Possible song - "One Slim Chance"

[avevale_intelligencer]

You read the headlines and you're stunned and shocked;
You wonder how can people be so wrong?
You see the newscasts and your world is rocked.
This holy war has gone on far too long.
You tell yourselves their minds are closed and locked
With fairy tale beliefs to keep them strong,
(But) hell hath no fury like a proud soul mocked,
And that's the reason why I write this song.

You know they see your scorn as persecution,
And persecution proves they must be right.
A creed despised grows strong in resolution,
A keep besieged grows prouder in its might.
You say their brains are weak and Lilliputian,
But they'll not yield while they with giants fight.
So try not looking through them
And try just talking to them
And there's one slim chance we'll make it through the night.

They're trying to take away a woman's choice,
Keep marriage for one woman and one man,
They don't like J K Rowling or James Joyce,
All foul unChristian literature they'd ban,
Deprive the gays and lesbians of their right, their voice,
Because it suits their God's eternal plan,
And when you sneer at them, why, they rejoice,
And end up stronger than when you began.

But you can spoil their evil machination.
Oh yes, there is one simple way.
Don't think 'cause they believe in God's creation
That all their power to reason's drained away.
Engage them in a normal conversation
And listen to the things they want to say.
Accept them, don't reject them,
And show that you respect them,
And there's one slim chance we'll make it to the day.

Now you can tell me that I'm just a fool
To think that you and they could be the same.
You'd rather throw them out of Darwin's pool
But there's another player in this game.
This is the oldest trick--divide and rule,
And you and they are equally to blame,
But when creation's taught in every school
It won't be they who feel the prick of shame.
So--

Don't feed their desperate need for persecution,
Don't try to hurt their egos out of spite.
Most Christians can handle evolution;
There's more to this debate than black and white.
And those who seek to profit from confusion
Will crumble if the two sides can unite,
And, purged of battle fever,
The thinker and believer
Can find a path together to the light.
The burden rests with you now.
Depending what you do now,
There's one slim chance the future could be bright.

if this doesn't cause an argument, I'll think about a tune...

Comments

[keristor.livejournal.com]

"if this doesn't cause an argument, I'll think about a tune"

Is that that a threat or a promise? *g*

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Not a threat. I wrote the song because the idea came to me, not as an attempt to pick a fight. If the song does not upset people, then it's worth finding a tune and possibly singing it at some point. If it does, then it isn't. There are those who would say that that's cowardly of me, but I'm a lot older than Matt Smith and I'm starting to want a quiet life.

[tattercoats.livejournal.com]

I'm smiling because I'm wondering when you found yourself in the 'writing political songs' camp... :-)

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I'm hoping it's a passing phase, because it's way out of my comfort zone and I don't think they're as good as they would be if someone better were writing them.

But I'm inclined to point the finger at this person who asked me one time why I didn't write about real things... :)

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

It's worth a tune. It's solidly written and it has something valuable to say. That's independent of whether it upsets me, which it does, but it also shows me that maybe I belong upset if it gets me thinking differently.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That means so much to me. *hugs*

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* You're welcome; it's no more than the work deserves. If you get us a tune, and you're willing to let us, I'd like to put this one before Tempered Glass to cover.

[callibr8]

Heh... guess what? A fairly upbeat tune started asserting itself to me about a verse and a half in. Sure, it's strophic not through-composed, except for the last bit, but maybe while mdlbear is up next week we can record it, and see what smallship1 thinks? :-)

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Works for me!

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I would *love* that! Thank you!

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

[FIRM, LOUD APPLAUSE]

Bravo, Sir!