Does lyrical content worry you? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Rocktopus

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Posted: December 12 2008 at 06:36

I usually hate all emoticons. Hail Satan's dancing weenie!

Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me

BaldJean

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Posted: December 12 2008 at 06:21

anti-religious stuff in lyrics does not worry me per se. let us not forget that in the name of religions millions pf people have been tortured and killed. why should one not write a song against those practices?
that does, however, not mean I will tolerate ANY kind of anti-religious lyrics. but would you, for example, call the lyrics of Matching Mole's "God Song" anti-religious? if they are, then I am all for this kind of anti-religious lyrics

A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: December 12 2008 at 05:49

DavetheSlave wrote:

Hi Startibartfast - you obviously have a problem with the subject!!!!

WARNING!

You may not want to read the following lyrical content:

"You cant 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

To arms! to arms!
Hooray! that's great
Two legs aint bad
Unless there's a crate
They ship the parts
To mama in
For souvenirs: two ears (get down!)
Not his, not hers, (but what the hey? )
The good book says:
(it gotta be that way!)
But their book says:
Revenge the crusades...
With whips n chains
n hand grenades...
Two arms? two arms?
Have another and another
Our God says:
There aint no other!
Our God says
Its all okay!
Our God says
This is the way!

It says in the book:
Burn n destroy...
n repent, n redeem
n revenge, n deploy
n rumble thee forth
To the land of the unbelieving scum on the other side
cause they don't go for whats in the book
n that makes em bad
So verily we must choppeth them up
And stompeth them down
Or rent a nice french bomb
To poof them out of existence
While leaving their real estate just where we need it
To use again
For temples in which to praise our god
(cause he can really take care of business!)"

Frank Zappa

I have no problems with the subject and neither did Frank. If you don't remember the PMRC brouhaha, you should look it up. Big smile

Here, I'll even get you started: http://downlode.org/Etext/zappa.html

Edited by Slartibartfast - December 12 2008 at 06:14

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

AlexUC

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 23:05

Hahahahaha I can't do more that laugh at some of the last topics in there. Just give me some comus-like lyrics and I'm ready to rape and kill the first young lady in my way. After that, I'm going directly to heaven, I know it

This is not my beautiful house...

June

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 19:05

Does lyrical content worry me? Not really, artists can write about whatever they want, and I guess writing a song is a safe, pacifist way to ventilate. Of course I will have issue with racism, homophobia, but I will have the same sort of reaction whether or not the medium is a song or not. I'd just don't listen to bullsh*t.

What worries me is how (sick) people interpret those lyrics. Charles Manson, anyone?

Edited by June - December 11 2008 at 19:09

DamoXt7942 View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 17:39

Pardon, I'm a Japanese so every English word I can get easily...

I think the killer bands have unshakable STRATEGY on the killer words.

sean

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 17:35

DavetheSlave wrote:

Hi Sean - well, I for one will not tolerate extreme lyrics of any sort - the greatest bands in the world have broached subjects but not given opinions. It's the opinion side of things that I don't like and the extreme. I don't personally want to hear how great the fallen angel is or in fact how great God is. I already have those opinions. I don't want to hear the ravings of a Ku Klux oriented Band - and they do exist!!! Maybe that's my main problem with Extreme Metal to a large extent. Whu would someone want to go on and on about death when life is so much more beautiful and interesting!!!

Exactly. The point I'm getting at is that you don't need to tolerate those lyrics and all you have to do is not buy albums by those artists. However when an artist is writing a song, they're not going to take into consideration what you think about a subject, and why should they? People are free to express their opinion and if they feel strongly about something they have right to state that opinion that you do to make lyrics that are merely observations.

Somebody might want to go on about death even though life might seem more beautiful to you is that they might have more interest in death. From the beginning of humanity death has been the greatest mystery to us, and naturally, many people will want to write about it, which is good for them. You just don't have to, which is also good for you. As they say, to each his own.

DavetheSlave View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:53

Hi Chris H - this thread has always been about lyrical content!!! New subject?? I aint with you?

Chris H

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:51

DavetheSlave wrote:

Hi Startibartfast - you obviously have a problem with the subject!!!!

Which one?

That's quite a broad term, each one of your posts has had a new subject...

Edited by Chris H - December 11 2008 at 15:52

Beauty will save the world.

DavetheSlave View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:41

Hi Startibartfast - you obviously have a problem with the subject!!!!

DavetheSlave View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:35

Hi Sean - well, I for one will not tolerate extreme lyrics of any sort - the greatest bands in the world have broached subjects but not given opinions. It's the opinion side of things that I don't like and the extreme. I don't personally want to hear how great the fallen angel is or in fact how great God is. I already have those opinions. I don't want to hear the ravings of a Ku Klux oriented Band - and they do exist!!! Maybe that's my main problem with Extreme Metal to a large extent. Whu would someone want to go on and on about death when life is so much more beautiful and interesting!!!

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:35

Tapfret wrote:

I'm pretty much done here.

Hail Satan!

What is that anyway, Satan's weenie? LOL

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

sean

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:26

DavetheSlave wrote:

Religion isn't the sole point of the thread - lyrical content is!!!! Again why can't some artists leave some things alone. There are infinate things out there to sing about. I never heard the old prog bands enter the same territory lyric wise as some "new" artists insist on treading!!!!

You're right, there are an infinite number of things you could write about, among them being pro or anti religion or an murderous act you may fancy or the occult, it's up to the writer. Believe it or not, as people grow, they develop their own belief systems, and you have to take that into account. In Scandanavian culture, where black metal originated, they came from a very dark place. Scandanavian mythology has always had an element of darkness and despair to it, they believed that in the end their Gods would be killed by the giants. Growing up with that influence, plus the harshness of the life, you're going to inevitably have some fatalism and nihilism in your lyrics. If a band emerged from certain tribes they might sing about cannabilism. To you, that may be disgusting and immoral but to them it's a large part of their religious life. Just let people with other opinions be, just as everyone is free to dislike the sort of lyrics you like. Quality of something like art is a highly subjective thing and the wonderful thing is that nobody can make you like anything, so just leave people with differing opinions alone and don't insult them unless you have an intelligent reason why something is actually factually wrong with what they have stated.

Vompatti

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:25

Originally posted by <font color=#ff0000>The T</font>

The T wrote:

Originally posted by <font color=#0000ff>Vompatti</font>

Vompatti wrote:

I fully agree with slaver here. Good lyrics (i.e. the kind that don't ruin the music but add something to it) are always intelligent and insightful at least on some level, and I can't really imagine anti-religious Why? so anything that goes against religion is bad? So we all have to bow down to the fairy-tale beliefs of the majority? Of course we don't have to - and there's no reason why we ever should - bow down to something we don't personally acknowledge. What I'm against is bashing someone's beliefs instead of recognizing their value to the person who beliefs in them and maybe even trying to understand them and the principles they are based on. The same goes for Christian people who judge atheists as immoral or simply as being in the wrong without paying any attention to their views other than that they don't believe in God. or senselessly violent lyrics here I may agree more... being anything but stupid and embarrassing. Of course it's ytour opinion. To me such lyrics imply that the band and especially the lyric-writer don't really have anything constructive to say and that they seemingly have no idea what music and art in general should be about. Which I guess you know. For YOUR vision. I'm sure there are hundreds of different views about the meaning and function of art and I'm not saying that my views are the only right ones, but I think we all agree that art should at least have some kind of a substance, and maybe even a message.In my opinion "art" that only aims at annoying people rarely has any value at all.

Edited by Vompatti - December 11 2008 at 15:26

The T

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:13

The Doctor wrote:

[QUOTE=King By-Tor]Not everyone copy the bands they like. NORMAL people don't. Maybe you just like to follow the trends a bit more than others. I was heavy into Marilyn Manson but I'm not a satanist

You mean I'm the only one on PA that likes to wear a red dress and a fox head?

[/QUOTE

No...

The T

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:08

Satan and stuff is sometimes not be taken literally as the red-horned-guy that burn people in a flamming inferno.... Sometimes it's just an expression of oppositionn againts some things or just an expression of other ideas... In the end, if you don't believe there is a God, it's quite stupid to believe there is a Devil... because if you believe there is a Devil, then in turn he becomes a God and your whole "I don't believe in god" turns very stupid...

But this is off-topic. Like all Mr Slave has said lately...

Ricochet

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:07

...Seriously, guys...

The Doctor View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:07

King By-Tor wrote:

Not everyone copy the bands they like. NORMAL people don't. Maybe you just like to follow the trends a bit more than others. I was heavy into Marilyn Manson but I'm not a satanist

You mean I'm the only one on PA that likes to wear a red dress and a fox head?

I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?

Queen By-Tor View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:06

She did. And guess what, it did nothing - you know why? Because either god doesn't care enough or there is no force that expels demons from kids with a rebellious streak.

DavetheSlave View Drop Down

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Posted: December 11 2008 at 15:05

Maybe she should have!!!