Standards, right? "God Bless The Child".
Didja ever hear the Richie Havens take?
Somehow, this standard about a person angry at her family, becomes a song about America.
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@NilaJones The *allegory* pre-dates us both.
Well yes, of course
I am not really a Torah or Bible person, but I did look this one up. I think the next line after the part in the song is the big about wanting to take the children of our enemies and dash their heads against the rocks
Which put a whole 'nother perspective on the song for me. One many people would have been familiar with, and would be hearing unspoken
@NilaJones What we had was some obstreperous persons, who happened to live in our near middle east, I ain't sayin' where, and an imperial force of tremendous power.
And, after some considerable exasperation, the imperial power said, "fuck all y'all, everyone who's anyone must leave your home and come to my city under my direct supervision".
They were made "slaves". But. Not. Like, you know, not our kinda slaves. The rules in Babylon were rather different than the rules in Virginia.
@NilaJones So. Two, mmmm, maybe three(?) generations go by, and the ruler says, "Whatever, go back home, fuck it."
And they went back home, and their idea was that, returning, they would take up the reins of power their ancestors had held.
Except. Well. There were people there who held those reins of power. And they weren't about all that shit.
@NilaJones So there was a civil war in Judea. And the winners were the exiles. And the stories backing their claim to control, those stories required them to be the great sufferers of Persian slavery.
They were not slaves. Their suffering amounted to being deported from Judea.
But they did win.
And we have that idea.
And pretend-slave stories, two thousand years later, became important parts of actual slaves lives.
@NilaJones And there is fucking *art* coming from all of this, well, not quite technically true.
When we ask how far we are from Canaan? We're talking about the Babylonian exile.
Here's a *brilliant* modern take of "how far am I from Canaan".
@NilaJones My first serious encounter with music of Christianity was "Jesus Christ Superstar", but right around then, a little after maybe, was "Godspell", and it has the most beautiful song.
"On The Willows"
@NilaJones Right? And you're like, welllllll, that's a good song. But then you remember, that's a three thousand year old metaphor. That's older than Plato's fucking cave.
And it's one that really reaches me. How can we sing our holy songs in this strange land?
@NilaJones We can, Nila, because it's you and me, and we fucking sing, and we won't stop singing.
I'mo cite a whole different tradition that still yet begins with us.
"Redemption Song".
It's sweet honey again, and my other favorite of theirs
I guess it's the answer to the question
Standing in the rainstorm, I believe
Oops, somehow the copy paste didn't stick!
Anyway I love this song so much that when I built my house I thought about painting lyrics from 8t around the door
@NilaJones Okay, to make you smile, here is a true story.
*I* sold Sweet Honey In The Rock" their first computer.
Orrrrrr, close. Ysaye Barnwell, who managed SHITR and also sang, came to my computer shop. And she wanted to buy a computer, and I wanted to sell her a computer, but, like, it was 1981.
She wanted to buy a modem.
And I was like, no, modems are useless, it's a scene, and it's slow, and it's $300 cheaper.
@NilaJones And she became angry with me, you know, cuz I'm some fucking white boy suppressing her.
She asked to see my manager.
He sold her the computer and the (useless at the time) modem.
😂😂😂
The thing about stories is I always imagine the other person telling the story to t-heir-friends, and how it would sound... I love that you have included her version in yours!
