Fun skeptic/atheist music mixes

[Island Skeptic]

Aloha all!

I thought it would be fun to build a collection music that might appeal to us skeptics/agnostics/atheists.

Please post song lyrics, title, and the artists' names (and any links to the material if you like).

I'll start you off with 2 of my favorites that come from a somewhat surprising recording artist: John Lennon -Both songs are from the from album: "Wonsaponatime":

God"
God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,
I'll say it again,
God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,



"Serve Yourself"
You say you found Jesus. Christ!
He's the only one
You say you've found Buddha
Sittin' in the sun
You say you found Mohammed
Facin' to the East
You say you found Krishna
Dancin' in the street



Song lyrics are covered under copyright rules. Please do not post entire song lyrics.

[JoeyDonuts]

I was always partial to "Judith" by A Perfect Circle.

[steve s]

Free Will by Rush.

There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance

A planet of play things
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
'The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign...'
Blame is better to give than receive

[Chorus:]
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill


Steve S

[Island Skeptic]

How fun!!

Keep them coming everyone!

JoeyDonuts, can you post the lyrics?

I was always partial to "Judith" by A Perfect Circle.

[Scott Haley]

Deleted

[Soapy Sam]

Practically everything from Tim Minchin.
Not sure anyone else could sing them in quite the same style though.

[Andrew Wiggin]

I seem to recall a song by '10,000 maniacs' called 'science'. Also the song 'wierd science'.

A

[bethysunport]

Dear God - by XTC

Dear God
Hope you got the letter and...
I pray you can make it better down here
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer
But all the people that you made in your image
See them starving on their feet
Cause they don't get enough to eat
From God
I can't believe in you

[JoeyDonuts]

JoeyDonuts, can you post the lyrics?

Prolly not a good idea. I can do a snippet, but the way I understand the rules here is that you don't post copywritten material in its entirety.

You're such an inspiration for the ways
That I'll never ever choose to be
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How the savior has abandoned you
**** your God
Your Lord and your Christ
He did this
Took all you had and
Left you this way
Still you pray, you never stray
Never taste of the fruit
You never thought to question why

It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side
Praise the one who left you
Broken down and paralyzed
He did it all for you
He did it all for you

Ok, so it's not so much pro-atheist as an angry condemnation of religion. This is a recurrent theme with bands Maynard James Keenan is involved with. He's most definitely an atheist, so I guess this counts.

[Lisa Simpson]

Lyrics are indeed covered by copyright. Please do not post lyrics in their entirety.

[El_Spectre]

Prolly not a good idea. I can do a snippet, but the way I understand the rules here is that you don't post copywritten material in its entirety.



Ok, so it's not so much pro-atheist as an angry condemnation of religion. This is a recurrent theme with bands Maynard James Keenan is involved with. He's most definitely an atheist, so I guess this counts.

Interestingly, the title is his mother's name. She was highly religious, he is not.

After her death (she spent 30 years incapacitated due to a stroke), he wrote 2 songs, "Wings for Marie" and "10,000 Days" that are clearly about her. As in Judith, he is clearly angry with the bad parts of religion, while giving credit to believers who act out of love for their fellow humans. He appears to have felt she was one of the few who did so.

Some representative lyrics (it's a long song):

Listen to the tales as we all rationalize
Our way into the arms of the savior,
Feigning all the trials and the tribulations;
None of us have actually been there.
Not like you.

(snip)

Please forgive this bold suggestion, but
Should you see your Maker's face tonight,
Look Him in the eye, look Him in the eye, and tell Him:
"I never lived a lie, never took a life, but surely saved one.
Hallelujah, it's time for you to bring me home."

(snip)

(and, interestingly...)

Set as I am in my ways and my arrogance,
(With the) burden of proof tossed upon the believers.
You were my witness, my eyes, my evidence,
Judith Marie, unconditional one.

(end lyrics)

It's not *fun*, but it's an incredibly touching song written by a son who disagreed vehemently with his mother's faith, but appreciated that she lived it.

Lyrics are here, if anyone cares: http://toolshed.down.net/lyrics/10kdayslyrics.php

[Accidental Martyr]

I told the priest, don't count on any second coming.
God got his ass kicked the first time he came down here slumming.
He had the balls to come, the gall to die and then forgive us.
No I don't wonder why, I wonder what he thought it would get us.

"Tomorrow Wendy" by Concrete Blonde (written by Andy Prieboy of Wall of VooDoo)

[Accidental Martyr]

Steve S: great song, I'm a big Rush fan. :)

[Island Skeptic]

Wow!

Firstly, i am so sorry -I did not realize lyrics could not be posted (in full anyhow).

Thanks to all for posting your songs/artists of choice! I am wanting to gather all this music together and create a personal compilation CD. (I don't do i-tunes. ...Is that a crime?) :)

Please: I would love to know of any more possible contributions!
Thanks so much to you all :)

(Must rush. We had just come off from a tsumani scare out here)

Aloha!

[kitakaze]

Tim Minchin - If You Open Your Mind Too Much, Your Brain Will Fall Out (Take My Wife) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkLGMyYbz4I)

[kitakaze]

of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfgQvM7wtE&feature=related)

I would like to give my heart to a god, but which one do I chose? The church is filled with losers, the psycho and confused.

[Tim Harrod]

"The Age of Not Believing" from Bedknobs & Broomsticks.

[FreshHat]

"Free your mind and your ass will follow.
The kingdom of Heaven is within."

Funkadelic, Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow

[FreshHat]

"Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights."

Bob Marley/Peter Tosh, Get Up, Stand Up

[Burning Beard]

Gogol Bordello's "Super Theory of Super Everything". English is not their strong point, but you get the idea.

First time I had read the Bible
It had stroke me as unwitty
I think it may started rumor
That the Lord ain't got no humor

Put me inside SSC
Let's test superstring theory
Oh yoi yoi accelerate the protons
stir it twice and then just add me, 'cause

I don't read the Bible
I don't trust disciple
Even if they're made of marble
Or Canal Street bling

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/gogol_bordello/supertheory_of_supereverything.html

[wollery]

UB40, Don't Let It Pass You By.

There ain't no heaven and there ain't no hell
Except the one we're in and you know too well
There's no-one waiting on, waiting on a higher high
Don't let the only world you're ever gonna live in pass you by
Don't let it pass you by
Don't let it pass you by
Don't let it pass you by

[MatildaGage]

Ahem.

Imagine.

[ThatSoundAgain]

Zappa's "religion suite" off You Are What You Is:

The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
Dumb All Over
Heavenly Bank Account


You can't run a country
By a book of religion
Not by a heap
Or a lump or a smidgeon
Of foolish rules
Of ancient date
Designed to make
You all feel great
While you fold, spindle
And mutilate
Those unbelievers
From a neighboring state

[JoeyDonuts]

I really love Zappa. That snippet is absolutely brilliant.

[borealys]

I always love these lists ... not the first time someone's made one, but every time, something comes up that's new to me.

My additions:

1. Holly Near, I Ain't Afraid (free download here (http://www.hollynear.com/cds/edge.html))
I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your god.

(snip)

Rise up to your higher power
Free up from fear, it will devour you
Watch out for the ego of the hour
The ones who say they know it
Are the ones who will impose it on you

2. Noir Silence, A Quel Prix Mon Paradis (Yes, it's in French ... the title translates roughly as "What Price Paradise?" and the lyrics are pure snark)
Venez vous appuyer sur la croix
Symbole devenu béquille, en qui vous avez foi
Venez achetez votre place au paradis
Pour juste un peu plus cher, y a le nuage rose compris
Venez prier en ligne directe avec Dieu
Si vous payer l'interurbain c'est sûr que ce serait mieux

Oh, and of course, there's always Monty Python. The Galaxy Song is brilliant, and also Every Sperm is Sacred.

[foxholeatheist]

From Bad Religion's "God Song":

And did those feet in ancient times
trod on America's pastures of green?
And did that anthropocentric god wane
with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen?

[JoeTheJuggler]

Heaven on Their Minds (the first song in Jesus Christ Superstar, sung by the character Judas).

Here's how it begins:

My mind is clearer now
At last all too well I can see
Where we all soon will be
If you strip away
The myth from the man
You will see where we all
Soon will be

Jesus!
You've started to believe
The things they say of you
You really do believe
This talk of God is true

And all the good you've done
Will soon be swept away
You've begun to matter more
Than the things you say

There's also a great folk song by Cisco Houston (to the tune of the church hymnn "Jubalee") called "Pie in the Sky (http://www.ciscohouston.com/lyrics/pie_in_the_sky.shtml)". Here's the refrain:

You will eat, bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and pray, live on hay
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.
That's a lie!

[JoeTheJuggler]

How about Tom Lehrer's Vatican Rag?

3f72CTDe4-0

[JoeyDonuts]

Ed Kowalcyzk (or however he spells his name) has a great many atheistic themes in his work with the band Live.

He's also big into prahna vindaloo or whatever that ****'s called.

[Island Skeptic]

Awesome!

Some of you have brought up artists/songs i had completely forgotten about (shame on me for leaving out "Imagine" with John Lennon fresh on my mind) and some of you have posted artists/songs i've never heard of & look forwarding to searching out and hearing.

Borealys: Is there another thread with song lists in it? Can you point me to it -if it hasn't disappeared too deep into JREF forums history?

Keep them coming, folks! I'm really loving this!

Aloha for now :)

[Accidental Martyr]

Re: JoeyDonuts
Live-"Operation Spirit (The Tyranny Of Tradition)"

Heard a lot of talk about this Jesus
A man of love, and a man of strength
But what a man was two thousand years ago
Means nothing at all to me today

[Burning Beard]

Heaven on Their Minds (the first song in Jesus Christ Superstar, sung by the character Judas).

Here's how it begins:



There's also a great folk song by Cisco Houston (to the tune of the church hymnn "Jubalee") called "Pie in the Sky (http://www.ciscohouston.com/lyrics/pie_in_the_sky.shtml)". Here's the refrain:

I can recite that musical word-for word :o

Another good one:

So, you are the Christ, you're the great Jesus Christ.
Prove to me that you're no fool; walk across my swimming pool.
If you do that for me, then I'll let you go free.
Come on, King of the Jews.

I only ask what I'd ask any superstar.
What is it that you have got that puts you where you are.
I am waiting, yes I'm a captive fan.
I'm dying to be shown that you are not just any man.
So, if you are the Christ, yes the great Jesus Christ
Feed my household with this bread.
You can do it on your head.
Or has something gone wrong. Jesus, why do you take so long?
Oh come on, King of the Jews.

Hey! Aren't you scared of me Christ?
Mr. Wonderful Christ?
You're a joke. You're not the Lord.
You are nothing but a fraud.
Take him away.
He's got nothing to say!
Get out you King of the,
Get out King of the,
Oh get out you King of the Jews!

[wollery]

He's also big into prahna vindaloo or whatever that ****'s called.Piranha vindaloo?

A spicy dish with real bite.

[hud]

"I am the one, Orgasmatron, the outstretched grasping hand
My image is of agony, my servants rape the land
Obsequious and arrogant, clandestine and vain
Two thousand years of misery, of torture in my name
Hypocrisy made paramount, paranoia the law

My name is called religion, sadistic, sacred whore..."

-Orgasmatron, by Motorhead.

[graceland_homegrown]

I like this one very much from GOBLIN MARKET called "No Grace"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is no grace
There is no fall
No hand of god behind it all

There are no miracles
There is no sin
No End and no begin

No one to serve
No vows to keep

........

And the truth blows in
On a cruel wind
And all I believed
Is now scattered leaves

........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A song of awakening to reality? I don´t know, very beautiful anyway. This is a band featuring the wonderful Jeff Kelly.

Great topic, anyway! Guess I keep searching my records - skeptic stuff might be much much harder to find than music incorporating religious motifs of ANY kind.

[borealys]

Jaana -- try searching the entertainment forum ... I vaguely remember participating in at least one thread on this subject there. :)

[Burning Beard]

Metallica's "The God that Failed"

Pride you took
Pride you feel
Pride that you felt when you'd kneel
Not the word
Not the love
Not what you thought from above

It feeds (it feeds)
It grows (it grows)
It clouds all that you will know
Deceit
Deceive
Decide just what you believe

I see faith in your eyes
Never you hear the discouraging lies
I hear faith in your cries
Broken is the promise, betrayal
The healing hand held back by the deepened nail
Follow the god that failed

Find your peace
Find your say
Find the smooth road on your way
Trust you gave
A child to save
Left you cold and him in grave

[kitakaze]

Kitakaze - Red Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GgUdm8GOI4)

[Island Skeptic]

Metallica's "The God that Failed"

Pride you took
Pride you feel
Pride that you felt when you'd kneel
Not the word
Not the love
Not what you thought from above

It feeds (it feeds)
It grows (it grows)
It clouds all that you will know
Deceit
Deceive
Decide just what you believe

I see faith in your eyes
Never you hear the discouraging lies
I hear faith in your cries
Broken is the promise, betrayal
The healing hand held back by the deepened nail
Follow the god that failed...

Once again, I thank all those who have submitted some very choice tunes for this collection!

When times get really tough, sometimes these songs are what help get me through. In my small, silent corner of the world, it means a lot.

Mahalo & Aloha & Mele Kalikimaka!

[shandyjan]

Nevermore 'Born'

Religion changed the face of man, thou shalt not kill, we all are gone
The seed of ignorance is born thou shalt not think, thou shalt conform

The pigs order us to follow orders and obey
The flies drink the decaying nectar of their tortured effigy

Cling to wasted beliefs and visions and bathe in apathy again
No solution, the retribution of spiritual sickness begins

ETA... can't leave out Black Sabbath

Under The Sun

Well, I don't want no Jesus freak to
Tell me what it's all about
No black magician telling me
To cut my soul out
Don't believe in violence
I don't even believe in me
I've opened the door
And my mind has been released