Stupid lyrics that make you angry / upset

[p-freak]

I completely understand what Bob's getting at, but it appears to add creadance to the existence of a diety Mother Nature.

Sure, and the lyrics in the first verse are suggesting that ostriches really bury their heads in the sand....

Some believe this world is bound to get much better
They think utopia is just around the bend
They like humanity to come up with the answers
So they can keep their heads safely buried in the sand

(Thanks to myself for also having the lyrics on my site )

It's so sad that metaphors are generally wasted on the oh so critical but oh so unimaginative general CCM-listener.

[bakersfieldpethead]

It's so sad that metaphors are generally wasted on the oh so critical but oh so unimaginative general CCM-listener.

Are you saying the same thing as “You don’t agree with me, so you’re wrong?”

[CatNamedManny]

I actually like those lines from "Perfect World." I see it as, "Some people think Mother Nature is a thing to be worshiped, and to the extent that they stand up for nature and protect it against pollution, poaching, etc., they are doing a good thing. But nature was created by God, it is not perfect, and He is still in charge as the one and only God."

I think it's a rare example of managing to distill a fairly complex point into a song structure and making it even more powerful without losing the shades of gray that exist in reality.

[knotodiswrld]

I actually like those lines from "Perfect World." I see it as, "Some people think Mother Nature is a thing to be worshiped, and to the extent that they stand up for nature and protect it against pollution, poaching, etc., they are doing a good thing. But nature was created by God, it is not perfect, and He is still in charge as the one and only God."

I think it's a rare example of managing to distill a fairly complex point into a song structure and making it even more powerful without losing the shades of gray that exist in reality.

Hmmm. I actually agree with CNM here. I don't think anyone would take Bob's lyrics as an indication that Mother Nature is an actual entity. I happen to like that particular song very much, and it makes what I think is a good point without lashing out at or insulting anyone.

Speaking of which, CNM, I'd rather not continue to muddy up the waters of this thread talking about welfare/welfare reform. We can start a new thread about it if you want, but honestly, I'd rather just drop it. Neither of us has any realistic hope of convincing the other, and I'd rather let it go and stay friends than fight about it and not. I'm just not up to it this week.

I mentioned in my original post the dichotomy we have about what the "root causes" of the problems in society only to help Matthew realize that doing something about it isn't as easy as it sounds. I didn't really mean to start a discussion on the comparative merits of more vs. less welfare.

I do agree with you about school prayer though. While kids should certainly be allowed to pray on their own, forced prayer goes against everything the First Amendment stands for. It also goes against everything Christ taught us about prayer and worshiping God. We know that we are to worship God "In Spirit and In Truth". If someone is forced to pray, clearly they are not worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth.

And of course, what if the faculty happen to be Roman Catholic, and want to make my kid include a "Hail Mary" when praying? Or what if the faculty is Muslim? Or Wiccan? Do we want such faculty leading our children in prayer? I should think not.

The problem isn't that prayer was taken out of schools. That was just a symptom. The problem is that the hearts of the inhabitants of the Western World are turning away from God. That is the problem that must be addressed. And no amount of government interference can fix that.

Okay ... lyrics that bother me ...

About 15 years ago there was a song where the chorus started out with "Johnny's Downs But Love is up" that kept getting played on Christian radio. It was about a kid with Down's Syndrome. It has to be one of the worst song ever written. The words don't even fit the melody. It was painful to listen to. I tried to find the lyrics on Google and couldn't. I didn't try very hard though. If you heard it, you know what I mean. If you didn't, you're better off.

[bakersfieldpethead]

Bonanza

We chased lady luck, 'til we finally struck Bonanza.
With a gun and a rope and a hat full of hope, planted a family tree. We got hold of a pot of gold, Bonanza.
With a horse and a saddle, and a range full of cattle, how rich can a fellow be?

On this land we put our brand, Cartwright is the name, fortune smiled, the day we filed the Ponderosa claim.
Here in the West, we're livin' the best, Bonanza, if anyone fights any one of us, he's go a fight with me, Bonanza.

Hoss and Joe and Adam know every rock and pine, no one works, fights, or eats, like those boys of mine. Here we stand in the middle of a grand Bonanza.
With a gun and a rope and a hatful of hope, we planted our family tree, we got hold of a potful of gold, Bonanza.

With a houseful of friends where the rainbow ends, how rich can a fellow be?
On this land we put our brand, Cartwright is the name, fortune smiled, the day we filed the Ponderosa claim. Here in the west we're livin' the best Bonanza.

With the friendliest, fightingist, loving band, that ever set foot in the promised land, and we're happier than them all.
That's why we call it Bonanza...Bonanza...Bonanza...

This really bothers me. Because I'm not rich and I don't know how rich a man can be.....
What would have happened if Ben bought the Poderosa with the help of Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae?

[p-freak]

It's so sad that metaphors are generally wasted on the oh so critical but oh so unimaginative general CCM-listener.

Are you saying the same thing as “You don’t agree with me, so you’re wrong?”

No. Maybe it sounds a bit harsher than I meant it to sound. I was sort of trying to convey my general frustration with the fact that many Christians are not able to appreciate lyrics like these, because they are afraid that it might make them believe in Mother Nature. There is just too much fear for all things not specifically Christian. Using this metaphor doesn't mean that suddenly Mother Nature exists. Just because there is a religious movement that worships Mother Nature as some kind of divine being, doesn't mean that all references to Mother Nature refer to a divinity. Just look at Celtic Christianity, where nature played such and important part. They lived much closer to nature than we do and they could appreciate the power of God by looking at nature and using the image of Mother Nature as a way of communicating what you see. I think it's comparable to the image of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs, who also was/became a focal point for certain types of religions that worshiped Wisdom in herself as a divinity. And still the image is used and even made it into the Bible! So, there's no reason for being worried about the use of the image of Mother Nature in a mere lyric.

[bakersfieldpethead]

The Petra lyrics didn’t offend me in anyway. This was the first I heard of it offending anyone really. I know where Bob generally stands on those issues.

I don’t think fear is the right word to use. I mean For the most part, there are many things that the majority of the Church has gotten off into left field with over the years.

But is it really good, to accuse the opposite side of being closed minded? I mean that argument can go both ways.

Young Christian Lady is talking to an old Pentecostal lady

Young Lady: That’s stupid that you don’t wear make up, people need to look beautiful
Old Lady: well honey if you need foreign objects to make you beautiful then there’s no hope for you.

[rexreed]

Anytime someone blames a tragedy on prayer in school it really irks me. A perfect example is the Petra Carmen debacle. A lousy song with a horrible message.
It starts with the following fake news bulletin:

"Good evening. This is Charlene Lewis for the 6:00 news. Today, June 25, 1962, the Supreme Court has ruled that school prayer and Bible reading shall cease in all public school systems. It is now official; God has been removed from the classroom in the United States of America."

Where to even begin. The copy is not written for radio or TV. Also the forced prayer issue. Lil Johnny is a rotten kid that says the words of the prayer but still has nothing in his heart. Is God upset that Johnny stopped mouthing the words to a generic prayer?

then the song does this in the first verse

"The ball got dropped in '62
They wouldn't let children pray in school
Violent crime began to rise
The grades went down and the kids got high
Free love, gay rights, no absolutes, abortion on demand
Brought VD, AIDS, and no morality
Today no one knows right from wrong
There's blood on people's hands
World, you had your turn at bat
Now stand back and see "

How could someone actually write these lyrics? VD didn't exist before 1962? Didn't violence also rise during prohibition. In 1962 there were still plenty of segregated schools in America, did removing prayer set off the civil rights movement? This song was and is stupid and offensive.

[bakersfieldpethead]

hmmm, but yet it's not stupid that me starting my car every morning is somehow reaching the Ice miles away and causing it to melt.

[CatNamedManny]

Wow, I'd never heard that Carman song before. That's a model of using oversimplification and caricature as an argument tool. Much like Bakersfield's reply.

Anyone who thinks the 1960s had their roots in a lack of school prayer need to read David Halberstam's "The Fifties." Massive social upheavals rarely if ever have simple explanations, and the '60s are no different.

[rexreed]

Yeah "Our Turn Now" was a Carmen/Petra collaboration although I suspect it was more Carmen than anything else. The video had good production values but there's something about seeing John in his skin tight pants walking around a high school that bothers me:)

[bakersfieldpethead]

That video was produced by Steven Yake I believe.