"Is the reason you're so much better than me
the fact that I'm no better than you?"
I Make The Rules

When faced with a cult of self-righteous hypocrites, it can be tempting to renounce.  Shall we hold fast to our convictions?  Or should we "go along to get along," on the highway to hell?

Like the character in the first scene of this video, the song is bashing its head on the floor of the dungeon.  It hasn't yet seen the fate of the hypocrites.  For the song to find peace, it has to know that the hypocrites are projecting their eternal destination on the temporal circumstances of history and the world.  The hypocrites burn people at the stake, because they themselves will eventually burn.  They chain people to the floor, because they themselves will be chained to the floor.  They cancel, diminish, reject, and execute their enemies, because they themselves will eventually be rejected by God, and canceled indefinitely.  The song doesn't know this, so I had to make the video to remind it.  Eventually, if they've accepted Christ into their hearts, the poets will leave hell, and again behold the stars.

"The Poets leave Hell.
And again behold the stars."
L'Inferno

There is water flowing under the bridge of the song, which asks the tormenters a series of honest questions.  "Does your righteousness come from my perceived lack of it?"  And, "do you think you're better than me because, at heart, you can see that I'm no better than you?"  Which is to say, does the existence of the Holy Spirit in a cracked, earthen vessel such as myself bother you, because it reminds you that you can possess it, but have chosen not to?  And if so,

Why?

Do you think you're going to diminish the Spirit, by burning the vessel?

Does the water cease to exist, because you break the glass that contains it?  

Are you prepared to wager your life on it?

Your dry, lifeless livelihood?

Your flammable soul?

Will you take the flames now, or later?

“For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13

Accept Christ now, and join me in the Rapture.  Unless He takes you home sooner.  Accept Christ now, and this stupid stone floor hewn by ideologues and hypocrites is as close to hell as you'll ever get.  This dungeon of fools isn't even the beginning.

We will behold the stars again.

Thanks for listening.

I Make The Rules

Sitting here drinking my coffee
sitting here eating my beans
I followed my dreams like a sucker
now I don't know what it means

The years keep on rollin'
and the sun is crucified to the sky
I won't take death for an answer
and today is a good day to die

I bare my teeth in the mirror
shake hands with another crackhead in the street
he says if I turn my back on him,
he's gonna slice me
but he ain't got no shoes
on his feet

     Do you think you can judge me?
     Would it make you righteous
     if your opinion turned out to be true?
     Is the reason you're so much better than me
     the fact that I'm no better than you?

Here's to anyone who's ever been beaten
so often, you wonder if you're cursed
anyone who's ever compensated for their failure
by giving up, and making things worse

Spare me your kindness and your pity
ain't nothin' sacred about my pain
I can still put a rat's nest
in your ribcage
I put broken glass in your brain

I put a pipe bomb in your voicemail
I put razorblades in your beer
I ain't deranged,
but I might be a madman
I make the rules around here

©2013 Nathan Payne