Editorials & Other Articles

The Bible
The word Bible means "book". In about 100 C.E. Christian scholars collected writings about the prophet, Jesus of Nazareth. Selecting certain texts, eliminating others, they canonized what is now the New Testament. This they combined with the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, to give a historical and philosophical context for their new teaching.

While the Old Testament introduces us to the Israelite God, YHWH, as a dark figure bringing death whenever he appears, Jesus revolutionized the concept of God as a father figure.

All Bibles are translations of translations of no longer existing original writings and, unavoidably, reflect the politics and religious prejudices of the organization paying the cost of the translation.

Today, many narrow-minded people wield the Bible as some sort of razor with which to slash their enemies. Allowing those people to decide what is important in the Bible is dangerous to the freedom of individual thought. Though some of the Bible is abysmal and boring, much of it is entertaining and important reading.

The Residents have tackled this book in all its complexity without the responsibility of the scholar. Though many months have gone into research, the intent of the music and lyrics remain within the realm of the inspired poet.

The stories and ideas represented here are definitely in the Bible. The desire is to neither vilify nor sanctify the book, but to allow it to be humanized. For the Bible to be looked upon as spiritually uplifting is good and useful, but that view overlooks the Bible's abundant images of plague, torture and cruelty. It is this dichotomy that gives balance and substance to the book. Without both, the dark and the light, there is no measure of either, only the bland reassurances that pass for organized religion today.

- Uncle Willie[Note 1]

"In the Beginning" - (2:57) is about the creation of the Earth and is entirely instrumental. (Genesis 1-3)
"Fire Fall" - (3:34) is about Lot escaping from Sodom and watching his wife turn to salt. (Genesis 19)
"They Are the Meat" - (2:40) is about Ezekiel's visions whilst he is forced to eat only bread and sleep on his side. (Ezekiel 4:4-15, 8-11)
"Melancholy Clumps" - (1:48) is about Noah building the Ark. (Genesis 6-8)
"How to Get a Head" - (4:05) tells us the tale of Salome requesting the head of John the Baptist. (Mark 6:17-29)
"Cain and Abel" - (3:34) tells us the story of the jealous Cain killing his brother Abel. (Genesis 4)
"Mr. Misery" - (2:19) is about Jeremiah and his suffering. (Jeremiah, Lamentations)
"Tent Peg in the Temple" - (2:54) is about the killing of Sisera. (Judges 4-5)
"God's Magic Finger" - (2:41) is about the story of King Belshazzar. (Daniel 5)
"Spilling the Seed" - (2:44) is about the story of Onan. (Genesis 38)
"Dinah and the Unclean Skin" - (2:52) is about the story of Dinah. (Genesis 34)
"Bathsheba Bathes" - (2:52) is about King David and Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11)
"Bridegroom of Blood" - (4:57) is about Moses being attacked by God and his wife Zipporah intervening by performing circumcision on their baby. (Exodus 4:24-26)
"Hanging by His Hair" - (2:33) tells us the story of Absalom and his death. (2 Samuel 13: 20-30, 16: 20-22, 18: 9-15)
"The Seven Ugly Cows" - (2:34) is about Joseph and his visions. (Genesis 39-41)
"Burn, Baby Burn" - (2:59) tells us the story of Jephthah sacrificing his daughter. (Judges 11:31-40)
"KILL HIM!" - (2:39) is the story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and gives us an insight into his possible thoughts. (Genesis 22)
"I Hate Heaven" - (2:50) is based on the Song of Solomon. (The Song of Solomon)
"Judas Saves" - (3:55) is told from the point of view of Judas Iscariot. This song proposes that Judas's betrayal of Jesus was necessary so that people could have their sins forgiven. It also proposes that Judas had been told by God to do so. (Compare the theories put forth by the protagonist of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "Three Versions of Judas", and the Gospel of Judas.) (Mark 14:17-46)
"Revelation" - (5:38) is an instrumental inspired by the Book of Revelation, chapters 4-22. (Revelation 4-22)