"not if you called it a stink plant"

The title of my blog tonight comes from an episode of The Simpsons. The dialogue was something along the lines of Lisa (or maybe it was Marge?) quoting a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. To which Bart replies, "not if you call it a stink plant."

No, I am not blogging about The Simpsons, though their satirical humor does provide a lot in the way of blog topics! No, today's entry is about music.

I really enjoy music. I like many different genres, but 85 to 90 percent of the time, its rock and roll, or harder. Some people think my music is bad. It seems that electric guitars and drums are pretty much evil (unless plugged into the "holy" outlets in a church sanctuary - there these inanimate objects are suddenly transformed into instruments of worship, magic!)

Granted, some of the lyrics of some of my music are interesting or questionable, but they often make me think. I reflect on them, and can identify with the feelings the artists are trying to represent. I can relate to the situations, to the emotion, to the angst.

On the flip side, there are other genres that, because of the way they sound, are seemingly less evil. They have fun tunes, upbeat, or as I like to call happy-go-lucky. But they only *sound* that way... When you listen to the words, they are no better (if not worse) then my evil rock songs. That is where this blog title comes into play. Telling someone to "F-Off" to a happy-go-lucky tune isn't any less mean than to the beat of drums and hiss of the electric guitar.

Shall we think of some of these lyrics, you may be surprised to see which genre they come from!

1. "Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored."
2. "Big dog tryin to get a little kitty to purr."
3. "Believe in me, sometimes the weak become the strong."
4. "All you perpetrators be walkin' round frontin', What?, you fakers afraid to stand for somethin'?"
5. "If there's a fear in me, its not showing."
6. "I wish I could shut my playboy mouth."
7. "And if you can take the pain, And you can withstand anything, and one day stand hand in hand with the truth."
8. "I'm falling down, but I'll rise above this."
9. "The giant keeps on telling me time and time again 'boy, you'll never win! You'll never win'."
   

1. Faint - Linkin Park, ROCK
2. Dangerous - Kardinal Offishall, POP/HIP-HOP
3. Believe - Staind, ROCK
4. Puppet - Thousand Foot Krutch, CHRISTIAN ROCK
5. Its Not My Time - Three Doors Down, ROCK
6. Just Dance - Lady GaGa, POP
7. Amen - Kid Rock, ROCK
8. Rise Above This - Seether, ROCK
9. Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns, CHRISTIAN ROCK
   

I could go on. I could also choose other rock lyrics that don't shed such a positive light on them, just as I am sure there are pop songs that are not all about sex. However, my point is that if you really stop and listen to the lyrics of a song (LISTEN, not hear) and reflect on them, I am guessing you will find a bit more meaning and depth to a rock song than to a pop one. Even some of the worst, like Hells Bells by AC/DC isn't all it appears to be, and if you reflect on those evil lyrics, you might be surprised at what they might be getting at!


Its like judging a book by its cover... Don't judge my music by its sound, because even outside of the church sanctuary the electric guitar doesn't have to be evil!

For full lyrics to all of these songs and more, try AZ Lyrics, I find they are one of the easiest to use, and most complete.