Many of us here are familiar with the 80's UK band XTC and their simple yet highly emotional plea of a song: "Melt the Guns". I've heard the song hundreds of times, beginning right when it first came out in 1982.
Through the numbness of this past week I finally pulled it out for yet another listen the other night.
What struck me rather strongly in lieu of Newtown was hearing the song's climactic "rap" where America is scolded for its insane embrace of guns and violence- it's depressingly accurate in a Sartre, No Exit, nauseating way:
I am speaking to the justice league of America.
The u. s. of a. Hey you! Yes you! Yes you! in particular.
When it comes to the judgement day and you're standing at the gates in your weaponry.
You dead go down on one knee, clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me
'cause we say...
We say:
'Our father we've managed to contain the epidemic in one place now.
Let's hope they shoot themselves instead of others help to sterilize the race now.
We've trapped the cause of the plague in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And if you listen quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave.'
Yikes. Ugh. It's all true. In this respect we are truly the scourge of the earth.
Melt the Guns. As good advice now as it was 30 years ago.
And even if the lyrics are too depressing the music is still pretty good:
Programmes of violence
as entertainment
brings the disease into your room.
We know the germ which
is man-made in metal
is really a key to your own tomb.
Prevention is better than cure.
Bad apples affecting the pure.
You'll gather your senses I'm sure and
a-a-a-a-agree to
melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more desire them.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them!
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more desire them!
Children will want them.
Mothers supply them
as long as your killers are heroes.
And all the media
will fiddle while Rome burns
acting like modern-time Neros.
Prevention is better than cure.
Bad apples affecting the pure.
You'll gather your senses I'm sure and
a-a-a-a-agree to
melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more desire them.
Melt the guns, (You ought to) melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them!
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more desire them!
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I am speaking to the justice league of America.
The u. s. of a. Hey you! Yes you! Yes you! in particular.
When it comes to the judgement day and you're standing at the gates in your weaponry.
You dead go down on one knee, clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me
'cause we say.
we say....
Our father we've managed to contain the epidemic in one place now.
Let's hope they shoot themselves instead of others help to sterilize the race now.
We've trapped the cause of the plague in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And if you listen quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave.
If you listen quite quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave.
If you listen quite quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave.
From grave to grave to grave to grave to....
You should melt the guns!
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, (You ought to) melt the guns
and never more desire them.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns
and never more to fire them!
Melt the guns, melt the guns, (You ought to) melt the guns
and never more desire them!
Melt the guns, melt the guns, now.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, now.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, now.
Melt the guns, melt the guns, now.
Melt them. Melt them. Melt them. Melt them. Melt them. Melt them....