"The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7
"Man is hung up on the cover art.
God listens to the album."
Pablo Smog
Collin at House of Stone posted this video yesterday, an excerpt from my show there last month. It's a legit production house and music venue nestled amongst the motorcycles and American flags of North Texas. I like it very much.
The song asks important theological and musical questions. As human beings, we tend to only see the cover art of any given albums we may meet, walking down the street. But the Word of God is a 2-edged sword that pierces through the shrink wrap and opens the sleeve in order to hear the silent, screaming song within. God is a master producer. Not only will He give you the time and attention to listen to the entire recording of your soul, there are no production tricks behind which it is possible for the prideful song to hide. Nothing escapes or surprises Him.
It's worth noting that "Certain Stratospheres" was actually written by my great-grandfather, a superlong timeago. He played it at a grainy, washed-out wedding in Mexico, which I was able to record on a recent trip through time. Unfortunately, his performance is ridiculous. Considering how drunk he was, it's amazing I'm here at all. You can read the story in the article "Song of the Gringo," if you like.
Thanks for listening.
Certain Stratospheres
The pope
is like Hitler with wings
he walks like a corpse
impersonating a wax figurine
I wouldn't mind so much if his heart were true
but it's a lie
and an overwritten one, too
O how to tell the sheep from the goats?
toasts are for vassals
with castles & moats
no I won't raise my glass
not to nothin' at all
I'll just keep my head down
so I can stand tall
What's so smart
about a heart w/o art?
And what's so clean
about a green machine?
And what could possibly hurt
about a mouthful of dirt?
And where's the harm
in shootin' drugs in my arm?
O how to tell the sheep from the goats?
toasts are for vassals
with castles & moats
no I won't raise my glass
not to nothin' at all
I'll just keep my head down
so I can stand tall
All you fools
with yr measured abasements and ridiculous rules
if yer so smart
build me a sonar to measure the depths of my heart
cuz something is down there,
I'm almost for sure,
that loves you back,
that's pretty & pure
but if not, then baby,
I don't wanna know
I can walk on water
as long as it's frozen
Over,
take cover,
we're going to crash
I spent all my money on ice cream & hash
smash yr alarm clock
& set yerself free
I'm punchin' the sidewalk
I'm climbin' the tree
to free
all the birds and warn all the goats
toasts are for vassals
with castles & moats
no I won't raise my glass
not to nothin' at all
I'll just keep my head down
so I can stand tall
© Nathan Payne
1/11/11
Austin, TX
