Tuesday 3 March 2009

5. 10 Songs for Jesus

I Want to be a Christian - The Proclaimers
Sweet Jesus - James Yorkston
O Happy Day - Spiritualized
The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ - Jackie Leven
Jesus Was a Crossmaker - Judee Sill
Corpus Christi Carol - Jeff Buckley
Jesus Christ - Big Star
Jesus Walks - Kanye West
Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam - Nirvana
Check Out My New Jesus - Joy Zipper

A lot of the best songs are about Jesus. Rock'n'Roll of course has religious roots but more often than not Jesus is just as likely to be used in secular songs. It's a strong word.
I might have used Jesus here, but I didn't, but I guess this is about Jesus

Brother, please recall
the grey chapel
which saw me running round in circles
eyes, clasped tight to see
some trinity
of tricks & lights & silence
See, the day is passed,
the one he gave -
spinebent books with golden letters
and chords so sad and strong
the oldest song
could make the worst day so much brighter
and I, I used to pray
five times each day
make five different times of promise
for peace, till end of days
the old cliches
on the cusp of being honest.
I recall
the holy ghost
the Dorset Coast
now i'm running round the island
to escape my wildest mind
so long confined
by hangovers and minefields
as the priests
cast shame on me -
apostasy
is an ever-present menace
to their grip,
the fellowship
of fresh grace and sweet communion
lost so long, even their ghosts
aren't even close
to disrupting frozen freedom.
Please, just let me be,
running free
you won't catch me on the island.

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