Monday, June 09, 2008

The Last Stop is Violently Blue

It hit me today that the person addressed in these two amazing songs is the same person..

..I just hope it's not me.

It's really the same song;

maybe the only song we have.



How long must we sing it?



I am talking 

               Dave Matthews' "The Last Stop"

and

               Chagall Guevara's "Violent Blue."

Interestingly/ironically...or obviously/inevitably,
the song by official Christians is not as explicitly Christian in the lyrics as the one by Dave Matthews. Steve Taylor of Chagall calls to his friend, remembering the day when "the perfume of belief" was central in their life. (Not "evangelical" enough, Christian radio complained). Leave it to Dave Matthews to spell it out evangelically to his friend: "Gracious, even God bloodied on the cross; your sins are washed enough."

I know there are differences to the song, but for me they Dovetail.
(What two songs do for you?  Post 'em.)

Here you go; both songs below, lyrics and video.

 What a gig if these two ever played together...might be the best double bill since....Cush/Violet Burning (I missed it, Ryan!!)...or The Alarm/U2 (saw it in 1983 and still breathe it daily) .

"The Last Stop"
-Dave Matthews
Fire
The sun is well asleep
Moon is high above
Fire grows from the east
How is this
Hate so deep
Lead us all so blindly killing killing
Fools we are
If hate's the gate to peace
This is the 
last stop
For raining tears
War
The only way to Peace
I don't fall for that
Raining tears
You're righteous so righteous
You're always so right
Go ahead and dream
Go ahead believe that you are the chosen one
Raining tears
Oh no
Gracious even God
Bloodied the cross
Your sins are washed enough
Mother's cry
Is hate so deep
Must a baby's bones
This hungry fire feed
As smoke clouds roll in
The symphony of death
This is the last stop
Scream
Right is wrong now
Shut up you big lie
This black and white lie
You comb your hair to hide
Your lying eyes
You're righteous, so righteous
You're always so right
But why your lie
Go ahead and dream
Go ahead believe that you are the chosen one
This is the best stop
Here there's more than is showing up
Hope that we can break it down
It's not so black and white
You're righteous
You're righteous
You're righteous
You're always so right
There you are nailing a good tree
Then say forgive me, forgive me
Why
Raining tears
This is the last stop
Here there is more than is showing up
Hope that we can break it down
It's not so black and white


"Violent Blue"
by Chagall Guevara


Hey, don't I know you from some other life?
You were wide-eyed and green
And a little bit taller
And you didn't look away
When spoken to

Do you still take two sugars?
You seem a little

tense
And I can't help but notice how hard you appear
When I look into your eyes
A violent blue

Was it sudden?
Was it clean?
Were there a lot of shades in between?

Step away
Let off
Throw it down
And lose yourself

Hey, are you in there?
Or don't you recall
When the perfume of belief was all we needed
It was all we needed
To set our sights

So when did you throw out
The rest of the world
Deaf from the din of your self-righteous babble?
I think you've been blinded
By your own light

Was it hatred?
Was it pride?
Or did you just have a lot to hide?

Come away
Throw down
Let it burn
And lose yourself

Passion
To ashes
To smoldering ruins
Are you in there?
Are you in there?

Am I boring you?
I could say more
We were destined for somewhere but that was before
You traded in your peace sign
For a finger

And I don't believe it's the way you were raised
Or the cards you were dealt
Or a poor self-image
I think you love yourself too much

You want to rule some sovereign state?
You want to smother in all that hate?

Get away
Lay down
Strip it off
And lose yourself

link






2 comments:

Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!