Thursday, August 1, 2019

Godwhacker by Steely Dan


In the beginning We could hang with the dude
But it's been too much of nothing Of that stank attitude
Now they curse your name And there's a bounty on your face
It's your own fault daddy GodWhacker's on the case 

We track your almighty ass Thru seven heaven-worlds
Me, Slinky Redfoot And our trusty angel-girls
And when the stars bleed out That be the fever of the chase
You better get gone poppie GodWhacker's on the case

Be very very quiet Clock everything you see
Little things might matter later At the start of the end of history

Climb up the glacier Across bridges of light
We sniff you, Big Tiger In the forest of the night '
Cause there's no escape From the Rajahs of Erase
You better run run run GodWhacker's on the case

Be very very quiet Clock everything you see
Little things might matter later At the start of the end of history
Yes we are the GodWhackers Who rip and chop and slice
For crimes beyond imagining It's time to pay the price

You better step back son Give the man some whackin' space
You know this might get messy GodWhacker's on the case 




Brilliant song, one of my favorites. The meaning is surprisingly simple; for Steely Dan anyway. In Donald Fagen's book Eminent Hipsters (Well worth a read btw) he says: "One more word about my mother: She died horribly of Alzheimer's. One time, after not seeing her for a while, I visited her in a nursing home in Ohio. As I walked towards her, she stared at me with great interest and then said, "You know, I've always liked you very much." Not long after that, she was gone. How do you like that? A couple of days later, I started writing a lyric for this song "Godwhacker," which Walter and I completed and recorded for a Steely Dan CD."

 It's about an elite squad of assassins whose sole assignment is to find a way into heaven and take out God. If the Deity actually existed, what sane person wouldn't consider this to be justifiable homicide?" -----------------------------

So yeah. The lyrics are kind of straight forward. However it does give a whole new philosophical dimension to the song. The concept of if a God did exist, he surely deserves punished for his blatant lack of care etc. Whether you agree with the concept or not, or if you just don't care, it still adds a very deep philosophical meaning to the song.

2 comments:

God sucks and some of you admit and others are in denial about it. Say what ever you want. I am not an evil agent of God so I won't censor unless it is spam or pornographic. I'll even let Christers and Muslimes post their lies.