The Victor and The Vanquished

So, we played a show in Minneapolis last Saturday. Good times... Things sounded so tight. We saw so many friends, and made others. It felt good. I am excited to see what is around the corner. It's amazing how things come together. There's a song we wrote that I absolutely love called "The Victor and The Vanquished". I start the song with this monologue over this ethereal, drifting, thickness laid down by the rest of the band. By the end of the song it erupts into this fury of chest pounding anguish, as the waves of musical intensity crash over you. I had people asking me, specifically about that song, what it meant. I had an opportunity to really make a difference to some people last night. Not that I'm all that great or anything, but things happened, supernaturally, to open the door for this song to affect people. They got it. They understood, and felt the pangs too. I'll share it with you. Maybe it will mean something. The monologue starts off like this:

There are few tales of my journey to The West
Don't believe most of what you hear.
You see, I entered the death march at my birth
My soul shackled to the throng, like all the rest.
I was awakened from my slumber upon my arrival in the Great Plains.
Frantically I searched for a way out, but there was none.
I knew I was in the wrong place in my awakened state,
But everybody else listlessly marched on.
And then the Ancient Ones came down on every side and showed me everything under the sun.
I will not go down like that,
I have to believe...
I have to believe...
I have to believe...
That I will find my place between The Victor and The Vanquished!

and then the song goes like this:

V-Used to think I stood for something
But fooled by those who fell for everything
Oh Lord, I'm so confused
Between the heretics and hypocrites

V-I only wanted to get it right
But failed by those who fell for everything
There's got to be an answer in between
I sit here between The Victor and The Vanquished

C-Two by four between the eyes
And I sit here stunned
I'd like to think that I am healthy
But can I be the only one

V-So many signals, so many signs
So many claiming that they are right
I cling to you, my hope, my joy
To clear this fog out from my eyes

C-Two by four...

© 2005 Fastest Turbo Fire Engine/Sweatshop Music

This song chronicles being a person of faith in current times. On one side you have people of many faiths (including your own), telling you that the way you believe is hateful and archaic, and on the other side, the people that make everybody else see your faith that way. They say you are too permissive and too "in the world". They both come at you, with teeth showing, demanding that you change to fit in with the way they see things. Unfortunately, I don't see things like that. There are elements of truth to either side, but I feel that the truth is somewhere in the middle. Many Christians today, have become Pharasees of the highest order. They try to exact the Ten Commandments on you like they wish they could follow them. They hold to hundreds of special rules, that aren't even in scripture, but are made up by their denominations. On the other hand, there are many who try to explain away our faith or create these other sets of "guidelines" that (though their infinite "wisdom") hold the "true secrets" of the universe. Me, I try to read what God says, and take Him at His word. I try to hold to the middle, even if I am the only one on Earth who believes it. I'm not, but it doesn't matter if I were. Those of us that hold a balanced view of faith, are under constant attack from those on either side for being too much like the other side, but not enough like themselves. It's all about love, love, love, and a willingness to live in a manner that allows God's kingdom to thrive on Earth, through you. I have enough troubles living up to my own expectations to worry about anybody else's. I will be a thorn in the side of all heretics and hypocrites, and a friend of all people looking for love, truth, and acceptance until I die. That is my charge.