Today, before we get to my next post, Apocalypse Now and Later, I want to visit a song I absolutely love from Neko Case. Case, if you don't know, is from The New Pornographers, a band I avoided for years because of its name. But it turns out I like them, love her, and really enjoy her song John Saw that Number (as a sidenote, I just found out she's from Tacoma, near where I grew up, and went to school in Vancouver, near where I went to school...maybe we can be friends). Anyways, here's the lyrics:
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Leather harness round his line
His meat was locust and honey
Wild honey lord, wild honey
John saw that number
Way in the middle of the air
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Frogs and snakes are gonna get John this time
God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists so the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the lord
Read the revelations, you'll find him there
Third chapter, fourth verse where he said unto me
"There's a beast that rose out of the sea"
Ten crowns, ten crowns
On his horns write "blasphemy"
John couldn't read it (John couldn't read it)
Get on repeat it
John couldn't read it
Holy, holy to the Lord
There was a man, a pharisee
Who came by night to meet him
Said "I know thy teacher came from God cause no man can do such miracles
Without the lord to entreat him
"God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists and the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord...
Aside from her naming John the Baptist as the John of Revelation fame, I do think these lyrics have grasped onto another important part of apocalyptic literature. Case has worked herself into the style of apocalyptic! Listen to these amazing lyrics about "moon round his waist" and "stars round his wrists" and you are suddenly beginning to picture those images that we have let grow stale in books like Revelation and Daniel after too much literalist reading. This is imaginative, even psychadelic, imagery folks!
My desire with today's post was to share that the imagery of past apocalyptic literature can still be celebrated today. I hope lyrics like these brings helps to bring those ancient books back to life for you in the same way they have for me.
In his book In God's Time, Craig Hill brings up what is missing from a Neko Case apocalypse. He says that "Where there is an emperor with divine pretensions, there is need of an apocalypse." Case's apocalypse seems more historical than for the here and now but I'm getting way too far ahead of myself...
Have you seen apocalyptic imagery used or expanded upon anywhere?
Peace,
Matt
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