Reliant K - Failure to Excommunicate

It's the principle, it's the issue
That your principal would dismiss you
Because you don't fit into that all American Box
That coffin created for creative thought

It's disgusting, his priorities
How we're entrusting him with authority
His gavel's gone down before he looked in your heart
He finished this racism before he reached the start

Jesus loved the outcasts
He loves the ones the world just loves to hate
And as long as there's a Heaven
There'll be a failure to excommunicate

The world just keeps you at an arm's length
Every week you work up the strength
To fight the flames that are hurled, let your faith shine right through
You know it's the world versus Jesus and you

It's disgusting, their priorities
How we're entrusting them with authority
Their gavel's gone down before they looked in your heart
They finished this racism before they reached the start
Jesus loved the outcasts
He loves the ones the world just loves to hate
And as long as there's a Heaven
There'll be a failure to excommunicate

Jesus loved the outcasts
He loves the ones the world just loves to hate
And as long as there's a Heaven
There'll be a failure to excommunicate
Failure to excommunicate

         This song by Reliant K is talking about the accepting Jesus.  The Jesus that does not judge and loves all, especially those people that society may look down upon.  It is outlining the relationship that Christians have with Jesus, talking about how “it’s the world versus Jesus and you”.  It talks about how people now place authority and power into the wrong hands and should be placing those into Jesus’ hands. 
 
Carry You Home--Cross Canadian Ragweed

One day Jesus, He's gonna come back,
And say: "Enough of this, you're getting' way off track.
"All the stealin', cheatin', lyin', all the little babies cryin'.
"Well, I'll tell you I can't take anymore.

"'Cause I died for your sins so long ago.
"It seems you forget with every day that rolls.
"I'm gonna stop it all right now,
"Before it gets way out of control."

Everybody gonna stand in line,
When it comes to the judgement time.
Pick the side of the fence that you're on,
When He comes to carry you home.

Now if you wanna kill and die for your God,
That's your prerogative, but I'll tell you that you're wrong.
I think God, He's an understanding man,
But I don't think that's part of his plan.

'Cause he wants us all to live in harmony;
Take care of one another when we need.
So if you want to rant and rave, murder and corrupt,
Stay away from the ones that I love.

An' everybody gonna stand in line,
When it comes to the judgement time.
Pick the side of the fence that you're on,
When He comes to carry you home.

Instrumental break.

I'm not pointin' fingers, don't get me wrong,
'Cause I drink and smoke and cuss and I carry on
Well, this is my opinion, that's all that it is,
To let you know that my devotion is His.

Well, I'll admit that I'm not a Saint:
I know what I can - I know what I can't do.
I can't judge your right from your wrong,
You are you and I am my own.

I don't read the Bible everyday.
I can't understand most of it anyway.
But I know where I'll go,
When my number is shown.

An' everybody gonna stand in line,
When it comes to the judgement time.
Pick the side of the fence that you're on,
When He comes to carry you home.

Carry you home.
Carry you home.
Carry you home.
----------------------------------------------
This song is primarily about one man's understanding of his religion and the flaws he sees in the world when comparing it to what he believes people should behave like.  While little is actually said about the interpretation of Jesus, it seems that the writer senses that people are straying far away from the teachings of Jesus; mostly about loving your neighbor and being peaceful rather than violent.  The first two verses clearly show that he thinks Jesus would be severely disappointed in the way we are currently living our lives.  The way the chorus is written leads me to believe that the writer is portraying Jesus as either a savior or condemner.  The writer is challenging his audience to change the way they live to be more like Jesus in order to ensure their placement into Heaven once they pass away.


*Disregard the video.  It was the only video on Youtube I could find with this song.

 
Jesus Is My Friend: by Sonseed

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He taught me how to live, my life as it should be.
He taught me how to turn my cheek when people laugh at me.
I've had friends before, and I can tell you that, He's one who will never leave you flat.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He taught me how to pray, and how to save my soul.
He taught me how to praise my God and still play rock and roll.
The music may sound different but the message is the same.
It's just the instruments who praise His name.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

Once I tried to run, I tried to run and hide.
But Jesus came and found me and He touched me down inside.
He is like mountie, He always gets His man, and He'll zap you any way he can.
Zap.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He loves me when I'm right, He loves me when I'm wrong.
He loves me when I waste my time by writing silly songs.
He loves me when I'm quiet and I have nothing to say.
He'll love me when I'm perfect if I ever get that way.
Whooo!

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
J-J-J-Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.


I picked this song for a number of reasons. First it is really catchy. Second I find it to be whimsical. And thirdly it gives a definite portrayal of Jesus. In this song Jesus is portrayed as a friend, obviously. However the song does not go much deeper than Jesus being a friend. It is very superficial about how Jesus is always there for you, and how he keeps you in line and loves you no matter what. The song does not talk about how God is there in the hard times, and that can be destructive to a person’s faith, as seen in “Wrestling for Jesus”.
 
Queen - Jesus

And then I saw Him in the crowd
A lot of people had gathered round Him
The beggars shouted the lepers called Him
The old man said nothing
He just stared about him
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down

Then came a man before His feet he fell
Unclean said the leper and rang his bell
Felt the palm of a hand touch his head
Go now go now you're a new man instead
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down

It all began with the three wise men
Followed a star took them to Bethlehem
And made it heard throughout the land
Born was a leader of man
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down

It all began with the three wise men
Followed a star took them to Bethlehem
And made it heard throughout the land
Born was a leader of man
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down to see the Lord Jesus
All going down


This song tells a couple key points of Jesus's story.  It tells of his visit with the three wise men and of his healing miracles.  Other than that, it mostly emphasizes that people want to be around Jesus.  The last three lines of each verse all say that everyone was going down to see the Lord Jesus.  It doesn't question his status as God's son and it doesn't go against the traditional view of Jesus.  This song displays Jesus as Christians know him: a caring individual who is a leader, God's son, and capable of miraculous, life-changing things.
 
Owl City- Meteor Shower

I can finally see,
That you're right there beside me,
I am my not own,
For I have been made new,
Please don't let me go,
I desperately need You,

I am not my own
For I have been made new
Please don't let me go,
I desperately need You

This brief song is about a person who is coming into Christianity for the first time.  The singer is  explaining how you can be made new through Christ and how they are desperately wanting to be near him at all times.  The song writer is a devout Christian, but his songs are not categorized under Christian music.  They are up for interpretation, but when I personally hear this song, I think about Christ right away.
 

Jesus Take the Wheel-Carrie Underwood 
She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy
With the baby in the backseat

Fifty miles to go and she was running low
On faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
She was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning
On a thin black sheet of glass

She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was so scared
She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
?Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus, take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat
Sleeping like a rock

And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life

I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
?Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on

Oh Jesus, take the wheel
Oh, I'm letting go

So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
From this road I'm on
Jesus, take the wheel
Oh, take it, take it from me
Oh, why, ooh

This song is about a mother who seems to be spinning out of control in many ways. She is overwhelmed by the stresses of life and gets lost in her head when she is driving to see her family. She doesn't realize how fast she's going and how dangerous the roads are until she hits a patch of ice and spins out of control. At that moment she was terrified not only for her life but more importantly for her baby in the back seat. Her car spinning out of control is an analogy for the way she feels about her life at the moment. She feels out of control, and that nothing can save her. After she has a second to catch her breath she realizes that she needs Jesus in her life. She needs him to guide her and take control of her life. After such a traumatic experience she realized she was living her life the wrong way. She realized that she needed to let go and let God take control of her life and handle the situation instead of trying to control it by herself.  
 
There's a long black train,
Comin' down the line,
Feedin' off the souls that are lost and cryin',
Rails of sin, only evil remains
Watch out brother for that Long Black Train

Look to the heavens
You can look to the skies
You can find redemption
Staring back into your eyes
There is protection and there's Peace the same,
burnin' your ticket for that Long Black Train

'Cause there's vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

There's an engineer on that Long Black Train,
Makin' you wonder if the ride is worth the pain,
He's just a waiting on your heart to say
Let me ride on that Long Black Train,

But you know there's vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the Lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And dont go ridin' on that Long Black Train

Well, I can hear the whistle from a mile away,
It sounds so good
But I must stay away
That train is a beauty, makin' everybody stare
But its only destination is the middle of nowhere,

But you know theres vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the Lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

I said cling to the Father and His holy name
And dont go ridin' on that long black train
Yeah, watch out brother for that long black train
That Devil's a drivin' that long black train.


This song is about how during life we are often tempted by things that will lead us astray from the path that the Lord would want us to take. The song Long Black Train is sung by Josh Turner. During this song he mentions “cling to the Father and His Holy name and don’t go riding on that long black train”. He wrote this song with an image in his head of a long black train going through the middle of nowhere with people standing out to the sides of the track. He used the image of the black train to describe sin and the decision people have to make is about whether or not to go riding on this train. The Lord wants us to stay away from the sins of the world and this song does a good job of describing how people are often tempted and are lead astray from the “right” path.

 
Let's have christ for president.
Let us have him for our king.
Cast your vote for the carpenter
That you call the nazarene.

The only way we can ever beat
These crooked politician men
Is to run the money changers out of the temple
And put the carpenter in

O it's jesus christ for president
God above our king
With a job and a pension for young and old
We will make hallelujah ring

Every year we waste enough
To feed the ones who starve
We build our civilization up
And we shoot it down with wars

But with the carpenter on the seat
Away up in the capital town
The usa would be on the way prosperity bound!


This song, by Billy Bragg brings together the ideas of Jesus and Politics with Jesus and music. The singer states that  having Jesus Christ for president is the only way to save our country from crooked politicians.  This song portrays Jesus as a savior for the citizens of the US because the lyrics specifically state: "But with the carpenter on the seat...The usa would be on the way prosperity bound". This song was written by Woody Guthrie around 1998 but the lyrics still hold true for the beliefs of most Americans today. Guthrie also brings up ideas about Americans today, such as wastefulness, and suggests that we can all be saved and forgiven if we accept Christ as our savior and think of him as our King. 
 
“This is God” – Phil Vassar

Hey, this is God
Can I please have your attention
There's a need for intervention
Man, I'm disappointed in what I'm seeing
Yeah, this is God
You fight each other in my name
Treat life like it's a foolish game
I'd say you've got the wrong idea

Oh, all I'm asking for is love
Well I've seen you hurt yourselves enough
Oh, I've been waiting on a change in you

Yeah, this is God
I've given everything to you
But look at what you do to the world that I created
This is God
What's with this attitude and hate
You grow more ignorant with age
You had it made, now look at all you've wasted

Oh, all I'm asking for is love
Oh, I've seen you hurt yourselves enough
Oh, I've been waiting on a change in you, yeah

I know your every thought, your heart and soul and every move
There are so many consequences to the things you do
All I'm asking for is love
Haven't you hurt yourselves enough
Oh, I've been waiting on a change in you
A change in you, oh This is God


This song by Phil Vassar is written about God’s feelings about the way Christians behave. In the song God notices that his people are not appreciating everything he has done for them. God is disappointed with “what you do” and looks at the world he created and wonders about the turn of the world. He calls Christians to “love your neighbor as yourself” in Mark 12:31; this is
an argument to the line about attitude and hate today. God wants his people to follow him and not hurt themselves anymore. This also shows that God is a caring God, wanting the best for his people. He is also angry and feeling as though his people do not appreciate him as much as they should. At the end of his disappointment in his people, it said “I’ve been waiting on a change in you” which implies God wishes Christians would follow him more closely. 

 
"Six Sirens" - Project 86 ft. Sonny of P.O.D.

and now I sit in thought
as the plot of my days commences
and I'm left with fences
put off the thoughts of my end
so long to race
to chase after the trends
so fleeting hours pass
usettled unresolved my passions
I escapes to win a new day
to waste misaligned priorities
parallel my desires
I hide my eyes to avoid embrace
I smell the stench
unavoidable approach comes against
and yet I'm left asking the question
denied a way to defend
the thoughts that this side equates
with what awaits

(Sonny from P.O.D.)
I'm rippin right through the masses
sacrifice into ashes
giving up what was past tense
raising up like Lazarus
laugh at the strongman
who thought he had control on my eternity
eternal is Christ empowers me
like the faith that builds my strength
is your dreams that fade away
to the battlefield we soldiers play
I dance with life beyond the grave
and Jah (God) only knows that I will never rest my head
no time for us to sleep
we concentrate on the son until our eyes bleed
salvation carries a cost we must prevail
death creeps like the breeze
but have no fear watch me inhale

(2X)
[Temporary Bliss]
the depths await my burial
[Temporary Bliss]
as the hours seem as seconds
[Temporary Bliss]
the end of your bliss is coming
[Temporary Bliss]
face the path, sip the last

embrace ends
every day a new day to die
die time
the former life is passed
blind side
I know what awaits my fate
haste breath
unavoidable ceasing of days
embrace ends
every day a new day to die
die time
the former life is passed
blind side
I know what awaits my fate
haste breath
today's a good day to die

(Sonny)
with the quickness equiped to bring the pain
enemies the soldier rages on
praying for casualties
in the distance I see a vision of my reflection
life and death intersection
this holy spirit intersection
(Andrew)
say hello to my end and greet the fears
that grip majority nightmares
removed bitterness none to spare
I pursue my fate
with a lack of remorse
I stand resolute to embrace the course
(Sonny)
confusion settles the mind
mind settles for blasphemies
ignoring the call heart dwells iniquities
let the praises on through we worship God most high
face to face with the truth
you know we're ready to die READY TO DIE
(Andrew)
reeling defenseless grieving and senseless
your powerless to avoid
demise left gaining on exit
and straining to fight it
your only option is losing you life to find it
(Sonny)
with the quickness equiped to bring the pain
enemies the soldier rages on
praying for casualties
in the distance I see a vision of my reflection
life and death intersection
this holy spirit intersection
(Andrew)
say hello to my end and greet the fears
that grip majority nightmares
removed bitterness none to spare
I pursue my fate
with a lack of remorse
I stand resolute to embrace the course

This song is one that could easily be seen as containing a lot of Jesus.  It presents an image of a suffering messiah and also a leader in an eternal conflict.  The understanding of Jesus presented by Project 86 and Sonny of P.O.D. is obviously a slightly combative one as there is language of combat but also by the language of death.  Throughout the song there is a feel of the need for constant death for Jesus that will gain one resurrection and eternal life.  This is even seen for others in Sonny’s line of “prayin’ for casualties”   This song is defiantly in the strange camp of using metal for evangelical work.  It calls for sacrifice and concentration of Jesus, committing one’s self to the work by sacrificing one’s self every day.