My brother Esau killed the hunter, back in 1969,
Before the killing was done, his inheritance was mine.
When at first my brother walked away,
Before a weary band,
Esau gave his sleeplessness for a piece of moral land.
Our father favored Esau,
he was eager to obey,
All the wild commandments, the old man shot his way.
But all this ended when, my brother failed at war.
He staggered home and found me in the door.
--The Grateful Dead, "My Brother Esau", In The Dark, (1987 (cassette only)).
--See also Genesis 25:21-34
Let me make something clear: I never liked the Grateful Dead growing up. Yeah, I had the Greatest Hits album like everyone else, but even the songs I liked, such as "Truckin' ", marked me as someone who was not a "true" Deadhead. To me, they were kind of a so-so blues band who put out a lot of live albums, doing so-so covers or sometimes hack jobs of other people's songs. The idea of someone slipping acid in my drink at a concert scared the shit out of me. If you need to plan in advance for someone to take care of you in case you freak out, that's a substance you probably shouldn't be putting in your body.
On the other hand, how can you beat the resigned nature of lyrics like this:
Sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window.
Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again.
I'd like to get some sleep before I travel,
But if you got a warrant, I guess you're gonna come in.
--"Truckin' ", American Beauty, (1970)
I also liked St. Stephen, which was also on the Greatest Hits (a/k/a "Skeletons from the Closet") album (along with "Truckin' ").
My sophomore year of college, "In The Dark" came out, and I really liked "My Brother Esau" which was the "B" side of the Dead's only top 10 hit, ("Touch of Grey"), so I bought the cassette. It wasn't on the album (really big CD's for those of you who are Wendy's age :-) ). I also spent a great deal of time hanging out in GDI bars in Iowa City, like Joe's Place, the Deadwood, and so forth. Later, I discovered, I really liked a song on the "Dead Set" CD, which included, amongst other songs, has "Samson and Delilah", Friend of the Devil", and "Greatest Story Ever Told." And so, I've sort of become a Dead fan gradually over the years.
And what's occurred to me lately, (besides What a Long Strange Trip It's Been) is that many of the artists, I like best have a lot of biblical allusions and references in their material. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison. There's a lot there if you listen carefully. My all time favorite song may be "The Weight" by The Band. So, I've started comparing the biblical verses to some of the songs I like, just for fun, while I am reading the Bible.
I know that most of my friends and family are not exactly avid Bible readers (and frankly, neither am I), but since we have this wonderful toy we call the Internet, you should take some of your favorite songs, compare and contrast them with the actual verses and ruminate on them for a while.
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5 comments:
Although I also do not consider myself a deadhead, I saw the dead on their last spring tour...two nights in memphis (quite a drive from iowa city!)...looking back it always surprises me that I made it there and back safely.
You may want to check out the B-Boys song "Shadrach" (from Paul's Boutique)...not that there is alot of higher meaning in the lyrics...but according to my stellar internet skills, the corresponding Bible story is Daniel 3:12-30.
Yeah, there are lots of biblical allusions in contemporary songs; literature, too. That's why there's a movement, now, to re-establish the teaching of the Bible (in a non-sectarian way) in schools.
I'm glad to know you're pursuing regular Bible-reading. There's nothing like it.
Among everything else you're looking at, check out the Psalms. Read one, and if you find it's not speaking to you, jump on to the next. Each one's a discrete literary work, of course - and, some of them are even laments (something a cancer patient can surely relate to). Some of the laments are pretty gutsy, with their "How long, O Lord?" sorts of statements. But most all of them end up with some sort of affirmation of faith, even if it's made in a grudging sort of way.
Not unlike the journey some of us are going through, as we move from test to test, treatment to treatment.
Keep the faith.
I agree with Carlos -I have always felt the most connected to the Psalms; plus, the are so lovely when sung.
Yes, yes, yes. I love the Dead. Big sister turned me onto them - she went a little "overboard" but has returned to Earth.
I love almost everything they do, but the American Beauty and the more traditional-song related stuff, bluegrass/old-time-y stuff hits me in a sweet spot.
I once had a tie-dye with teddy bears on it - I'm not ashamed. Just embarrassed. Which makes me wonder - why the damn teddy bears? Were they such a cuddly/fuzzy/tactile band? Shouldn't the imagery be, like, empty treasure chests, broken civil war rifles, elegantly deteriorating farmhouses, antique pictures of family you never met, not to mention just about every beautiful and striking piece of American geography, especially the West?
Never was a Deadhead, but I love Van Morrison, Enough said about that. I love the Psalms. In fact while in the hospital languishing with major liver failure due to chemo therapy just his past March, I found Psalm 34 to be of fantastic reality and I did indeed "ruminate" on many of the verses there...People who don't believe in God, don't realize that God's Word is alive and powerful. Hook onto a verse, ride it out with real faith and just see what happens! My situation turned around with great haste, and I amazed my doctors, healed. God stil does miracles today, we just have to believe that they do. Check out Hebrews ll:6.
Prayers going up for you, Tom,
Comrade L :~>
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