Blister Soul
Bill Mallonee - Vigilantes of Love
This band (guy/band, um...whatever) has been loved and hated since they first put notes to tape around 1990. I was only a passing VoL fan through the 90s since nobody around here carried their stuff. I THINK I have an album or two on cassette somewhere...
But my friend Steve re-ignited my interest in Bill and VoL. There's such a depth in Bill's lyrics that is easy to miss. The melodies are sometimes light, sometimes dark - but usually pretty catchy - in that pseudo Americana folk brit pop country indie rock way (heh, is it any wonder they didn't get a lot of radio play?) . So sometimes I find myself singing lyrics that are pretty profound (okay, not ALWAYS, but sometimes) without thinking 'cause the songs are so darn catchy.
I was just listening to "Parting Shot" from the Blister Soul album and my spirit was resonating with Bill's lament.
hey you know i sure could use a new suit of clothes
see i'm gone all threadbare and my shoes are worn
now the flowers are growing right out of these bones
I'm feeling a little threadbare and worn today - it's been a very hectic month (March) so far - and a very hectic week (and it's only Tuesday - but I just scheduled ANOTHER meeting for this week) and I'm, to quote another VoL song, Losin' It today... Just really frustrated with a lot of what I do that has nothing to do with my calling or anything. Just some of that stuff that piles on me that is "my job".
Sometimes I look up at God and just wonder what the heck is going on? I mean, is this all what I signed on for? The bickering? The crap that people dump on one another? The nastiness of people who are supposed to love each other? Really, God, is that what this gig is really about?
And, in the silence of a very painful moment, God said to me:
yes
I guess I want the light side of being a Christian, the fun side of being a pastor. I guess I want what I want when I want it, thank you very much, and let somebody else deal with the messy lives, people fighting, the discontent. And then, when I'm in the middle of it, I guess I hear that still small voice say, "You are 'somebody else' Bill."
Sigh...
And I know this has very little to do with the song, it just reflects my mood today, I guess...
So I'll pray Bill's prayer and wait and hope:
...hide me in your song
though i don't deserve it and i don't belong
Well, here's a link to a sample of the song which you could buy for less than a buck (or five pepsi points...whatever) and his Myspace Page and here are the lyrics, for those who care:
Parting Shot
words of wisdom quotable quotes
reader's digest sayings for those losing hope
why do i feel so mocked by the hands of the clock
well anchor me down to the solid rock
i want to leave you with something but i almost forgot
was it a closing statement, or a parting shot
well you lie on the flowers here in the wind
i've twisted it all with original sin
there's a knowledge i traded a long time ago
well i bartered it off for these rags i call clothes
but i learned how to fake it and remake it on cue
but i swear i never stopped needing you
there's a question forming out here in the dark
in the heavy air all around my heart
now laden with consequence, chain link fence,
and shot through with all manner of lies
i've been trapped in and caught and the world
like a tempest in your ears doth roar
and the flesh wants to dress up and play your whore
and the devil wants to cast all manner of doubt
on the real lover with the key, dying to let you out
from the bars that you fashioned with your stolen clout
well i may be confused but i'll play my hunch
did it feel like a kiss or a counter-punch
evening is closing and the kid drones on and on and on
well get out your car keys i hope this is his last song
wait, it's bigger than life it is gracious and grand
something a child readily understands
hey you know i sure could use a new suit of clothes
see i'm gone all threadbare and my shoes are worn
now the flowers are growing right out of these bones
and i hear the trumpet sounding like louis armstrong, like louis armstrong
when the great divorce happens hide me in your song
though i don't deserve it and i don't belong
i want to leave you with something will you take it to heart
are you a closing statement or a parting shot
This band (guy/band, um...whatever) has been loved and hated since they first put notes to tape around 1990. I was only a passing VoL fan through the 90s since nobody around here carried their stuff. I THINK I have an album or two on cassette somewhere...
But my friend Steve re-ignited my interest in Bill and VoL. There's such a depth in Bill's lyrics that is easy to miss. The melodies are sometimes light, sometimes dark - but usually pretty catchy - in that pseudo Americana folk brit pop country indie rock way (heh, is it any wonder they didn't get a lot of radio play?) . So sometimes I find myself singing lyrics that are pretty profound (okay, not ALWAYS, but sometimes) without thinking 'cause the songs are so darn catchy.
I was just listening to "Parting Shot" from the Blister Soul album and my spirit was resonating with Bill's lament.
hey you know i sure could use a new suit of clothes
see i'm gone all threadbare and my shoes are worn
now the flowers are growing right out of these bones
I'm feeling a little threadbare and worn today - it's been a very hectic month (March) so far - and a very hectic week (and it's only Tuesday - but I just scheduled ANOTHER meeting for this week) and I'm, to quote another VoL song, Losin' It today... Just really frustrated with a lot of what I do that has nothing to do with my calling or anything. Just some of that stuff that piles on me that is "my job".
Sometimes I look up at God and just wonder what the heck is going on? I mean, is this all what I signed on for? The bickering? The crap that people dump on one another? The nastiness of people who are supposed to love each other? Really, God, is that what this gig is really about?
And, in the silence of a very painful moment, God said to me:
yes
I guess I want the light side of being a Christian, the fun side of being a pastor. I guess I want what I want when I want it, thank you very much, and let somebody else deal with the messy lives, people fighting, the discontent. And then, when I'm in the middle of it, I guess I hear that still small voice say, "You are 'somebody else' Bill."
Sigh...
And I know this has very little to do with the song, it just reflects my mood today, I guess...
So I'll pray Bill's prayer and wait and hope:
...hide me in your song
though i don't deserve it and i don't belong
Well, here's a link to a sample of the song which you could buy for less than a buck (or five pepsi points...whatever) and his Myspace Page and here are the lyrics, for those who care:
Parting Shot
words of wisdom quotable quotes
reader's digest sayings for those losing hope
why do i feel so mocked by the hands of the clock
well anchor me down to the solid rock
i want to leave you with something but i almost forgot
was it a closing statement, or a parting shot
well you lie on the flowers here in the wind
i've twisted it all with original sin
there's a knowledge i traded a long time ago
well i bartered it off for these rags i call clothes
but i learned how to fake it and remake it on cue
but i swear i never stopped needing you
there's a question forming out here in the dark
in the heavy air all around my heart
now laden with consequence, chain link fence,
and shot through with all manner of lies
i've been trapped in and caught and the world
like a tempest in your ears doth roar
and the flesh wants to dress up and play your whore
and the devil wants to cast all manner of doubt
on the real lover with the key, dying to let you out
from the bars that you fashioned with your stolen clout
well i may be confused but i'll play my hunch
did it feel like a kiss or a counter-punch
evening is closing and the kid drones on and on and on
well get out your car keys i hope this is his last song
wait, it's bigger than life it is gracious and grand
something a child readily understands
hey you know i sure could use a new suit of clothes
see i'm gone all threadbare and my shoes are worn
now the flowers are growing right out of these bones
and i hear the trumpet sounding like louis armstrong, like louis armstrong
when the great divorce happens hide me in your song
though i don't deserve it and i don't belong
i want to leave you with something will you take it to heart
are you a closing statement or a parting shot
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