You can take the girl out of church, but I guess you can't take the church out of the girl. I am a permanently lapsed Catholic, but 12 years of Catholic school has taken it's toll.
St Paul was a Roman soldier named Saul who made a name for himself persecuting early Christians. One day on his way to Damascus to spread some more mayhem, he was struck down off his horse and rendered blind by God, who I guess didn't care for the direction his career was going. God called down to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
That line has been rattling around in my brain for years, looking for a song to latch onto. Here is my attempt:
Blinded
You don't even make eye contact
When you pass me in the hall
All of your words are wisecracks
When you deem to talk to me at all
Tell me what do I do,
And what can I say
To make you stop hurting me this way?
Like Saul on the road to Damascus
You've been riding high
Ignoring the bonds that connect us
You just pass on by
You'll be falling off that high horse
Blinded by what you can't see
There won't be time for your remorse
Oh why do you persecute me?
I've been a little uneasy
Playing these games in this fashion
It makes things seem ugly and sleazy
Where there used to be ardor and passion
So tell me what do I do
What do I say
To make the pain just go away?
We may get over this hurdle
But somehow I doubt it
My blood seems to boil and curdle
Til I just need to shout it
Like Saul on the road Damascus
You've been riding high
Ignoring the bonds that connect us
Redemption has passed you by
You'll come tumbling off that high horse
Blinded by what you can't see
You won't find any recourse
So why do you persecute me?
K Reichert 1/30/11
On a related topic, here's a link to a video of us doing my song St Theresa at the Riverside Jam in 2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly_HA6iFh_Y&feature=related
That's David Hodge on uke, Helena Bouchez on Bass,myself, Anne Oneil on percussion, Jeff Brownstein on guitar, and Karen Berger off camera on piano.
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
(Note to self: resist urge to say "see? I knew you could do it!")
Hi Kathy
This is a great start. Using Saint Paul as a starting point is good but it does put one in a mindset where you're likely to use words you might not ordinarily use in songs. Like "deem" in the first verse which, while it works, just sounds out of place given the song's setting. How about:
You don't even make eye contact
When you pass me in the hall
All you give are smart@ss answers
When you talk to me at all
Tell me what do I do,
Tell me what do I say
To make you stop hurting me this way?
Also, keep going with this active voice. You lose it at the start of the second verse because of the "I've been." Keep setting the scene in the here and now:
I'm more than a little uneasy
Playing these games in this fashion
Now it's ugly and it's sleazy
Where there used to be such passion
So tell me what do I do
What do I say
To make the pain just go away?
Just a thought. Or two.
Looking forward to more.
Peace
After reading the assignment, I did a bit of reading today on Saints that are reputed to having had sudden conversions. Saul/Paul and St Augustine both came to mind.
Since you have already taken Saul and the road to Damascus, I may end up writing about St Vincent Lombardi, patron of the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack!
Since mother nature has chosen to trap my garage under a snow drift, I wasn't able to get out to go to work today. I was able to spend some time working on this song! Here's the new version:
Blinded
You don't even make eye contact
When you pass me in the hall
All you give are smart @ss answers
When you talk to me at all
Tell me what do I do now,
Tell me what do I say
Is there a reason why
You keep hurting me this way?
Like Saul on the road to Damascus
You've been riding high
Ignoring the bonds that connect us
You just pass on by
You'll be falling off that high horse
Blinded by what you can't see
There won't be time for your remorse baby
Why do you persecute me?
You know it hasn't been easy
Playing games in this fashion
Now it's ugly and sleazy
Where there used to be passion
Tell me what do I do now
Tell me what I can say
Is there some secret prayer
To make the pain just go away?
Chorus
We may get over this hurdle
But somehow I doubt it
Makes my blood boil and curdle
Til I just need to shout it
Like Saul on the road Damascus
You've been riding high
Ignoring the love that connect us
Redemption has passed you by
You'll come tumbling off that high horse
Blinded by what you wont see
You won't find any recourse
So why do you persecute me?
Soundclick link here: http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=10234774&q=hi&newref=1
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
I'd call that a success.
Enjoyed it, Kat.
Thanks for sharing.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Nice fit of words and music :D
Thanks for sharing.
I can see that you got a lot more done than I did while being snowed in. Great tune.
