Sep 142015
I’m looking for the names of people mentioned in the Bible. The rules:
- The song must refer to an official saint or an actual person in the Bible (not just someone with the same name i.e. Abraham, Martin and John is not about the biblical Abraham).
- The name can only be used once.
- A song can only be used once.
- Be sure to heed the 11th commandment “Thou shall not Bogart the thread” and limit your answers to one per response.
I will start off with Abraham from “Highway 61” (“God said to Abraham ‘Kill me a son’; Abe said ‘Man, you must be putting me on…'”)
Flash & the Pan – “Hey, St. Peter”.
A clarification: when I say actual “person”, I mean “character”.
So, for instance, the devil counts, as do specific angels, etc.
“Please take the Devil out of me” George Jones
“Adam Raised a Cain” — Bruce Springsteen
“Jesus,” The Velvet Underground.
To be clear, though, the Angel of Harlem does not count, because Harlem and its denizens are not included in the Bible.
Here’s three books in one song: Lyle Lovett’s Joshua judges Ruth. (though that might not be a song, just the album title?)
Correct. It must be a specific angel.
I Dreamed I Saw Saint Augustin by Bob Dylan.
Michael by Prefab Sprout is about Lucifer pleading with St. Michael. If I can only check one box, put it down for St.Michael. there are other Lucifer songs.
Dig Lazarus Dig by Nick Cave.
My Lord, the religious phanatics have taken over the City, his holiness is not even going to be here for two more weeks for Christmas sake (complains the new guy).
cdm (aka ye of renewed zealotry), do the other Scott and machinery need to designate which ones they are tagging?
In any event, Moses never made it into the promised land, in real life or in Springsteen’s “The Price You Pay.” (He’s not named, but unless there’s another guy God was punishing, it was him.) Does that count?
RIP Philadelphia’s true deliverer, #2 Moses Malone.
I don’t believe St. Augustine is in the Bible.
Leonard Cohen, The Story of Isaac
St. Stephen — The Dead
I should have added a coma to make it more clear, but it’s either
1) an official saint, or
2) an actual person in the Bible.
Jacob’s Ladder – Huey Lewis and The News.
I’m sure there are other bands that used Jacob’s Ladder in a song but Huey was the first that popped in my head. I remember kind of liking that song.
Hang on St. Christopher – Tom Waits
are you using Adam or Cain?
“Cain slew Abel” from Dirt in the Ground by Tom Waits.
I’m claiming Abel not Cain in this one.
I’m disappointed: I thought we were restricting this to to Bible characters only. Now I’m not only going to have to pull on my extremely limited knowledge of the Bible, but worry about modern-day saints too.
“St. Dominic’s Preview,” Van the Man.
A number of others, including a traditional gospel song that Springsteen did on his folk rootsy album.
Ezekiel Saw the Wheel — various, I’ll claim the Woody Guthrie version.
Cam, another question, can we use other variations on an already used character’s name — for example, Mary Had a Little Lamb, a reference to Christ that doesn’t use the name Jesus.
Cher, that’s Michael the Archangel, not St. Michael.
Oh, never mind, seems they are one and the same.
Moses – Elizabeth Fraser (or Black Moses – Isaac Hayes)
I just realized that Moses was claimed above, so in my contrition, I thought I would share that Neil Diamond, of all people, has a song about Mary Magdalene.
“Sampson and Delilah,” trad., but The Dead made it well known. I’ll use Delilah.
A repeat player — shows up, unsurprisingly, in Bob Marley’s Exodus.
How about the Big Cheese, God, in Nick Cave’s “God Is in the House”?
no
yes. The Mod has as the belt.
cdm, that’s too bad, bc there are a number of good alternatives for at least 3 of these characters, just one example, Lucifer, which Cher wisely held back on. Appealing to your spiritual side to reconsider.
But moving along, from the sublime to the idolaters, Jezebel, from the lovely Sade song of the same name.
As Al Pacino said in that horrible movie where he’s both a corporate lawyer and the Devil (not an unrealistic premise), “I go by so many names.”
Ah, so “Appetite” is about The Garden of Eden?
John the Baptist, Bob Dylan, “Tombstone Blues” (“John the Baptist after torturing a thief…”). Delilah and Jezebel also appear in due course but they’re spoken for already.
That’s a great bad movie!
St Genevieve – Tear Stained Eye by Son Volt
agreed!
Jonah, By Paul Simon. I’ll use the Whale from that.
Blind Willie Johnson (et al), “John the Revelator”
Arctic Monkeys – “Fake Tales From San Francisco”.
Joan Osborne – “St. Teresa”
The Riders of the Apocalypse in “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.”
“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?”
Big ups for that, Herm.
From one spiritual to another —
All You Zombies, The Hooters, going with Noah, the Pharoah is definitely lurking elsewhere. . .
Not following you on this one, Cliff.
Daniel in the Lion’s Den – “Dear John” by Hank Williams
We had Adam earlier but what about Eve?
“It started long ago in the Garden of Eden
When Adam said to Eve, ‘Baby, you’re for me!’ ”
— Wayne Fontana and the Mindbeners, “Game of Love”
“Yeah, we’re all cousins
That’s what I believe
Cause we’re all children
Of Adam and Eve”
— Elvis Presley, “Kissin’ Cousins”
Locusts – Broadcast.
LWS!
Jonah would count but the whale does not because it’s just a whale. If we let that in, the next thing you know, we’ll have to count songs that mention a donkey that was standing next to the manger.
It occurs to me that you might be referring to the city, in which case this does not count either. The song has to refer to the person in the bible not someone or something named after the person in the bible.
So, for instance, I though of the line in Walking Spanish by Tom Waits “St Bartholomew wispered in the ear of old Jack Dawes”, but I declined to use it because he’s not referring to the saint, he’s referring to a prisoner by his nickname.
Please explain, Ladymiss.
I’m not familiar with that part, but did the donkey do something important, like give one of the Kings a ride down to the Wawa or something? You’re an anthropomorphist.
But OK, monsignor, I fall back on Jonah.
“Saint Stephen” Grateful Dead
Sorry funoka, already mentioned. Pending an explanation from Ladymiss about her most recent offering, H. Munster has the belt.
shoot missed it —
Pontius Pilate – Sympathy for the Devil.
BabaOLewie referenced Samson and Delilah, as covered by the Grateful Dead, but in doing so he chose Delilah. So I’ll go with Leonard Cohen’s devastating Samson in New Orleans from last year’s Popular Problems album.
LMS!
Just making sure you were paying attention.
Well, since the Whale of “Jonah and the Whale” was considered possibly acceptable, I figured I’d throw in the locusts from the Plague of Locusts.
Sorry again, Ladymiss but please see post #25 for the explanation as to why the whale is ineligible.
Judas, Like a Rolling Stone (intro to the version on the 1966 live album)…
Johnny Cash, “Belshazzar” (the king of Babylon who reads the writing on the wall in the Book of Daniel). “You are weighed in the balance and found wanting …”
LMS.
Sting – “Gabriel’s Message”
LMS
Bob Dylan, “In the Garden”: “Nicodemus he came at night so he wouldn’t be seen by men …”
LMS, btw.
“Joseph’s Coat” — Quicksilver
“Good Caiaphas, the council waits for you.
The Pharisees and priests are here for you.”
Jesus Christ Superstar OST – “Jesus Must Die”
Bob Dylan, “Trouble in Mind” (B-side of “Gotta Serve Somebody”): “Ask Lot what he thought when his wife turned to stone”
LMS.
Not sure about that one Tony. It’s definitely pushing the limits by edging into show tune territory. If I allow it, then what is to stop the whole soundtrack to Godspell from getting in too?
Please take note, fans of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (or whatever it’s called).
Exactly.
I know, I posted this before the whale was rejected.
I take back the crown:
“You crazy babe, Bathsheba…” from Pixies, “Dead.”
And also, the Pixies’ Nimrod’s Son!
“You saw sagacious Solomon…” Dead Can Dance “How Fortunate The Man With None.”
Absalom gets mentioned at the end of “Distant Early Warning” by Rush.
“Like Herod,” Mogwai
“Beast and the Harlot” – Avenged Sevenfold
“There sat a seven-headed beast, ten horns raised from his head
Symbolic woman sits on his throne, but hatred strips her and leaves her naked
The Beast and the Harlot”
The Harlot of the Book of Revelations
This brings us to a bit of a grey area. While I stated that the person had to be named in the bible, and the Harlot is not mentioned by name, you are clearly identifying a specific person, so I’m going to allow it. This is a bit self serving, as will be revealed in my next post.
The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment – Touch the Hem of His Garment by Sam Cooke
“St. Francis” – Gretchen Peters
Laura Nyro – Eli’s Coming
Bob Dylan (among others), “Gospel Plow” : “Matthew, Mark, and Luke and John / All them prophets is dead and gone”
San Fermin – “Methuselah”
Leonard Cohen, Joan of Arc
Jack Marti – “Enoch Walked With God”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf_UTBoUcmw
My Morning Jacket – Gideon.
Or Rocky Racoon.
LMS!
Damn it! I just heard Locomotive Breath yesterday and made a mental note to use him.
Man is the Bastard – “Moloch”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSQwExlEfk
Acts 7:43
“Yes, you even raised the shrine of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, idols which you made to worship; therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon.”
Ishmael gets mentioned in “Black Sheep”, a local hit by SRC in Detroit in 1968.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8zGcdsZZ4
Gary Quackenbush, SRC’s lead guitarist, died this past June 20.
Bob Dylan, “Ring Them Bells” : “Ring them bells St. Catherine from the top of the room … “
Pharoah is featured in Mavis Staples’ “Creep Along Moses.”
Last Man Standing!
Could not come up with a Pharaoh except in “Go Down Moses,” and didn’t think that qualified. Never heard “Creep Along Moses” before. “Holy Shit!” indeed, that song is great.
“Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain”
Rolling Stones – “Sympathy for the Devil”
Czar Nicholas II was declared a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Would not have counted anyway, cdm. The song refers to bibles distributed by an evangelical group called the Gideons, not to Gideon himself. The bible in Gideon’s day was much shorter than Gideon’s Bible.
A fair point but a moot one.
Well done Tony. Very clever. Unfortunately, Sympathy was already used by me for Pontius Pilate.
The Mod retains the belt.
Gimme that belt.
Rolling Stones, “Saint of Me”: “Saint Paul the persecutor was a cruel and sinful man..”
LMS.
Yes! It’s chill-inducing great.
I’m going on the record as refusing to play saints unless they were in the Bible before their sainthood. No offense to any saints in the Halls of Rock, but post-Biblical saints just don’t carry enough weight for me. Those old-time saints performed serious miracles. Nowadays, what qualifies as a miracle? Science has lowered the bar; it’s not the saints’ fault.
Indeed, now I have to go to services for Yom Kippur just to deal with it.
Agreed. But St. Paul is in the Bible. You know, the tax collector formerly known as Saul? The epistle-writing guy?
LMS.
Also is Get Down Moses, by Joe Strummer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zty2WxVnklI
“He was just some Joseph looking for a manger.” Leonard Cohen in Stranger Song.
This is a different Joseph from the one mentioned in #42.