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lyrics

John Smith, bland as his name, never believed
in anything much until he heard a voice,
a staticky fire and brimstone radio preacher
inhabiting his head with exhortations
to change his ways. “Repent!” it hollered,
haranguing John deliberately, it seemed,
when he stopped off at the usual bar
for the usual drink. “Water of the Barley
Is Only Gulped By Sinners!” it claimed.
John couldn’t turn the voice down even as
He gulped his beer guiltily and stole glances
At the bartender’s buxom chest.
“Fornicatiooooooooooonneeeeeeeeeee”
The voice screeched, debasing into feedback.
“Fornicators are Salvation Haters!”
The friendly homosexual who everyone called
Big Gay Tim like he was a character on SouthPark
Popped onto the stool next to John’s
And now the voice was really going,
Cataloguing the moral failings of men
Who lay down with men. This carried on
Wherever John went. He tried to get away from it.
He’d take a walk on a trail in a nature preserve
And the voice would warn against nature, witches,
Animism. Grabbing a tray of frozen shrimp
At the supermarket, the voice would motormouth
Leviticus without ever stopping. John tended toward
Passivity, and just assumed this was the way things
Would work in his head from now on. He wasn’t much
For talking – even at the bar – so he told no one.
He kept hoping the preacher in his head would have something
Nice to say, some exhortation to treat others kindly,
To feed the starving or volunteer at the homeless shelter,
But it never told John what to do. It only told him
What he was doing wrong.

credits

from AAX​-​169 : A View From the Pews, released July 30, 2021

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Auris Apothecary Indiana

Auris Apothecary is a Midwestern publisher of limited edition experimental audio/visual media from artists located around the world.

We embrace obscure formats, atypical packaging, and DIY ethics.

Established MMIX. ... more

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