My friends know that I am an obsessive music fan and that they must, from time-to-time, put up with my long and drawn out thoughts on whatever random artist is in heavy rotation in the iTunes. They also know that I closely follow current events with every bit of my OCD tendencies.
This week I was driving down to shoot some inane event and listening to one of my custom CDs when one of my fave Vigilantes of Love songs came on..."Struggleville". As I was listening to the amazing lyrics that the vastly underrated Bill Mallonee wrote, I began to think of the current crisis in the Middle East. Now Mallonee is a proud Christian and many of his songs are obvious to the listener who chooses to listen closely.
His song "Struggleville" was inspired by a painting by Edward Knippers called The Prize (Salome with the head of John the Baptist. Mallonee creates a visual feast with his words, but the one section that stuck out to me is the following:
i've been trying to negotiate peace
with my own existence
she got a stockpile full of weaponry
she breaking every cease-fire agreement
oh the whole thing is full of decay
as sure as i'm made of dust
and into rust i know
the beast is falling
To me, it seems as though he is talking about the Middle East, but maybe I am way off. The first two lines sounds like he is talking about Israel, but then again...that is probably just me seeing more than is there...I tend to overthink things sometimes. Anyway...I just thought it was an interesting parallel given the state of affairs over there...the song was actually written in 1994, so it just reiterates that some things never seem to change.
If you are a Christian and have never listened to Bill Mallonee and the Vigilantes of Love, then you have done yourself a true disservice. The prolific Mallonee has an amazing gift of storytelling and wraps those stories around clever hooks and catchy melodies and all of it rooted in a strong faith in Christ and does it without being preachy. Do yourself a huge favor and check out their compilation V.O.L. You can thank me later:-)
Here are the complete lyrics for Struggleville:
all is quiet on the western front
there appears to be a lull
john and jane doe are sleeping well tonight
with the little thoughts inside their skulls
salome she's undressed to the nines
and although a few pounds fatter
she got pavlov's bells on her ankles and wrists
she coming at you with a platter
so i stole down to the waterfront
to escape the desert heat
oh what on earth you gotta do around here
to try and get yourself a drink
heard john the baptist preaching
"make way for the King
but if you want to recognize Him
you gotta tell me all your sins"
they are building a new gallows
for when You show up on the street
polishing the electric chair
they're gonna give You a front row seat
heard a sneer outside the garden
salutation so well heeled
"welcome all you suckers to struggleville"
i've been trying to negotiate peace
with my own existence
she got a stockpile full of weaponry
she breaking every cease-fire agreement
oh the whole thing is full of decay
as sure as i'm made of dust
and into rust i know
the beast is falling
they are building a new gallows
for when You show up on the street
polishing the electric chair
they're gonna give You a front row seat
heard a sneer outside the garden
salutation so well heeled
"final stop no points beyond struggleville
welcome all you suckers to struggleville"
Written by Bill Mallonee for Russachugama Music and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1994
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