Anarchistic Christmas Carol
Last week, a non-Christian friend who lives in NYC was complaining of the impossibility of going about one’s daily life without being assaulted by Christmas carols. Even if you’re freegan like him and don’t actually go into stores, White Christmas still comes wafting out at you from their opened doors.
It’s quieter here in the country but there’s still no escaping Christmas. Regular Superweed readers may remember last year’s poem and rant inspired by electrified decorations.
And yet, like any pagan, I do appreciate the heartfelt urge to bring greenery, generosity, light, and — yes — song into our lives in the wintertime. So let me share with you today the only Christmas song I’ve ever liked, “The Rebel Jesus” as sung by Jackson Browne accompanied by the Chieftans, from their Bells of Dublin album.
First the singer complains a bit:
Well they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they’ve turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robbers den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
And then he complains some more:
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But then he lightens up and closes with a sentiment I share:
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I’ve no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need of anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
All of this backed by traditional Irish music that sounds decidedly Christmas-y. It’s lovely. But don’t trust me — Listen for yourself.
(As always, the mp3 will be up only for a short time. If you like the music, support the artists.)
December 25th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I love imagining the bible-belt idiots where I live torturing and killing their Jesus in a terrorist holding cell — it’s one of my favorite daydreams, actually, because we all know they would hate his guts if he actually did come back like they all seem to think he will.