Their World, and Ours.
Eucharist cakes And Divine Intervention,
Hatred-filled Ministers’ Hot with the Word.
Faithful Believers and Terrorist Action,
Bringing down Glory and Love from the Lord.
Propaganda-fuelled Power and Military Rulers,
Ethnic cleansing and Political furore.
Independence and Justice in paper Democracies,
Wheelers and Dealers and Spinners of Law.
Liberty-caps and Hallucinogenic encounters,
Responsible Freedom and Peace for us all.
Psychedelic Scriptures and Sacred Communion,
Spreading Joy and Unlocking Doors.
Avatar
1998-09-05
Their World--and Ours
Moderators: deer of the dawn, Furls Fire
-
A Gunslinger
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 8890
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 6:48 pm
- Location: Southern WI (Madison area)
With God on Our Side: Bob Dylan
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
"I use my gun whenever kindness fails"
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Skyweir
- Lord of Light
- Posts: 27147
- Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2002 6:27 am
- Location: Australia
- Has thanked: 3 times
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love "with god on our side" and I dont like a lot of dylan but this one is awesome!!
av liked the observations in your thoughts "their world and ours"
It seems to start out acknowledging the dangers of religous fundamentalism and its desecration to "the word" .. to God.
Then moves into political and economic agendas and the crimes committed in their service.
then it ends going somewhere drug induced and joyful.
psychadelic scriptures is that ones preferred substance .. that unites all in ultimate harmony??
interesting .. be interested in your thoughts.
very nice .. and interesting
av liked the observations in your thoughts "their world and ours"
It seems to start out acknowledging the dangers of religous fundamentalism and its desecration to "the word" .. to God.
Then moves into political and economic agendas and the crimes committed in their service.
then it ends going somewhere drug induced and joyful.
psychadelic scriptures is that ones preferred substance .. that unites all in ultimate harmony??
interesting .. be interested in your thoughts.
very nice .. and interesting
keep smiling
'Smoke me a kipper .. I'll be back for breakfast!'
EZBoard SURVIVOR
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Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
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- Contact:
Thanks for the comments folks. Always nice to get feedback on your own stuff.
Gunslinger-- Brilliant, I've always loved Dylan, and that's an excellent one.
Skyweir-- Thanks.
Let me put that piece into context, and then I'll answer your comments.
It was written at what was a fairly interesting time in my life. I'd very recently, (within the previous year) completely stopped taking the only hard drug that I ever really got into, (it was Coke, and I'd reached a point where I realised that if I didn't stop, I wasn't going to be able to), and I'd pretty much outgrown my intense, but brief, infatuation with ecstacy. I'd only recently become a dedicated (daily) marijuana smoker, but I hadn't (and hopefully never will) lost my love of hallucinogenics. So I was in a position of changing peceptions, not caused by drugs, but encouraged by the change in recreational drug use habits.
The original thought was the contrasts between the "straight" world, or rather the world that got off on things other than drugs, and that of the people who were taking them.
Something I've often thought is that the very reason that people take drugs is because they're illegal. It's an outward manifestation of disillusionment with society in general.
Drug users, whether recreational or addicted, usually share at least parts of a similar world view. In terms of your comment regarding uniting people in ultimate harmony; in a sense, yes. Not that I think that everbody should rush off and get wasted, quite the contrary. Drugs, especially hallucinogenics, can, and should, be used as a learning aid to the psyche.
Somewhere in the "Legalise it" thread, someone mentions that your brain doesn't produce anything that's not in it in the first place. This is, IMO 100% true. If you are demon-ridden, (to borrow from the christian metaphor), expect to summon demons. This knowledge can be used to "excorcise" them, if you have the confidence and strength of will. If not, it can cause them to be manifested more clearly in your "real" life.
This is a danger that everyone should be aware of, and I believe ignorance of it causes many of the negative psychological effects associated with hallucinogens.
But back to harmony... Nothing fosters an atmosphere of tolerance, whether religious, racial, or any other sort, like drugs do. When you all know that you're sharing, if not the same experience, but at least the same plane of consciousness, it's very hard to hate someone under those circumstances.
All drug users feel a connection to one another that springs from this shared world view, regardless of their personal interpretations of it, (and they do differ widely) becuase they share what society considers a stigma. They know the same fear of police, the same distrust for a government who seeks to persecute them for intoxicating themselves, the same feeling of being looked down on for their habits. They know that others feel this same way.
No matter where in the world I have been, and no matter how different the people I meet, knowing that someone takes drugs of any kind, creates an instant common ground. Except the poor old Heroin addicts. (Even drug users need someone to look down on
)
Drugs definitley promote harmony, not least becuase you can't afford to be prejudiced against the guy you're getting them from
Again, I just want to say that I'm NOT advocating that everyone take drugs madly. If we followed the rule that said "Everything in Moderation", there wouldn't be even a fraction of the fatalities and terrible negative effects, especially combined with an honest and effective program of education.
Unfortunately, it is the irresponsible or ignorant who spoil it for the rest of us. As I said before, the media only reports on the one poor bugger who died last weekend, not the half million people who took drugs and had a great time.
I certainly don't recommend hard drugs, like cocaine or opiates, in fact, I recommend that you stay the hell away from them. But to paint all drugs with the same brush is to ignore the possibilities of positive aspects, the tolerance, the new perspectives that are opened up.
Moderation folks, that's the key to safe drug use, if you must use them. Yes, there is that one in a million chance that your body or mind won't be able to handle it, and if you even think, or fear, that this might be the case, DON'T DO IT. It is unjust however, to insist that nobody do it becuase some can't/shouldn't.
Well, this become something of a soliloquy, and I didn't intend it to. You may want to move it into the "Legalise it" thread-- up to you.
I look forward to your comments, (although I fear I might have opened myself up to some serious "debate"
).
Take it easy
--Avatar
Gunslinger-- Brilliant, I've always loved Dylan, and that's an excellent one.
Skyweir-- Thanks.
Let me put that piece into context, and then I'll answer your comments.
It was written at what was a fairly interesting time in my life. I'd very recently, (within the previous year) completely stopped taking the only hard drug that I ever really got into, (it was Coke, and I'd reached a point where I realised that if I didn't stop, I wasn't going to be able to), and I'd pretty much outgrown my intense, but brief, infatuation with ecstacy. I'd only recently become a dedicated (daily) marijuana smoker, but I hadn't (and hopefully never will) lost my love of hallucinogenics. So I was in a position of changing peceptions, not caused by drugs, but encouraged by the change in recreational drug use habits.
The original thought was the contrasts between the "straight" world, or rather the world that got off on things other than drugs, and that of the people who were taking them.
Something I've often thought is that the very reason that people take drugs is because they're illegal. It's an outward manifestation of disillusionment with society in general.
Drug users, whether recreational or addicted, usually share at least parts of a similar world view. In terms of your comment regarding uniting people in ultimate harmony; in a sense, yes. Not that I think that everbody should rush off and get wasted, quite the contrary. Drugs, especially hallucinogenics, can, and should, be used as a learning aid to the psyche.
Somewhere in the "Legalise it" thread, someone mentions that your brain doesn't produce anything that's not in it in the first place. This is, IMO 100% true. If you are demon-ridden, (to borrow from the christian metaphor), expect to summon demons. This knowledge can be used to "excorcise" them, if you have the confidence and strength of will. If not, it can cause them to be manifested more clearly in your "real" life.
This is a danger that everyone should be aware of, and I believe ignorance of it causes many of the negative psychological effects associated with hallucinogens.
But back to harmony... Nothing fosters an atmosphere of tolerance, whether religious, racial, or any other sort, like drugs do. When you all know that you're sharing, if not the same experience, but at least the same plane of consciousness, it's very hard to hate someone under those circumstances.
All drug users feel a connection to one another that springs from this shared world view, regardless of their personal interpretations of it, (and they do differ widely) becuase they share what society considers a stigma. They know the same fear of police, the same distrust for a government who seeks to persecute them for intoxicating themselves, the same feeling of being looked down on for their habits. They know that others feel this same way.
No matter where in the world I have been, and no matter how different the people I meet, knowing that someone takes drugs of any kind, creates an instant common ground. Except the poor old Heroin addicts. (Even drug users need someone to look down on
) Drugs definitley promote harmony, not least becuase you can't afford to be prejudiced against the guy you're getting them from
Again, I just want to say that I'm NOT advocating that everyone take drugs madly. If we followed the rule that said "Everything in Moderation", there wouldn't be even a fraction of the fatalities and terrible negative effects, especially combined with an honest and effective program of education.
Unfortunately, it is the irresponsible or ignorant who spoil it for the rest of us. As I said before, the media only reports on the one poor bugger who died last weekend, not the half million people who took drugs and had a great time.
I certainly don't recommend hard drugs, like cocaine or opiates, in fact, I recommend that you stay the hell away from them. But to paint all drugs with the same brush is to ignore the possibilities of positive aspects, the tolerance, the new perspectives that are opened up.
Moderation folks, that's the key to safe drug use, if you must use them. Yes, there is that one in a million chance that your body or mind won't be able to handle it, and if you even think, or fear, that this might be the case, DON'T DO IT. It is unjust however, to insist that nobody do it becuase some can't/shouldn't.
Well, this become something of a soliloquy, and I didn't intend it to. You may want to move it into the "Legalise it" thread-- up to you.
I look forward to your comments, (although I fear I might have opened myself up to some serious "debate"
).Take it easy
--Avatar
-
Loredoctor
- Lord
- Posts: 18609
- Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2002 11:35 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria
- Contact:
*Loremasters stumbles into this thread.*
Well, what do we have here? Excellent poetry my friend. Nice use of rhythm - not that I agree with everything in the poem, but it is good stuff! Like the poem muchly!
Now for a mass debate! I agree that on the one hand you have harmony among drug users, and on the other we have a corrupt system of government, but perhaps we need to be half-way.
Generally, I agree with moderation and that not all drugs need be lumped together.
Well, what do we have here? Excellent poetry my friend. Nice use of rhythm - not that I agree with everything in the poem, but it is good stuff! Like the poem muchly!
Now for a mass debate! I agree that on the one hand you have harmony among drug users, and on the other we have a corrupt system of government, but perhaps we need to be half-way.
Generally, I agree with moderation and that not all drugs need be lumped together.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
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Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
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- Contact:
Well, not much room for debate there, you're agreeing with me again.
Glad you liked it, and thanks for the kind words. I agree that perhaps the workable solution is to meet each other half-way. As I've said continually, I'm not in favour of allowing the drugs that cause noticable, quatifiable harm to their users.
And while on the subject, that harmony between drug users is by no means universal or all encompassing. There's just as much conflict, back-biting, ripping off etc as there is in real life.
What I really meant to highlight there was a shared "connection", and one that generally precludes dislike, violence, and similar.
Anyway, thanks again, and glad you like the poem.
--Avatar
Glad you liked it, and thanks for the kind words. I agree that perhaps the workable solution is to meet each other half-way. As I've said continually, I'm not in favour of allowing the drugs that cause noticable, quatifiable harm to their users.
And while on the subject, that harmony between drug users is by no means universal or all encompassing. There's just as much conflict, back-biting, ripping off etc as there is in real life.
What I really meant to highlight there was a shared "connection", and one that generally precludes dislike, violence, and similar.
Anyway, thanks again, and glad you like the poem.
--Avatar
Re: Their World--and Ours
oh dude...lyrical! niiiiice.Avatar wrote:Their World, and Ours.
Eucharist cakes And Divine Intervention,
Hatred-filled Ministers’ Hot with the Word.
Faithful Believers and Terrorist Action,
Bringing down Glory and Love from the Lord.
Propaganda-fuelled Power and Military Rulers,
Ethnic cleansing and Political furore.
Independence and Justice in paper Democracies,
Wheelers and Dealers and Spinners of Law.
Liberty-caps and Hallucinogenic encounters,
Responsible Freedom and Peace for us all.
Psychedelic Scriptures and Sacred Communion,
Spreading Joy and Unlocking Doors.
Avatar
1998-09-05
understand why a gunslinger was inspired to post dylan lyrics!
you rock, Av.
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~