XTC - Dear God

I knew I couldn't make it past the third post without highlighting this classic from XTC. Did I mention that "Blasphemous Rumors" scared me when I was a Mormon teenager? Well, if that song scared me then this song made me run screaming from the room begging god not to let me be seduced by its catchy melody and thus wooed to the dark side and cast into a fiery pit. I thought for sure that we would soon read a news story about the untimely deaths of all who were involved with this song's recording, production, distribution, sales, and promotion. That news story still hasn't materialized. Maybe it will happen a few days before the Rapture. As my faith in god waned, I grew to realize just how cool Andy Partridge and XTC were for writing and recording this. Also, of note in my book are the versions by Sarah McLachlan and Tricky. Sarah's version is what got me thinking about this song again in the mid 90's. Tricky's version is superb and weirdly cool.

Dear God by XTC Dear God, Hope you got the letter and I pray you can make it better down here. I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer But all the people that you made in your image, See them starving on their feet 'Cause they don't get enough to eat From God I can't believe in you. Dear God, Sorry to disturb you, but I feel that I should be heard loud and clear. We all need a big reduction in the amount of tears And all the people that you made in your image, See them fighting in the street 'Cause they can't make opinions meet About God, I can't believe in you. Did you make disease, and the diamond blue? Did you make mankind after we made you? And the devil too?! Dear God, Don't know if you noticed, but... Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book, Us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look, And all the people that you made in your image, Still believing that junk is true Well I know it ain't, and so do you Dear God, I can't believe in... I don't believe in... I won't believe in heaven and hell. No saints, no sinners, no devil as well. No pearly gates, no thorny crown. You're always letting us humans down. The wars you bring, the babes you drown. Those lost at sea and never found, And it's the same the whole world 'round. The hurt I see helps to compound That Father, Son and Holy Ghost Is just somebody's unholy hoax And if you're up there you'd perceive That my heart's here upon my sleeve. If there's one thing I don't believe in..... It's you..... Dear God.