the saint and the sinner The wise man, the simpleton, the loser and the winner We are all the same to Him Stripped of our clothes and all the things we own The day that we are born We are all God’s children And they got no right to change us Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us Judas Priest - Exciter: Fall to your knees and repent if you please ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/51 "2020-10-12T22:55:29Z")
“Do you believe in heaven, where you go iffn you’re good, or hell, where you go iffn you’re evil?” “I believe a man should be beholden to his neighbour without the reward of heaven or the fear of eternal hellfire.” “They hung Hezekiah, because he didn’t have no religion” Can’t remember the name of the song, but I’ve never forgotten this snippet. (I think this part may be spoken? Was a long time ago!) The band is definitely ‘Perth County Conspiracy‘ ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/52 "2020-10-12T23:35:53Z")
Zager & Evans In the year 7510 If God’s a coming, He oughta make it by then Maybe He’ll look around Himself and say Guess it’s time for the judgment day In the year 8510 God is gonna shake His mighty head He’ll either say I’m pleased where man has been Or tear it down, and start again ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/53 "2020-10-13T00:54:30Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > _Why should the devil have all the good music?_ - **Larry Norman** I yield. Or do I?😈 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/54 "2020-10-13T10:56:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > > Blockquote > > One day while I was not at home > > While she was there and all alone > > The angels came > > – “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro I al was thought that was a reference to the California Angels baseball team. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/55 "2020-10-13T11:55:57Z")
Wikipedia mentions that “Honey” was about Goldsboro’s late wife. I had heard from other sources that it was about his dog. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/56 "2020-10-13T12:05:18Z")
I’m surprised we are this far into the thread and nobody has mentioned Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky”. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/57 "2020-10-13T12:17:22Z")
Which included the line “Gotta have a friend in Jesus”, which was a little odd because Greenbaum, who also wrote the song, was Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/58 "2020-10-13T12:41:52Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > Which included the line “Gotta have a friend in Jesus”, which was a little odd because Greenbaum, who also wrote the song, was Jewish. That’s actually not so rare. See “With God On Our Side” and “Masters Of War” by Bob Dylan above. Other examples of Jewish songwriters referring to Jesus: Lou Reed: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h6FIjp8nJV4/hqdefault.jpg "The Velvet Underground - Jesus") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6FIjp8nJV4) Paul Simon: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PCVnPIE3juc/hqdefault.jpg "Simon & Garfunkel - Blessed") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCVnPIE3juc) ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/59 "2020-10-13T14:23:14Z")
We are stardust, we are golden, We are billion year old carbon, And we got to get ourselves back to the garden. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4lx86B6a3kc/maxresdefault.jpg "Woodstock") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lx86B6a3kc) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/60 "2020-10-13T16:30:02Z")
People get ready There’s a train a-comin’ You don’t need no baggage You just get on board All you need is faith To keep the diesels hummin’ You don’t need no ticket You just thank the lord - _People Get Ready_, The Impressions and several cover versions ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759/61 "2020-10-13T16:34:55Z")
Jesus rides beside me. He never buys any smokes. - The Replacements [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-theology/922759.md?page=4)