part of the Going Down The Road Feeling Glad album
Sinners in the hands of a maybe-not-angry-but-certainly-disappointed God
© 2016 Steven E. Cutts
recorded and mixed in the fall of 2019 by Jim Robeson
Steve, acoustic guitar and vocal
Jay Byrd, electric guitars
Jim Robeson, bass
Eric Selby, drums
Bill Starks, organ
The cartoon at the bottom is from THE NEW YORKER, Nov. 11, 2019.
I was talking with God just the other day;
It’s something we do every now and then.
I was down in the dumps, and I had to say,
“Things down here on Earth are the worst they’ve ever been!
It’s crowded as Hell, polluted as sin.
We’ve cranked up the heat, and the ozone’s thin.
The milk of human kindness is quickly running dry.
How about some God-ly magic from way up there on high?”
But God said, “No, no, no. It doesn’t work that way;
Good old Earth will not be saved by sleight of hand.
If you expected Eden that’s your own mistaken readin’.
Earth was never meant to be a Disneyland.”
God said, “No, no, no. You’ll have to muddle through
And use the common sense that you possess.
You’ve portrayed yourselves as masters; now you’re flirting with disaster.
Better scramble to clean up your own damn mess!”
We kept chatting away; I said, “I’d love to know
Who among the faithful has the inside track?
Which religion wins Best in Show?
And which of them would you say’s badly out of whack?
We sing ‘God bless America,’ ‘God save the Queen.’
Who you gonna bless and save? Who do you esteem?”
But God said, “No, no, no. There are no chosen ones.
You have all grown clever but not wise.
If you knew the mind of God, then you could have my job.
I reserve the right to mystify.”
God said, “No, no. There’re no angels bearing truth.
You all think that I whisper in your ear.
And those scriptural quotations are really your creations
Even though they’re thoughtful and sincere.
“So, God,” I said, “I’m dyin’ to ask --
Where do you stand on all the blood and gore?
Are you siding with us or with those maniacs?
Aren’t we the good guys who should win the war?
But God yelled, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t drag me into this!
I have never asked a soul to take up arms.
Don’t link violent inspirations to supposed revelations;
I would be the last to cause you harm.”
God said, “No, no, no, no, no. Don’t tie my name to guns.
I wish you would not pray for victory.
Whatever the conclusion, it’s folly and delusion
To pin the credit or the blame on me.
