blasphemous/anti-religious lyrics

Finster · Jun 15, 2009

Can’t leave out Frank Zappa - Pretty much all of Joe’s Garage but Catholic Girls is particularly poetic. Posting some of the lyrics here might break some of the rules. I got away with playing the entire album on the Radio when I was a DJ for the college radio station. (That was back when we were still queuing up vinyl by hand)

and

Pete Townsend’s Exquisitely Bored:
“Pray TV looks like pay TV to me
It's just a curse on the human race”

I get the impression that a lot of people here aren’t fond of Springsteen but you gotta love the line “nuns run bald through Vatican halls pregnant, pleadin' immaculate conception”

tuc0 · Jun 15, 2009

Georg said:
Another one of Motörhead:

Don't Need Religion

Don't need no blind belief
Don't need no comic relief
Don't need to see the scars
Don't need Jesus Christ Superstar
Don't need no Sunday Television
Bet your life you don't need religion

Don't need no time for prayer
Don't save no knee-pads for me up there
If your head's alright, ya don't need binoculars to see the light
Ya don't need no miracle vision
Bet ya life etc.

I don't need no Santa Claus
Don't believe in fairies no more
Don't need to go to confession
I'm already trying to fight depression
Don't need no exorcism
Bet ya life etc.

Another obvious one from Lemmy:

Dave Rogers said:
Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "The Only Way" and "I Believed in Father Christmas" are strongly anti-religious. The last headmaster of my son's primary school was an atheist, and always included the latter in every school Christmas concert, a most admirably subversive policy.

Dave

Could you please post them? I would like to have this thread as a reference, without the need to look up some lyrics should I need them. : )

To all: great stuff! Keep 'em coming :desmile:

Dave Rogers · Jun 15, 2009

tuc0 said:
Could you please post them? I would like to have this thread as a reference, without the need to look up some lyrics should I need them. : )

Greg Lake, "I Believe in Father Christmas"

They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on Earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the Virgin's birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winters light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a Silent Night
And they told me a fairy story
'Till I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in Father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on Earth
Hallelujah Noel be it Heaven or Hell
The Christmas you get you deserve

I've looked up "The Only Way", but every version I can find has the line "It's the only way" replaced by "His the only way", which suggests a somewhat significantly different meaning. Since all the versions I can find also have the same two very obvious errors ("People has stirred..." and "when the our approaches") it looks like all the lyrics sites on the WWW have copied the same erroneous version of the lyric. Does anyone round here (yes, Damien Evans, I'm looking at you!) have the album or CD with the correct lyrics on the notes?

Dave

tuc0 · Jun 15, 2009

Dave Rogers said:
Greg Lake, "I Believe in Father Christmas"

Dave

Thanks!

---------------------
I don't want to fill the thread with metal, but I like this song:

Anthrax
Think About An End

bobcarp · Jun 15, 2009

Wouldn't Christian songs be considered "blasphemous" to believers of other religions, and visa versa...?

Sherman Bay · Jun 15, 2009

I talked to God,
Called Him up on the phone.
But He put me on hold,
"Don't go away!" I was told,
I said, "For God's sake, I won't."

I talked to God,
He said, "The check's in the mail,"
My secretary is sick,
And I'll get back to you quick.
But I've got meetings all day."

I talked to God,
Now he's away from his desk,
He's gone for a week,
Lost his voice, He can't speak,
Went to Tahiti I guess.

I talked to God,
(Your basic heavenly host)
But not like I planned,
I got his right-hand man
The good ol' Holy Ghost.

I talked to God,
On his private line.
He said, "How you doin', Joe?"
I said my name was Dave
And I'm doin' fine.

-- I Talked to God by Lu Janis (Dick Monda)

quadraginta · Jun 15, 2009

Paul2 said:
Me? I'm old school, gimme that old-time blasphemy.

All the explicitness of the above examples pale in comparison to the derision and sacrilege that is below the surface of the following classic:

First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head with great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!
<snip ... with respect>

Thank you for the memories of Tom Lehrer.

I was raised with his music, and although I hadn't really thought about it he probably helped me down the path of skepticism. (Probably??? Ha!)

I was pleased but not surprised as I read your post to find that I still had all the lyrics memorized. Now I have a "Vatican Rag" earworm to work through.

Here's an excerpt from his "National Brotherhood Week"

Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics
And the Catholics hate the Protestants,
And the Hindus hate the Moslems,
And everybody hates the Jews.

cwalner · Jun 15, 2009

quadraginta said:
Thank you for the memories of Tom Lehrer.

I particularly like the penultimate verse of his "Irish Ballad" for sacrelige.

For those not familiar with Leher, the earlier verses are only relevant in that they detail how a young Irish lass murdered each member of her family.

'And when at last the Police came by
Sing Rikity Tikity Tin
And when at last the Police came by
her little pranks she did not deny
For to do so, she would have had to lie
And lying she new was a sin'

Denver · Jun 15, 2009

bobcarp said:
Wouldn't Christian songs be considered "blasphemous" to believers of other religions, and visa versa...?

Not necessarily. From Merriam-Webster:

1 a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

It is of course possible for one religion to say (or sing) something right for it, yet blasphemous for another. But it is not implied without examining the content first. Perhaps Amazing Grace is a good example. It might contain elements that are theologically questionable to, say, Hinduism or Judaism, but it does not seem blasphemous.

Robster FCD · Jun 15, 2009

I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors,
But I think that Gods got a sick sense of humor,
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing.

Blasphemous rumors - Depeche Mode

Vox Humana · Jun 16, 2009

Ticket to Heaven - Dire Straits

:boggled:

JoeTheJuggler · Jun 16, 2009

Too Much Heaven on Their Minds, Judas' song at the beginning of Jesus Christ Superstar and, of course, Jesus Christ Superstar (Don't Get Me Wrong) from near the end of same.

Someone mentioned Imagine earlier, but there's also John Lennon's God.

ugot2bekidding · Jun 18, 2009

Someone beat me to it, but here are the lyrics for The Only Way (Hymn)...it's from Tarkus

(Emerson, Lake)
People have stirred moved by the word.
Kneel at the shrine, deceived by the wine.
How was the earth conceived? Infinite space.
Is there such a place? You must believe in the human race.

Can you believe, God makes you breathe.
Why did he lose six million Jews.

Touched by the wings, fears angel brings
Sad winter storm, grey autumn dawn
Who looks on life itself, who lights your way?
Only you can say. How can you just obey?
It's the only way.

Don't heed the word, now that you've heard.
Don't be afraid: man is man made.
And when the hour comes, don't turn the away.
Face the light of day. And do it your away.
its the only way.

edit: I love how the music is 'heavenly" (especially the prelude by Bach) yet the song is anti-religious. This line cracks me up every time I hear it "Can you believe, God makes you breathe.
Why did he lose six million Jews."

ugot2bekidding · Jun 18, 2009

There is a lot in Frank Zappa's work, but in particular The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing.

Some take the bible
For what it's worth
When it says that the meek
Shall inherit the Earth
Well, I heard that some sheik
Has bought New Jersey last week
'N you suckers ain't gettin' nothin'

Is Hare Rama really wrong
If you wander around
With a napkin on
With a bell on a stick
An' your hair is all gone...
(The geek shall inherit nothin')

You say yer life's a bum deal
'N yer up against the wall...
Well, people, you ain't even got no
Deal at all
'Cause what they do
In Washington
They just takes care
of NUMBER ONE
An' NUMBER ONE ain't YOU
You ain't even NUMBER TWO

Those Jesus Freaks
Well, they're friendly but
The **** they believe
Has got their minds all shut
An' they don't even care
When the church takes a cut
Ain't it bleak when you got so much nothin'
(So whaddya do)
Eat that pork
Eat that ham
Laugh till ya choke
On Billy Graham
Moses, Aaron 'n Abraham...
They're all a waste of time
'N it's yer ass that's on the line
(IT'S YER ASS THAT'S ON THE LINE)

Do what you wanna
Do what you will
Just don't mess up
Your neighbor's thrill
'N when you pay the bill
Kindly leave a little tip
And help the next poor sucker
On his one way trip. . .
SOME TAKE THE BIBLE. . .
(Aw gimme a half a dozen for the hotel room!)

ugot2bekidding · Jun 18, 2009

Speaking of FZ, here's and excerpt from Dumb All Over...

"You can't run a country on a book of religion
Not by a heap or a lump or a smidgeon
of foolish rules, of ancient date
designed to make you all feel great
while you fold, spindle and mutilate
those un-believers from a neighboring state"

pgwenthold · Jun 19, 2009

Denver said:
I recall Billy Joel taking some heat for "Only the Good Die Young"

My Brother-in-Law got in trouble for playing that song at a dance when he was in Junior High. Then again, he went to a Catholic school, so it's not surprising that they had a problem with it (although I am surprised they knew the lyrics well enough).

We weren't allowed to play Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album during free days when I was in (catholic, again) school.

Beerina · Jun 19, 2009

slingblade said:
"Christian." It's just a shortened form for writing. Doesn't change how you pronounce it.

X stands for Chr, the first three letters, in Greek, of christ, Greek for "messiah".

You will see these letters on the covers of some bibles, especially fancy ones used in Catholic church services. The letters are put atop each other and look like sort of like an X. I'd post a picture, but my millennial depth search is only feeling about 5 minutes or so of fail today, and I can't recall the fancy name for the above letters.

TimCallahan · Jun 19, 2009

Beerina said:
X stands for Chr, the first three letters, in Greek, of christ, Greek for "messiah".

Slight correction: The Greek letter "chi" looks like an X and is equivalent to a hard "Ch." The Greek letter "rho" looks like a P and is equivalent to the Roman alphabet's R. These two letters, chi and rho, superimposed on one another, stand for "Christos," with means literally "anointed."

L. Ron Hoover · Jun 19, 2009

Finster said:
Can’t leave out Frank Zappa - Pretty much all of Joe’s Garage but Catholic Girls is particularly poetic.

Agreed. Joe's Garage is some of the best satire in Frank's catalog.

ksbluesfan · Jun 19, 2009

I think there are a couple of metal songs that are anti-religious.

This is "No Jesus, No Beast" by Immolation

No Christ...no cross
No pain....no loss
No wanton guilt for us to bear
No body...no blood
No crown...no thorns
No bastard son, no chosen one

I count the days
When the oppressed are released
The ending of his reign
No Jesus, No Beast

No pits of sin to languish in
No path of just for us to follow
No foolish prayer and seething lies
No virgin birth on pagan earth

I await the time
When our hatred is unleashed
He'll rule no more
No Jesus, No Beast

Leader of fools
Creator of sin
Extractor of hope
Deceiver of truth

Can you hear us...Death to Jesus

As horizons overcast with menacing formations
Those who will stand are committed no more
Icon of icons, shattered and overtaken
This Bastard, this Beast, this Jesus must die

No Christ...no cross
No pain...no loss
No wanton guilt for us to bear
No body...no blood
No Crown...no thorns
No bastard son, no chosen one

I count the days
When the oppressed are released
The ending of his reign
No Jesus, No Beast

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