Y7Wk37 The King & I

Ummmm....this is a strange one, James - at least from my point of view. I'm thinking you're contrasting the here-and-now with a biblical story (Uriah, Bathsheba - names that ring a bell, but can't quite put them in context.) and as such, I can see where you're going with it....but I think, if that's the case, you might need another verse about NOW to round it all up.

Off to do some research about Uriah and Bathsheba....

:D :D :D

Vic

Vic,

Thanks for the feedback. :D
if that's the case, you might need another verse about NOW to round it all up.....Off to do some research about Uriah and Bathsheba....

Actually, I was intentionally leaving out the wrap up so that if the listener wanted to know the ending, they would have to do a little research :wink: It's probably the teacher in me :lol: but I like songs where a little interaction and learning takes place.

Similar to Coldplay : Viva La Vida http://www.metrolyrics.com/viva-la-vida-lyrics-coldplay.html

At first, I did make it clear what happend and had more of a bridge instead of a last verse

"The king was not the least bit thrilled
King David had Uriah killed"

Here is the recap and conclusion to the story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba
Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and afterward of David, by whom she gave birth to Solomon, who succeeded David as king and in the direct linage to the birth of Christ (United Kingdom of Israel and Judah).

...The story is told that David, while walking on the roof of his house, saw Bathsheba, who was then the wife of Uriah, taking a bath. He immediately desired her and later made her pregnant.

In an effort to conceal his sin, David summoned Uriah from the army (with whom he was on campaign) in the hope that Uriah would reconsummate his marriage and think the child his. Uriah was unwilling to violate the ancient kingdom rule applying to warriors in active service.[1] Rather than go home to his own bed, he preferred to remain with the palace troops.

After repeated efforts to convince Uriah to fertilize Bathsheba, the king gave the order to his general, Joab, that Uriah should be abandoned during a heated battle and left to the hands of the enemy. Ironically, David had Uriah himself carry the message that ordered his death. After Uriah was dead, David made the now widowed Bathsheba his wife.

According to the account in Samuel, David's action was displeasing to the Lord, who accordingly sent Nathan the prophet to reprove the king.

After relating the parable of the rich man who took away the one little ewe lamb of his poor neighbor (II Samuel 12:1-6), and exciting the king's anger against the unrighteous act, the prophet applied the case directly to David's action with regard to Bathsheba.

The king at once confessed his sin and expressed sincere repentance. Bathsheba's child by David was smitten with a severe illness and died at a few days after birth, which the king accepted as his punishment.

Nathan also noted that David's house would be cursed with turmoil because of this murder. This came to pass years later when one of David's much-loved sons, Absalom, led an insurrection that plunged the kingdom into civil war. Moreover, to manifest his claim to be the new king, Absalom had sexual intercourse in public with ten of his father's concubines, which could be considered a direct, tenfold divine retribution for David's taking the woman of another man.

In David's old age, Bathsheba secured the succession to the throne of her son Solomon, instead of David's eldest surviving son Adonijah. (1 Kings 1:11-31).

James

I went back and changed the last verse to a bridge....

The question: Reveal the ending of the story or not???....For me, it comes down to this line

The king was not the least bit thrilled
What the baby's birth would soon reveal

or

The king was not the least bit thrilled
King David had Uriah killed

Feedback?

I think it's a great song and good spin on this weeks theme. What a story!

These two lines are even better than the original, "you've made your bed . . . now lie in it",

My what a beautiful bed was laid
My what a beautiful mess was made yeah, yeah

Great lines . . . because of the literal and metaphorical meaning.

Probably one of the most tragic stories of all times . . . since David was so favored by God . . .
and David's devotion to God is so well documented in Psalms.

(I was surprised that David looked like Gregory Peck)

Dan and Ken,

Thanks for the listens and posts :D

James
(I was surprised that David looked like Gregory Peck)
I never noticed it before, but yeah they do look a lot alike :wink: Especially in the movie David and Bathsheba :lol:
http://www.tower.com/david-bathsheba-gregory-peck-dvd/wapi/107062567

Hi James,

Clever idea for the theme. :) You can't get a much nastier neighbour than the guy who steals your wife and then has you killed to get you out of the way. :shock: I've never had much time for monarchies, so perhaps it was exposure to the tale of the dastardly deeds of dirty king dave (when I was but a schoolboy) that influenced me?

Cheers,

Chris

Chris,

Thanks for the listen and post :D
perhaps it was exposure to the tale of the dastardly deeds of dirty king dave (when I was but a schoolboy) that influenced me?
Sounds like you'll have to do more "research" on that one :wink:

James

Sounds like you'll have to do more "research" on that one :wink:

James

It's always good to know that the hero repented his unworthy actions, but my primary sympathies always lie with the ‘bit part players' who seem only to exist to fulfil a useful function in the hero's script. In this case, that would be the baby who died in order to punish the king, Uriah who was cynically slaughtered in battle, and the concubines who are used in turn by the hero and his son. Their only real function in the drama was as framing - context for the actions of the star of the show. Somewhat chastening for the king no doubt, but a fair bit tougher for the ones who actually had to pay the price for his little lesson. Pretty much par for the course in tales about heroes and kings, whether it's historical stories or modern day movie scripts. Maybe it varies from country to country, but in Australia we have more of a tradition of supporting the underdog, ‘battler' or ordinary guy, so I tend to be a poor audience for tales featuring the exploits of those who inherit their titles and position. Just a personal blind spot I guess.

Maybe it varies from country to country, but in Australia we have more of a tradition of supporting the underdog, ‘battler' or ordinary guy
I agree. I think many people want to see the underdog triumph....this was definitely a stain on the man's life :(

...interesting enough, this is the same David that fought a giant named Goliath when he was a boy or youth....in that story, he is definately the underdog and gets the praises of the people....even his rise to kingship was unusual as he was not of "royal" blood...but all that is another story :wink: or maybe another song :lol:

...his life's account reminds me how fragile life is with a person's capability to make "good" and "bad" decisions....and the impact those decisions can have on those around us.

...his life's account reminds me how fragile life is with a person's capability to make "good" and "bad" decisions....and the impact those decisions can have on those around us.
Well said, JT.
. . . and those consequences can have devastating effects on others . . . as in this story.
Might not be fair . . . but none of us have a contract with Life . . . with terms and conditions . . .
or . . . maybe David did . . . but broke his contract.

in Australia we have more of a tradition of supporting the underdog, ‘battler' or ordinary guy

That's probably why we love you Aussies, even though you keep beating us at cricket - you're fighters. Everybody loves an underdog, the little team that takes on the world with a "screw you!" attitude - like I said in another post, somewhere on this forum, you don't just kick the Aussies when they're down, you stamp on their windpipes - or else they'll just get up and come back at you. Twice as hard.

I love that attitude - "hell with you, we're not the greatest, but we'll bloody well try harder....until we are!"

That's the sort of attitude I put in to my guitar playing and writing - "I might not be there yet, but I WILL get better, and I WILL work harder at it!"

Thanks Chris, for a timely reminder of why I play guitar....and why I keep writing....

:D :D :D

Vic

...interesting enough, this is the same David that fought a giant named Goliath when he was a boy or youth....

Oops.... Looks like you're right about my needing to update my research James - I'd clean forgotten about his early days as a sharpshooter with a slingshot. I must have re-used that brain cell for something else; writing songs perhaps... :)

That's probably why we love you Aussies, even though you keep beating us at cricket - you're fighters. Everybody loves an underdog, the little team that takes on the world with a "screw you!" attitude - like I said in another post, somewhere on this forum, you don't just kick the Aussies when they're down, you stamp on their windpipes - or else they'll just get up and come back at you. Twice as hard.

Vic

Looks like the boot's on the other foot right now though! We missed our chance in the first Test and let you off the hook, and now it's your turn to make us squirm. :shock: Before this series started I was of the opinion that both sides might struggle to get the other one out twice. If your bowling attack isn't on top form these days it's hard to get the needed 20 wickets. It's still looking that way, so I'd say it's still anybody's Ashes.

Cheers,

Chris

I must have re-used that brain cell for something else; writing songs perhaps...

No one here will fault you for using your brain cells for such a noble pursuit as song writing. :wink:
Oops.... Looks like you're right about my needing to update my research James
...by the way a lot gets miscommunicated when posting...hopefully I can clarify....

when I typed about doing more research, I was refering to your comment about childhood influences....so I was saying..."Sounds like you'll have to do some more research what your childhood influences might have included"....more a general statement that it can be quite a journey analyzing how one's past influences make up who they are today....I was not meaning you needed to do more research on David....anyway, you got it right. He was the sling-shot guy. :wink:

I was thinking your song for this week might be a follow-up about last week's couple, but most likely from the neighbors' point of view....something about bells jingling at all hours :lol: :lol: :lol: