Nick Cave has a lovely little agnostic love song called “Into My Arms” on his album, The Boatman’s Call.
I don’t believe in an interventionist God.
But I know, darling, that you do.
But if I did, I would kneel down and ask him
Not to intervene when it came to you.
Not to touch a hair on your head
To leave you as you are
And if He felt He had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms.
Actually a rather sweet song, although the first line is a bit of a mouthful.
Why I don’t believe in God by Everclear. More of a story than an explanation.
The The has a great song from Mind Bomb called “Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)” that maybe isn’t so much about there being no god as a slam on formalized religion:
But God didn’t build himself that throne
God doesn’t live in Israel or Rome
God belong to the yankee dollar
God doesn’t plant the bombs for Hezbollah
God doesn’t even go to church
And God won’t send us down to Allah to burn
Acutally the whole album (from 1989) is prophetic in its social commentary. Check out the song if you can; it’s one of my favorites.
Cathedral by Crosby, Stills & Nash
*"I’m flying in Winchester cathedral.
All religion has to have its day
Expressions on the face of the Saviour
Made me say
I can’t stay.
Open up the gates of the church and let me out of here…
So many people have died in the name of Christ
That I can’t believe it all."*
**Daniel[/n]'s link is interesting, although Soundgarden’s Jesus Christ Pose isn’t about religion, it’s apparently about pretentious rockers, especially Perry Farell.
Bad Religion, as their name implies (the link leads to several of their songs) is a good choice, and so are the Dead Kennedys. There’s also a band out there called Agnostic Front. I don’t know their stuff, but I bet someone who does could find some words that fit here.
Since John Lennon’s name has been mentioned, as it always is, there’s his song God, which begins “god is a concept/by which we measure our pain.”
Jesus He Knows Me by Genesis is a peppy little indictment of televangelists. The video is entertaining too.
My two favorites are “Fuck You God” by the awesome Leaving Trains, and “If there’s God” by the legendary Canadian band DOA from their late 90s Lp A Festaval of Athiests.
Marley23, Its been awhile since I listened to Agnostic Front, but IIRC they were more of a right wing (NOT far right) hardcore band. I don’t really remember them having much of an anti-religion slant.
I haven’t seen Frank Zappa mentioned. He made TONS of songs that pointed out the absurdity of God and Religion. “He’s got 20 million dollars in his heavenly bank account/all from those chumps who was born again…”
Jon
Actually, that’s “I’m not a slave to a god that doesn’t exist.” More powerful wording, I think.
Also, I’d like to suggest Lit’s song Dozer. It’s more about grief than anything else, but it does include the line “My faith is scarred…God damn you God.” So it sorta counts.
D’oh…I forgot “Sorrow” by Bad Religion :smack:
How about John Lennon’s song “God”
Here’s one you wouldn’t think of unless you’d picked up the Guess Who’s pre=“American Woman” album called “Wheatfield Soul.”
It carries a track called “Friends of Mine,” a long polemic with singer Burton Cummings channeling Jim Morrison circa “The End” over some spooky Randy Bachman guitar:
Interestingly enough, when Guess Who broke up years later, Burton Cummings’ first song on the first side of his first solo album was a little ditty called “I’m Scared”
Ah, those spiritual 180s, how fascinating…
Ani DiFranco: “What if no one’s watching”
“Tons” might be overstating it, but he did write a bunch of them. The most to-the-point was on the same album as Heavenly Bank Account:
John Lee Hooker’s “Burning Hell”: “Ain’t no heaven, ain’t no burning hell…”
Felt’s “All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead”: “I don’t believe in Him you know…”
Robyn Hitchcock’s “Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus”: “2,000 years and He ain’t been back yet…”
Bob Dylan - With God On Our Side
Walloon - I wonder if you have a cite that shows Lennon was not an atheist. I had always assumed he was.
I just googled for a bit and found lots of blather and pontification but no evidence either way.
Genuinely interested, not just doubting you for the sake of it.
How about Jerusalem, by Dan Bern.
Well, Les McCann’s “Compared to What” is pretty straightforward:
Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Tryin’ to duck
The wrath of God
Preachers fillin’ us with fight
They all tryin’ to teach us what they think is right
They really got to be some kind of NUT!
I can’t use it!
Tryin’ to make it real, compared to what.