So an old heavy-metal rock band is coming out with a new album pretty soon. On three different days since this song debuted recently, I've been at work listening to the DJ's push this song. It plays repeatedly! And it's long. And very very repetitive. "God is dead. God is dead. God is dead." I tried looking up the lyrics to count how many "God is deads" are in the song. I couldn't find the lyrics online, but I'm guessing at least five dozen "God is deads" each time this thing gets air-time, which puts me at 200-400 "God is deads" per day.
As I drove home from work, I wondered what would be an appropriate and allowable response.
If I'm not busy I could walk over to the radio and turn down the volume. I'd have to explain to my partner why, and tell him he could turn the volume back up in eight minutes or so.
I could sing out loud what I've been singing to myself -- a Good Friday hymn. "O sorrow dread. Our God is dead, but by His expiation of our guilt upon the cross, gained for us salvation" and subsequent stanzas.
I could sing out loud a response: "He lives, all glory to His name. He lives, my Jesus still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives."
Or I could just continue to bite my lip and pray. I've listened to shocking and putrid things on that radio station -- both songs and the talk/banter. But until now I haven't considered anything so drastic as turning off the radio and forcing the other person to listen to the dreaded Quiet.
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From NATHAN, my son-in-law:
ReplyDeleteI don't think you want to find the lyrics, anyway. I think there's actually worse stuff in it than "God is dead" - and I doubt you want to really know what else he's saying.
I don't listen to the radio anymore, though, because songs are either getting worse in content or else I'm getting more sensitive. Maybe both. Either way, you just made me even more glad I'm not listening to this... stuff...
[from Susan: I had to delete one paragraph that Nathan wrote, which included identifying information that I don't want connected to this post. Y'know, search engines and all...]
Susan, this is why I listen to talk radio, which I know you can't do at work. Even listening to talk radio, I have to change the channel at times, because of offensive stuff. With it being a business, I would think that higher ups would want something like elevator music, so that no one is offended, especially the customer. If I went into an establishment and they were playing this song, I would turn around and leave. It could be just enough for me to look for another business, too.
ReplyDeleteLu
Lu, this is NOT playing in the lobby! This is only in drive-ups, where the elevator-type music doesn't have speakers, so we're allowed to have a radio back there. I usually leave it off, but it seems that the young folks just cannot bear Quietness. The two guys who like hard rock and heavy-metal would be willing to let me change the channel to country, but they really hate country, and they go berserk from what I do want to hear (that is, NO radio). So I've been letting them choose their station and mostly tuning it out. But this new song is relentless in worming its way into your eyes. And it's so long.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I am so sorry to hear that. I have never heard the song, and from what I have read from your and Nathan's comments, I don't ever want to hear it. Too bad others are not more discerning. Lu
ReplyDeleteCorrection: that word "eyes" in my last line of my most recent comment should have been "mind."
ReplyDeleteLu, I have this suspicion that this is a song that will not be avoided. Maybe for now it can. But it's got that sound which makes me suspect it could be playing in the grocery stores 10 years down the road.