Atheist Songs

The Sundays - Skin And Bones

2011-03-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

I love the The Sundays. I consider seeing them play live here in Salt Lake City in 1990 as one of the best shows I've ever attended. There are strong atheist themes in several of their songs (so look to see more of them here in the future). I like that they only have ever released 3 albums and I consider all of them classics, but now that it has been thirteen years since the last one, I also wouldn't mind if they'd give us one more at some point.

I've included two videos below- the studio version of the song and a live version. I like to include live versions of songs and if there's a suitable one available, I will generally use it over the studio version, but this live version is a bit substandard.

Skin And Bones
by The Sundays

You know, and I've been wondering
You know, all the way home
Whether the world will see I'm a better man
Than others by far.

You know, I've had it so good
How loathsome, and not quite my style
Work and vanity wasted my time inside
Oh, you see me in a cardigan
And a dress, dress, dress that I've been sick on
Oh, how are you?
Can't say I really care at the end of it all,

Actually, oh, well there's something I've found
It's that we're just flesh and blood
And well, now, just one thing I've found
It's that we're just flesh and blood.

And you know, and I've been wondering
You know, all the way home
Whether the world will see I'm a better man
Than others by far
Oh, how are you?
I shan't say I really care at the end of it all

Actually oh, there is something I've found
It's that we're just flesh and blood
Well, now, there's one thing I've found
It's that we're just skin and bones

Actually oh, there's something I've found
It's that we're just flesh and blood
And you're nothing much more
There's something, just something I've found
It's that we're just flesh and blood
And we're nothing much more

Oh no, what did I do wrong?
Individual doubts
Just one thing I've found
We're just flesh and blood
Nothing much more
Something, just something I've found
That we're skin and bones

James - One Of The Three

2011-02-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I was driving through the Arizona desert listening to James' album "Laid". I liked the songs that had been on the radio- namely "Laid" and "Say Something" but, I hadn't yet been grabbed by the slow aching beauty of the rest of the record. I remember being caught off guard a little by this quiet number with its subtle, understated drumming and atmospheric guitar. Then my mind wrapped itself around what he meant about "you were one of the three" and "you just knew they'd come for you, so it was suicide". I couldn't at that point comprehend how someone could sing a song that indicted Jesus not only for his narcissism but for all of the atrocities that have been committed in his name. It made no sense that someone could blaspheme about the savior of the world. Of course, over time, I finally realized that the odds that the narrator within the song believes that Jesus is real and is really the savior of the world are minuscule at best. Nearly seventeen years on and this song still does it for me. I hope some of you out there enjoy it too.

One Of The Three
by James

You were one, one of the three
One in three must find some peace
You were one, one of the three
I need proof before belief
Oh, well, you just knew they'd come for you
So it was suicide, suicide
Oh, well, now you got just what you want
I hope you're satisfied

One of the three

You were one, one of the three
One in three must find some peace
You were one, one of the three
I need proof before belief
Oh, well, I guess you're not to blame for what they
Done in your name, in your name
Oh, well, it's a shame you got so famous for a sacrifice

One of the three

You were one, one of the three
One in three must find some peace
You were one, one of the three
I need proof before belief

You sent forth your lamb to the slaughter

The The - Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)

2011-02-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Where to begin on this song? Its title and ending refrain is an obvious reference to the "Happy Days Are Here Again" song that was popularized when alcohol prohibition ended in the U.S., when Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the U.S. Presidency, and (I think) at the end of World War II. The strongest atheist themes in the song is in the lines, "but if you think that Jesus Christ is coming, honey you've got another thing coming" and "if he ever finds out who's hijacked his name, he'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave". The song brilliantly illustrates how religion and politics are intertwined, and how religion is a potent tool in the hands of the politically powerful to enable them to get their citizens to fight their wars. The things I don't like about the song are the inclusion of Buddha in the beginning dialog. I'm sure that Matt Johnson was attempting to look for more religions to include besides Christianity and Islam, but in doing so, I think he has included a religion in the list that possibly doesn't share the same end of days philosophies of the other two. Also, I've always been puzzled by the line "And God won't send us down to Allah to burn". Did he mistake the Muslim term "Allah", which to my understanding is another term for "God", as being a word that meant "hell"? I don't know. But, these are minor flaws in what is otherwise a in impeccable observation- "the world is on its elbows and knees, it's forgotten the message and worships the creeds."

Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)
by The The

Are you ready for Jesus?
Uh huh
Buddha?
Yeah
Muhammad?
Ok
Well, I like this
Let's Go

They're 5 miles high as the crow flies
Leaving vapour trails against a blood red sky
Moving in from the East towards the West
With Balaclava helmets over their heads, yes

But if you think that Jesus Christ is coming
Honey you've got another thing coming
If he ever finds out who's hi-jacked his name
He'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

It's war, she cried
It's war, she cried
This is war
Drop your possessions all you simple folk
You'll fight them on the beaches in your underclothes
You'll thank the good Lord for raising the Union Jack
You'll watch the ships sail out of harbour
And the bodies come floating back
Watch the ships sail out of harbour
And the bodies come floating back

But if you think that Jesus Christ is coming
Honey you've got another thing coming
If he ever finds out who's hi-jacked his name
He'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

"Get the gun, get the gun, get the gun"
"Stay away from the gun, stay away from the gun"

If the real Jesus Christ were to stand up today
He'd be gunned down cold by the CIA
Oh, the lights that now burn brightest behind stained glass
Will cast the darkest shadows upon the human heart
But God didn't build himself that throne
God doesn't live in Israel or Rome
God doesn't belong to the yankee dollar
God doesn't plant the bombs for Hezbollah
God doesn't even go to church
And God won't send us down to Allah to burn
God will remind us what we already know
That the human race is about to reap what it's sown

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here

Echo & The Bunnymen - All In Your Mind

2011-01-23T04:47:00.001-07:00

This excellent diatribe from Echo & The Bunnymen's 1987 self-titled classic covers a lot of ground. Not only does it decry the actual reasons behind organized religion- i.e. financial gain for those in charge. But, it also bears personal testimony from the song's protagonist about the ineffectualness of prayer. A song like this shouldn't be any surprise to those who actually listened to what Ian McCulloch was singing on earlier Bunnymen albums like "Heaven Up Here" and "Porcupine". Freethinking and anti-theism have been strong themes running through many of their songs, but this is definitely the most overt.

All In Your Mind
by Echo & The Bunnymen

You say you're proud to be
One of the people
Hands on the money
And your feet on the ground
Shouting out loud
From the top of the steeple
Counting the flock while
Collecting their pounds
All you theiving wheeler dealers
In the healing zone
Giving me fever fever fever fever
Down to my bones

I pray
and nothing happens
Jesus
it's all in my mind
You say
stop looking for answers
and reasons
they're all in your mind
all in you mind

Covered in flies
and smothered in lava
I can't scratch my itches
with these pumise stone hands
I dream of my days
as a desert farmer
living my life
On the fat of the sand
All you theiving wheeler dealers
in the healing zone
giving me Fever Fever Fever Fever
down to my bones

I pray
and nothing happens
Jesus
it's all in my mind
you say
Stop looking for answers
and reasons
they're all in your mind
all in your mind

Stuck in a world
losing its way and wonder
I wonder what happened
to the world we knew
Splitting the atom
and feeling its thunder
Could never ever make me
Feel the way you do
You give me Fever Fever Fever Fever
down to my bones
Fever Fever Fever Fever
in the healing zone

I pray
and nothing happens
Jesus
it's all in my mind
You say
Stop looking for answers
and reasons
they're all in your mind
all in your mind

Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

2011-01-15T14:29:00.001-07:00

I've had a love/hate relationship with Smashing Pumpkins over the years. I really liked "Siva" when I first heard it. I'm no fan of 70's rock, but somehow the Pumpkins had massaged 70's rock into something that didn't suck- that's no small feat. And, then when "Siamese Dream" was release, and "Cherub Rock" and "Disarm" were getting airplay, I enjoyed them immensely. But, then, 120 Minutes started playing the video for "Today" quite a bit and that song, at the time, really irritated me. Then, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" was released and suddenly, it seemed like all the stupid people liked Smashing Pumpkins (I'm a hopeless snob when it comes to music). So, I just kind of wrote the Pumpkins off at that point.

Recently, I've rediscovered "Gish" and started listening to them again. I've even made my peace with "Mellon Collie". I had luke warm feelings about "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" back when it came out. I obviously listened to it enough to get the themes about alienation, isolation, and inadequacy but, I was not listening enough to be clued into the anti-religious themes. I like the mention of Job. I also like the assertion that the song's protagonist is beyond being saved. Why do I like this? Is it because I have black heart, know I'm hell bound and want as many of god's children to suffer my same fate and be miserable like me? Nah. That would be too easy and cliched. I like it because it calls into question strict ahderence to a dogma that I find slightly illogical at best, and ludicrous at worst.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings
by Smashing Pumpkins

The world is a vampire, sent to drain
Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames
And what do I get, for my pain?
Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game
Even though I know -- I suppose I'll show
All my cool and cold-like old Job
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage
Then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage
Now I'm naked, nothing but an animal
But can you fake it, for just one more show
And what do you want, I want to change
And what have you got
When you feel the same
Even though I know--I suppose I'll show
All my cool and cold--like old Job
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage

Then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage
Tell me I'm the only one
Tell me there's no other one
Jesus was an only son
Tell me I'm the chosen one
Jesus was an only son for you
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage
And I still believe that I cannot be saved

A Perfect Circle - Judith

2010-12-29T12:54:00.002-07:00

Back in 1999 (damn that makes me feel old), I heard this song on the radio. I'm very focused on lyrical content in the music that I like and once my ear was attuned to hear enough of the lyrics to understand just how blatantly blasphemous these lyrics were, I was somewhat surprised that this song could be played on the radio but, also amused that in America, the land that had burned Beatles records over a misunderstanding about something that John Lennon had said, a song like this could happily fly under the radar of the moral watchdogs. After 40+ years, have the evils of rock and roll become passe in American society? I hope so.

On a somewhat related side note, because of this song A Perfect Circle became my gateway drug into listening to Tool.

Judith
by A Perfect Circle

You're such an inspiration for the ways that I will never ever choose to be
Oh so many ways for me to show you how your savior has abandoned you

Fuck your god
Your lord, your Christ
He did this
Took all you had and
Left you this way
Still you pray, never stray, never
Taste of the fruit
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

Oh so many ways for me to show you how your dogma has abandoned you

Pray
To your Christ, to your god
Never taste of the fruit
Never stray, never break, never
Choke on a lie
Even though he's the one who
Did this to you
Never thought to question why

It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side
Talk to Jesus Christ as if He knows the reasons why
He did it all for you

He did it all for you

He did it all for you

Duran Duran - None Of The Above

2010-12-14T09:51:00.002-07:00

If you were a child of the '80s like me, you might have been a fan of Duran Duran. They were one of the staples of early MTV- back when MTV played music videos all the time. I was quite surprised in my early twenties when Duran Duran returned in fine form with a new self-titled album. It is commonly referred to as "The Wedding Album" due to the wedding photos on the cover. Besides having one of the best Duran songs ever, "Come Undone", this album also contains this great non-theistic tune. It's upbeat, dancable, has a slightly rockin' guitar part and does what we all should do; it embraces the unknowableness of the ultimate reality of things. Sometimes admitting that there's no answer to the big question is much, much better than a made up one. That's why freedom also put's my faith in none of the above.

None Of The Above
by Duran Duran

I am by myself, alone...and realize
I never need to use no one
When it comes down to my soul
freedom puts my faith in none of the above

There was a time I was so afraid
of everything people around me said
And I wanted to hide my face in the shadows
There was a time on a bed of nails
I was dreaming a plan up that could not fail
and no power under the sun could put it together

Can't take this attitude,
got to show now, got to move on.
And God knows where I'm going to,
it's a lonely, burning question
I am by myself alone,
and realize I never need to use no one
money, power, holy rose...
freedom puts my faith in none of the above

If there's a time that we ever see the nature of life in reality
Oh, I wanna be there to kick out the answer

Can't take this attitude,
got to show now, got to move on.
And God knows where I'm going to,
it's a lonely, burning question
I am by myself alone,
and realize I never need to use no one
money, power, holy rose...
freedom puts my faith in none of the above

I am by myself alone....

I am by myself alone, (on my own)
and realize I never need to use no one, (use no one)
money, power holy rose (holy rose)...
freedom puts my faith in none of the above
I am by myself alone, (myself alone)
and realize I never need to use no one,
when it comes down to my soul...
freedom puts my faith in none of the above

none of the above...my faith in none of the above
none of the above....I stand by none of the above
none of the above....I stand by none of the above....

Eve's Plum - Jesus Loves You (Not As Much As I Do)

2010-12-07T19:54:00.002-07:00

In the, irreverant, blasphemous, cheeky, categories, this little gem by Eve's Plum (a great pun in its own right) is right up there with "Deus" by the Sugarcubes. Eve's Plum are most likely just a forgotten foot note in the annals of 90's alternative rock, from that post Nirvana era when the majors were snapping up anything and everything that might potentially become the next indie band to go multi-platinum. The album that this track is off of, "Cherry Alive" is one sweet, sugar coated good time from start to finish and it all starts off with this great little number.

Jesus Loves You (Not As Much As I Do)
by Eve's Plum

They say I'm damned to hell
Well I'll be damned
I know I'm not to be with you
But I have to

Life is good, life is good
And Jesus loves you, as well he should

They say I'm all through
I can't take no more
They're the types that make me sick
They're the types that make me ill
And you are not

Life is good and Jesus loves you
And so I do, oh
Jesus loves you, but not as much as I do
No, not as much as I do
No, not as much as I do

Hey, life is good and Jesus loves you
And so I do
Oh, Jesus loves you, but not as much as I do
No, not as much as I do
No, not as much as I do

The Cardigans - Do You Believe

2010-12-06T12:57:00.003-07:00

I think this song has subtle but strong references to Christianity- 'love is gonna save the world' & 'love is gonna save your soul'; i.e. Christians believe that Jesus loves everyone and that he came to save not only each of us individually, but that he came to save the world. I think that the protagonist in this song, without coming out and saying it directly, is saying that she doesn't believe what Christians believe. Of course, part of the genius of the song, is that by not making direct references to Christianity, it can also just be a dark song about someone's point of view that love isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Do You Believe
by The Cardigans

Do you really think
That love is gonna save the world
Well, I don't think so
I just don't think so
Do you really think
That love is gonna save your soul
Well I sure hope so
Oh, I really really hope so
But I don't think so

Do you really think
That love is gonna save the world
Well, I don't think so
I just don't think so
Do you really think
That love is gonna save your soul
Well I sure hope so
Oh, yes I really really hope so
But I don't think so

New Order - Sunrise

2010-12-04T12:24:00.002-07:00

One of the things I love about YouTube is how it has become this great cultural repository that allows you to be able to view things that might otherwise never have been available to you. Obviously, seeing this performance by New Order in Tokyo from 1985 will never be the same as it was to be there, but in 1985, I was a confused 13 year old Mormon kid living in Kearns, Utah. So, this video on YouTube is the closest I'll ever get.

IMHO, this is such an amazing and cathartic song. Some might argue that it is not atheistic because he is talking to god as if god exists. However, the sheer conviction with which he sings this song as a diatribe against a god that has forsaken him (the protagonist within the reality of the song, I don't literally mean Bernard Sumner) is something that is so blasphemous that to many believers it is beyond the pale of what they can imagine when someone addresses the almighty.

Sunrise
by New Order

I've been waiting to hear your voice for too long now
One way conversations do not work somehow
Tell me how does one get your soul in touch with the one above
When one way conversations pay a price for the use of love
I tried so hard last night you would not talk to me
I live with the fear of the few with the gift
And I know what's going to be

Why did you never speak my name in front of my family
You gave a gift that you then took away
Like you never did before
Your name might be God but you don't say that much to me
Your name might be God but you don't say that much to me
We might be your black sheep
But you forgot us a long time ago
We might be your lost sheep
But it's time you remembered us now

As we spend our days together, nothing can go wrong
No one told the truth about it because it was so strong
If you ever think of me, if you hear my name
If you read between the lines, you'll hang your head in shame
These ??? ears will never hear, the ice will never freeze
Whatever I have done for you I did because you complained

Nirvana - Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam

2010-12-03T19:16:00.003-07:00

This song, as Kurt points out in the video, was written by the Vaselines. I got to see the Vaselines play in Washington DC this past September. They opened for Teenage Fanclub at the 9:30 Club. Great Show. Of course, they performed this song; people in the audience were shouting out requests for it. The Nirvana cover is quite good, and by covering this song and "Molly's Lips" back in the early 1990's, Nirvana helped introduce the Vaselines to many of us who might never had heard of them otherwise.

What's particularly fun about this song, is how it takes the theme of a traditional Protestant children's song, "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and turns it on its head. The result is something that is filled with yummy sacriliciousness.

Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam
by Nirvana
Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam. 'Cause sunbeams are not made like me.
Don't expect me to cry for all the reasons you had to die. Don't ever ask your
love of me.

Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die for thee.

Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam. 'Cause sunbeams are not made like me.
Don't expect me to cry for all the reasons you had to die. Don't ever ask your
love of me.

Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die for thee.

Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam. 'Cause sunbeams are not made like me.
Don't expect me to cry for all the reasons you had to die. Don't ever ask your
love of me.

Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die.
Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die for thee.

John Lennon - Imagine

2010-12-02T18:18:00.002-07:00

John Lennon's "Imagine"; it's hard to imagine today, in our times, how brave he was to release this song in the time that he did. I'm not a fan or a viewer of American Idol, but I did hear about our boy wonder from Utah "covering" this song on that show and leaving off the first verse- how shallow and cowardly. He should have left John's message intact, whether he agrees with it or not, or not sung the song. I didn't really appreciate John Lennon, his solo material, his politics, or what he tried to do until I saw the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon. I found the film itself to be a bit lacking in its execution, pacing, and conclusion, but I'm still glad that I watched it because it showed me that despite being a rich musician, John Lennon also seemed to be a genuinely good human being who was trying to do what he could to make the world a better place.

Imagine
by John Lennon

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Depeche Mode - John The Revelator

2010-05-16T20:45:00.007-06:00

I didn't mean to revisit Depeche Mode this soon, but, I can't stop listening to this song. It's a perfect Freethinker's anthem. There's only one line that might be called into question. It's the line "There is only one god through and through". However, this line doesn't have to be interpreted as the protagonist advocating monotheism. In fact, I don't think that it does. I think that in the context of the rest of the song, the protagonist is mocking any themes of monotheism that might be present in the book of "Revelation". This song is catchy and it points out something that is one of the worst sins of Christianity, namely, all the problems that have been and are being caused by the stupid doomsday-ist predictions contained in that godawful book of the Judeo-Christian Bible. Revelation is a horrible book. More of these believing people should read Ecclesiastes and just skip Revelation altogether.

John The Revelator

by Depeche Mode

John the Revelator
Put him in a elevator
Take him up to the highest high
Take him up to the top where the mountains stop
Let him tell his book of lies

John the Revelator
He's a smooth operator
It's time we cut him down to size
Take him by the hand
And put him on the stand
Let us hear his alibis

By claiming God as his only rock
He's stealing a god from the Israelite
Stealing a god from a Muslim, too
There is only one god through and through

Seven lies, mulitplied by seven, multiplied by seven again
Seven angels with seven trumpets
Send them home on the morning train
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
All he ever gives us is pain
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
He should bow his head in shame

Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye

Seven lies, mulitplied by seven, multiplied by seven again
Seven angels with seven trumpets
Send them home on the morning train
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
All he ever gives us is pain
Well who's that shouting?
John the Revelator!
He should bow his head in shame

Bye-bye
Bye-bye
John the Revelator
Bye-bye
John the Revelator
Bye-bye
John the Revelator

NOFX - Best God In Show

2010-05-08T12:47:00.007-06:00

Good news! After a 2 week hiatus, Atheist Songs rides again.

This song was such a nice surprise last summer. I was leaving the Vans Warped Tour. I was sitting in my car waiting in the long line of cars to get out of the parking lot. It had been a great day. I'd seen not only punk legend Brian Baker (of Minor Threat and Dag Nasty fame) playing guitar with Bad Religion. But, I'd also had the privilege of once again seeing the hilarious and insightful NOFX play- and they had been extra hilarious this year. They'd cracked jokes about the Mormon involvement in the California Prop. 8 issue. They'd poked holes in racial stereotypes by teasing each other about their respective races on stage.

Anyway, I had picked up their album "Coaster" at their booth and so while I sat and waited to get out of the parking lot, I popped it into the CD player and started listening. When this song came on, I was so amused and elated by it. Enjoy.

Best God In Show by NOFX

I've no consideration, zero mutual respect
For billions who suffer from rational thought neglect
I don't wanna waste a sentence, I don't want a convert-sation
That's gonna end in disdain, disbelief and aggravation
And I find it's getting harder to hang out
With grown adults who actually believe
In Santa Claus and Noah's Ark and that their god is the best
My distaste has turned into detest
Who would read a 2000 year old medical journal
Techniques for bloodletting, advice on Trichinosis
Would you navigate the globe with a map of a flat earth
Without DNA testing, would you believe virgin birth
I find it's getting painful to put up
With grown adults who actually believe
In Unicorns and Creation, and god always takes their side
That's when my innocent jabbing turns snide
Thank god for the grammy, thank god for the touchdown
Thank god for blowing up the enemy's sacred ground
So how am I supposed to take anything you say seriously?
When you've swapped free will for faith, how and pre-destiny
And it's getting agonizing to hang out
With grown adults who actually believe
Mythology and history trump physics and science
My aversion has turned to abhorrence

James - Ring The Bells

2010-04-17T09:00:00.009-06:00

Sometimes this is like my personal anthem about non-belief. I know it could be argued that this isn't strictly about atheism, just about discovering that there is no interventionist god at play in our lives. I.e. it could be about realizing that the deist point of view is correct. However, to me, this is definitely an atheist anthem. I particularly take comfort in the ideas of self reliance and optimism shown in the final verse- if god's out there, he/she/it let's us fall and drown and somehow, we as a species have (through technology and scientific discovery) grown gills and fins (submarines) and wings (airplanes). Note: there will definitely be more James songs on upcoming entries.

Ring The Bells

by James

Ring The Bells
Ring ring the bells
Wake the town
Everyone is sleeping
Shout at the crowd
Wake them up
This anger's deeper than sleep
Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can't see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

Break break the code
Concentrate
Let the doors swing open
See through all your walls
All your floors
Now you're in deeper than sleep

Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can't see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

When you let me fall
Grew my own wings
Now I'm as tall as the sky
When you let me drown
Grew gills and fins
Now I'm as deep as the sea
When you let me die
My spirit's free
There's nothing challenging me

Everclear - Why I Don't Believe In God

2010-04-11T20:33:00.005-06:00

Everclear - Why I Don't Believe In God

There was a point at which I realized that Art Alexakis had to be embellishing on some of the autobiographical songs that he writes. Reading his profile on allmusic, it's obvious that his life has been touched by personal tragedy in many ways but, sometimes the stories on the records just seem over the top- not each one individually, but cumulatively. That would be a whole other write up. Also, there's a point after the "So Much For The Afterglow" album that I quit listening to Everclear so much. But, "So Much For The Afterglow" and "Sparkle And Fade" still do it for me when I listen to them. I really like this track, not only because it presents a strong, defiant non-theist point of view but also because it is a sad song and it has that nice touch of banjo running throughout.

Also, I almost used the following video instead of the actual band song for this one this week because this Parker24's cover over this song with his acoustic is pretty darn good. He even emulates the banjo plucking at the beginning- nice touch.

Why I Don't Believe In God

by Everclear

I heard the truth about you
And it really doesn't read at all
Like the whipping stick you raised me with
A scared woman in a private hell
Hushed voice like electric bell
Strange talk about Edgar Cayce and the long lame walk of the dark 70's
Strange talk about Edgar Cayce and the long lame walk of the dark 70's

I heard the truth about you
Yeah you
Mama they woke me up
I was deep in an idiot sleep
I was just eight years old
Heard big words with a horrible sound
Why'd they have to call my school
Tell me my mother had a nervous breakdown

I wish I believed like you do
Yeah you
In the myth of a merciful god
In the myth of a heaven and hell
I hear the voices you hear sometimes
Sometimes it gets so much I feel like letting go
Sometimes it gets so hard I feel like letting it go
Sometimes it gets so goddamn hard I feel like letting it all go
Lettin' it all go

I ran away, went looking for you
Back to Culver City and the old neighborhood
Need to know if you were really gone
Need to know if you were gone for good

I ran through the projects at night
Hide in the dark from my friends in the light
Hide from my brother-in-law
Hide from the things he'd say
Said you weren't losing your mind
Yeah he said you just needed a rest
He said you'd be coming home soon
He said the doctors there would know what's best
Said that maybe I could go live with them for a while

I know the truth about you
I know the truth

Mama they woke me up
I was just eight years old
Sometimes it gets so hard I feel like letting it go
Sometimes it gets so hard I feel like letting it all go
Yeah lettin' it all go

King Missile - Jesus Was Way Cool

2010-04-04T11:57:00.005-06:00

Happy Easter everyone! Welcome to a Special Easter Edition of Atheist Songs. I hate to admit it, but I didn't even know this song existed until this morning. A friend posted it on Facebook. I mean, I know "Detachable Penis" and I have King Missile's self titled album, but somehow this amazing gem had completely escaped me. It was obviously my loss as you will soon note. So, sit back, enjoy all that sugary crap that the pesky little pagan hold-over known as the Easter Bunny snuck into your house and left you and let let your ears bask in the this clever little homage to a dude who was "way cool".

Jesus Was Way Cool

by King Missile

Jesus was way cool.
Everybody liked Jesus.
Everybody wanted to hang out with him.
Anything he wanted to do, he did.
He turned water into wine,
And if he had wanted to,
He could have turned wheat into marijuana,
Sugar into cocaine,
Or vitamin pills into amphetamines.
He walked on the water and swam on the land.
He would tell these stories and people would listen.
He was really cool.
If you were blind, or lame,
You just went up to Jesus*
And he would put his hands on you and you would be healed.
That's so cool.
He could have played guitar better than Hendrix.
He could have told the future.
He could have baked the most delicious cake in the world.
He could have scored more goals than Wayne Gretsky.
He could have danced better than Barishnikof.
Jesus could have been funnier than any comedian you can think of.

Jesus told people to eat his body and drink his blood.
That's so cool. Jesus was so cool.
But then some people got jealous of how cool he was,
So they killed him.
But then he rose from the dead!
He rose from the dead,
Danced around and went up to heaven.
I mean, that's so cool.
Jesus was so cool.
No wonder there are so many Christians

American Music Club - Jesus' Hands

2010-04-03T09:00:00.006-06:00

American Music Club - Jesus' Hands

You know how country songs are- sad, set in bars, about people who are down on their luck, people with crops in the field, hungry mouths to feed, and women who left them in the middle of it all. Well, Mark Eitzel has put them all to shame. He's written the perfect country song about a loser who Jesus can't even save. I love it. It's kitschy, it's ironic, it's heartfelt, it's irreverent, and it's brilliant.

Jesus' Hands

by American Music Club

Well I'd like to hang out
But I can tell that you're not a drinking crowd
I got places to go, people to see
I got a thirst that would make the ocean proud

Hey Brother, hey Sister
Don't you see a crack form in the dam
For a loser? No one can touch him
He's a-slippin' through Jesus' hands

I'm walking in circles in a waiting room
For a welcome I don't feel in my soul
I watch the time pass, it pours in my glass
I drink it down, blood from a stone

Hey Brother, hey Sister
Don't you see a crack form in the dam
For a loser? No one can touch him
He's a-slippin' through Jesus' hands

Looking for love in all the wrong places
The sidewalks and the sky
Looking for something that no one can give me
And no one can help me buy

O Brother, o Sister
Don't you see a crack form in the dam
For a loser? No one can touch him
He's a-slippin' through Jesus' hands

Well I'd like to hang out
But I can tell that you're not a drinking crowd
I got nowhere to go, no one to see
I got a thirst that would make the ocean proud

Cure - Cut

2010-03-28T10:58:00.004-06:00

I know, this is not technically about religion; it's a breakup song. But, sometime after I left the religion of my youth, I was listening to this song and it became about the loss of my relationship to what I once thought was a system of belief that brought me to the truth. I realized that I still cared about what the truth was, but that the church I had been raised in did not and never had- "When I look at you, I see face like stone, Eyes of ice, Mouth so sweetly telling lies, I wish you felt the way that I still do, But you don't, You don't feel anymore, It's all gone"

Cut

by Cure

If only you'd never speak to me
The way that you do
If only you'd never speak like that
It's like listening to
A breaking heart
A falling sky
Fire go out and friendship die
I wish you felt the way that I still do
The way that I still do

If only you'd never look at me
The way that you do
If only you'd never look like that
When I look at you
I see face like stone
Eyes of ice
Mouth so sweetly telling lies
I wish you felt the way that I still do
The way that I still do
But you don't
You don't feel anymore
You don't care anymore
It's all gone

If only you'd never pull from me
The way that you do
If only you'd never pull like that
When I'm with you
I feel hopeless hands helplessly
Pulling you back close to me
I wish you felt the way that I still do
The way that I still do

If only you'd ever speak speak to me
The way you once did
Look at me the way you once did
Pull to me the way you once did
But you don't
You don't feel anymore
You don't care anymore
It's all gone
It's all gone

Sugarcubes - Deus

2010-03-20T14:59:00.004-06:00

This is one of the most fun atheist songs I know of. It's one that didn't horrify me when I was a believer because I just didn't notice it even though I listened to my "Life's Too Good" cassette until it was worn out and then replaced it with a CD copy. After I came to my senses, this became one of favorite catharsis songs. I particularly liked to drive around listening to it on Sundays, especially if I was on the way over to family gatherings with my kin folk who still believe in so much non-sense. Also, back when this came out, who knew that Bjork would become a household name and that the Sugarcubes would remain obscure? And, one final note, the orchestrated version, which is a bonus track on the CD of "Life's Too Good", is completely awesome. If you don't have it already, you need it.

Deus

by Sugarcubes

Deus does not exist
But if he does
He lives above me
In the fattest largest cloud up there
He is whiter than white and cleaner than clean
He wants to reach me

Deus does not exist
But if he does I always notice him
Getting ready in his airy room
He is picking his gloves so gently off
He wants to touch me

I'm walking humbly down a tiny street
Pulling my collar - it gets bigger

I once met him
It really surprised me
He put me in a bath tub
Made me
Squeeky clean
Really clean

To
Create
A
U-ni-verse
You must
Taste
The forbidden fruit

He said "hi!"
I said "hi!"
I was still clean

Deus does not exist
But if he does he'd want to get
Down from that cloud
First marzipan fingers then marble hands
More silent than silence and slower than slow
Diving towards me

My collar is a huge room for two hands
They start at the chest and move slowly down
Wooo...

I thought I had seen everything
He wasn't white and fluffy
He just had sideburns
He just had sideburns
And a quiff
He said 'hi'
I said 'hi'
I was still clean
I was squeeky clean
I was surprised
Just as you would be

Deus, Deus
Deus, Deus, he does not exist
Deus, Deus...

Cake - Satan Is My Motor

2010-03-12T22:36:00.004-07:00

Sometimes, to me, the best songs are the silly ones. Sometimes, the best way to show how ridiculous some ideas are is to pretend to espouse them in a way that is beyond absurd. I think that one of the ways that this song functions is definitely in that way- it shows how silly the idea of a supreme evil is by pretending to promote the idea that Satan is the engine that drives the song's protagonist towards the object of his affection.

Satan Is My Motor

by Cake

i've got wheels of polished steel
i've got tires that grab the road
i've got seats that selflessly hold my friends
and a trunk that can carry the heaviest of loads

i've got a mind that can steer me to your house
and a heart that can bring you red flowers
my intentions are good and earnest and true
but under my hood is internal combustion
satan is my motor
hear my motor purr
satan is my motor
hear my motor purr
satan is the only one who seems to understand
satan is my motor

i've got brakes, i'm wide awake
i can stop this car at any time
at the very last second i can change directions
turn completely around if i feel so inclined

i've got a mind that can steer me to your house
and a heart that can bring you red flowers
my intentions are good and earnest and true
but under my hood is internal combustion

satan is my motor
hear my motor purr
satan is my motor
hear my motor purr
satan is the only one who seems to understand
satan is my motor
satan is the only one who seems to understand

INXS - Listen Like Thieves

2010-03-06T09:15:00.005-07:00

I was driving along in my car yesterday listening to a playlist on my iPod and this song came on. I had a revelation. Since I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade, I'd been wondering what "Listen like thieves" meant. I finally got it. The lines "Everybody's down on their knees, listen like thieves for the answers, but who needs that, when you've got it all in your hands" suddenly congealed in my nearly 38 year old brain... he's singing about how ridiculous and unnecessary prayer is. Thanks Michael, that's beautiful.

Listen Like Thieves

by INXS

On the talk back show
On the radio
At the local bar
In the hot traffic
By the red tail lights

Everybody's down on their knees
Listen like thieves (for the answers)
But who needs that
When it's all in your hands

And we take it down
To the end of town
Where they have control
But they're loosing touch
When the lights go out

You are all you need
You are all you need
(And that's everything)
So don't hesitate
There's no time to waste
You just do it for yourself/So just do it by yourself

R.E.M. - Losing My Religion

2010-02-28T21:37:00.005-07:00

R.E.M. was on Austin City Limits the other night. I don't know if it was a re-run or not as I'm not seeing it on that page at the moment. It got me listening to them and then thinking about this song.

Yeah, I know- Michael Stipe has apparently gone on record saying that this song isn't about religion per se. And, Wikipedia's article about this song says that "The phrase 'losing my religion' is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one's temper or civility". I don't care. The thing about art is, once the art is created, it takes on a life of its own and I always did find this song and its lyrics to be able to be interpreted as about leaving one's religion. In fact, when I was a believer, I couldn't fully enjoy this song because I found it threatening and now I find this song comforting and cathartic.

Losing My Religion

by R.E.M.

Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

Consider this
Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape

2010-02-20T10:50:00.004-07:00

I was kinda late to the Happy Mondays party, but when Sean Ryder reinvented Happy Mondays as Black Grape circa 1995, I was already transitioned out of the religion of my youth and able to fully enjoy this joyous romp to the fullest. 'Can you feel the spirit of the lord?'

Reverend Black Grape

by Black Grape

Hey,
you know what I mean?

Sellin him your religion
Say I walking down a hit song
A booming business
Buying, selling belief
Standing in the pews
Talking ballshit, ballshit, ballshit,
ballshit, ballshit
I want to know, I want to know,
Can you feel the sprit of the lord?

[Ryder]
Theres nothing more sinister
as ministers in dresses
Gather round some nice black people
While I deliver this message
Kill the message

you do nothing but socialise
and become a menace
put on your reboks man
and go play funky tennis

can I get a witness
I said can, I get a witness

Oh come oh ye faithful
Oh joyful and triumphant
Gather around,
While I blow my own trumpet

Oh Pope he got the Nazis
To clean up their messes
He exchanged the gold and paintings
He gave them new addresses
Clean up your messes

Hi, hi furer
Hi, hi furer

Oh my fathers, fathers, fathers, father
By nature he was bendy
We are the chi chine tribe
and we are over friendly

can I get a witness
yeah
I said
Come on
can, I get a witness

Oh come oh ye faithful
Oh joyful and triumphant
Gather around me,
while I blow my own trumpet

Can I get a witness?

[spoken]
Poppycock.
for what we are about to receive
would he agree a stately minuet would be preferable to a rain dance

Hey there bothers and sisters
Hang in there
Yeah

Oh come oh ye faithful
Oh joyful and triumphant
Gather around,
While I blow my own trumpet

Oh come oh ye faithful
Youre so joyful and triumphant
Gather around,
While I blow my own trumpet

I want to know
I want to know
I want to know
I want to know
can you feel
I said
can you feel
can you feel
the sprit of the lord

Oh come oh ye faithful,
Oh joyful and triumphant,
Gather around,
While I blow my own trumpet

can you feel the sprit of the lord?
can you feel the sprit of the lord?

Dead Can Dance - Black Sun

2010-02-13T16:02:00.003-07:00

I can't believe that there's not a better video for this song on YouTube. Unlike a lot of the other songs on this blog, this song didn't scare when I bought Aion back in high school. That's mainly because I didn't take notice of the lyrics back then. The beauty of this song- the mesmerizing percussion, Brendan's amazing voice, and the genius of the lyrics didn't really come to until about 5 years ago. Now, this song is like instant catharsis.

Black Sun

by Dead Can Dance

Murder! Man on fire
Murder! I've seen the eyes of the living dead
It's the same old game. Survival
The great mass play a waiting game
Embalmed, crippled, dying in fear of pain, all sense of freedom gone
Black sun in a white world
Like having a black son in a white world
I have a son, his name is Eden
It's his birthright beyond estranged times
Give me 69 years, another season in this hell
It's all sex and death as far as eyes can tell
Like Prometheus we are bound
Chained to this rock of a brave new world
Our god forsaken lot
And I feel that's all we have ever needed to know until worlds end and the seas run cold
Give me 69 years, another season in this hell
There is sex and death in mother natures plans