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Monday
Oct. 7, 2002

" REVEREND JAMES "
(c) 2002 Ronald Boyte 0365

v 1
At the end of the black topped road
Hangs a white metal gate
Was seldom locked before
Before the church was torched by hate

build
Fire lit up the sky
Damnation taunted evil souls to hide
Heard it crackle like a nursery rhyme
Satan knew his kind

chorus
Preacher Preacher of flames Reverend James
Anointed to spread the gospel
Leading his sheep as God's Apostle
Mistook the path of sin Letting the Devil in
Hell's fire proved wrong is sometimes right
One Texas July moonless night

v 2
There were those that would call him Saint
Blinded faith fed by trust
Were never doubts of sin
But then Young boys told tales of lust

build
Fire lit up the sky
Damnation taunted evil souls to hide
Heard it crackle like a nursery rhyme
Satan knew his kind

chorus
Preacher Preacher of flames Reverend James
Anointed to spread the gospel
Leading his sheep as God's Apostle
Mistook the path of sin Letting the Devil in
Hell's fire proved wrong is sometimes right
One Texas July moonless night

bridge
Some say they hear him still
Chanting the scriptures through the window sills
The fire he set destroyed a church
The lives he changed left a Devil's curse

chorus
Preacher Preacher of flames Reverend James
Anointed to spread the gospel
Leading his sheep as God's Apostle
Mistook the path of sin Letting the Devil in
Hell's fire proved wrong is sometimes right
One Texas July moonless night

tag (last two lines of build)
Heard it crackle like a nursery rhyme
Satan knew his kind

out
Preacher Preacher of flames
Reverend James ---


* End

Ron; Reverend James, and Devilman Jim?
I believe these two know each other. Great wordsmithing on Jim! The only thing I saw that tripped me up on James was where it said "Was seldom locked before"
"before the church was torched by hate"
Seems like it would word better if you said
Was seldom locked before
UNTIL the church was torched by hate. I've been called on doing this before, using the same words in succession. Sometimes it works sometimes it works in spite of what others say. Anyway, both songs excellent, as usual.
How do you write so many?
Randy Wimberley

HEY RON I agree with randyman on about the gate part..
I thought the same when I gave it a reading///it flowed nice would love to hear it.....
good work and good luck
SDL

Hi Randy & SDL!
Thanks for commenting on this one.

Randy,
Concerning the double use of "before" in v1 you'll find that in each verse I follow the same pattern. Though, it's not as evident in v2; "sin/but then". So, it was intentional. And, I think the stress of the words, especially singing it may pull it off. But, it's a good call. And, I'll keep it in mind.
Writing? Don't know.

SDL!
Thanks for checking it out too. I hope to one day have it set to music. Of course I say that about every one of my babies! Lol!

Thanks Guys!
Ron Boyte

Ron,

I actually had a pastor friend who burned his church to the ground in Burlingame, California. He was gay, hiding it, and pastoring in a denomination that doesn't accept that as a valid expression of Biblical Christianity. Guess the contrary winds in his soul blowing in different directions finally got to him. Gassed the building just as they were finishing a major remodeling project, and burned it. Had a breakdown of some kind. Lost his marriage and ministry. Might have been locked up for a while. I've lost track of him. We sat in classes together for six years.

I had known of his struggles. He was a regular visitor in the room I shared with another gay student my junior year in college. (I am, and always have been a flaming, monogamist heterosexual. I was engaged to the woman I married at the time.) My reaction to my roommate's sexual direction let this pastor know his secret was safe with me. While I didn't agree with his choices, I would not do anything to harm him or expose him. Now I wonder what more I might have done to help him.

Gripping imagery. Paul Simon wrote an early song called "A Church is Burning".

I missed why this preacher torched his place of worship. Did he go crazy? Did he fall into sexual exploitation of some of his younger parishioners and burn himself as a kind of self-inflicted punishment--or was burned by others in revenge? Preachers who sin horribly are such interesting villians. They even show up in the Bible. Always good for a shudder... (Check out the final three chapters of Judges, for instance. In fact, the last two major stories in that book involve "cracked and creepy clergy".) Hope never to provide a living example of such personally.

Keep writing.

Skip




[This message has been edited by Skip Johnson (edited 10-14-2002).]

Hi Skip!
Yep, bad things happen in a bad world.

The preacher was accused of molesting young boys. It's in there.

Thanks!
Ron Boyte

G'day Ronald. This had got to be one your best songs, Mate. Gee you wrote this very well indeed about a subject that would be a very difficult subject to write and sing about. Well done!. I like your song. best wishes, Ray in Australia.