enoweb

AMERICA IS WAITING

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: Unidentified indignant radio host, San Francisco, April 1980.

America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.

Takin' it again. Again! Again! Takin' it again.

Well now... no, no... now, we ought to be mad at the government not mad at the people.

Takin' it again. Again! Again! Takin' it again.

I mean, yeah, well... wha-what're ya gonna do?

America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.

No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! Absolutely no honor.

No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! Absolutely no integrity.

No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! I haven't seen any any any citizen over there stand up and say "Hey, just a second."

No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! I mean, yeah, so... wha-what're ya gonna do?

America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.

Reactions:

Like some of the pieces on Laurie Anderson's UNITED STATES, this song evokes obliquely but vividly what it was like in the U.S. at the dawn of the Reagan Years. I was ten in 1980, and my father took me to the flea market on weekends to help him sell cheap dartboards with the Ayatollah Khomeni's face on them.

MEA CULPA

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: Inflamed caller and smooth politician replying,
both unidentified. Radio call-in show, New York, July 1979.

What're you saying? He said "I'm sorry, I committed a sin, I made a mistake. I asked (?????) to forgive me... please forgive me." He said "Mea Culpa," can you put it better? "I'm saying I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I made... I committed a sin, I made a mistake. And I'm never gonna do it again, I never did it before and I'm never gonna do it again."

Reactions:

Another echo from "deep in the heart of darkest America." I had a friend in college named Rob. He was a good guy, but he was a born-again Christian. After a while he left me alone about it, but in public he would begin to proselytize without warning. He got us kicked out of my favorite pizza place because he told the Hindu proprieter that Hinduism was a lie of the Devil. Once, when he was approached in the airport by a Hare Krishna proffering the Bhagvad Gita, he whipped his Bible out of his pocket and they went at each other. I guess Rob won, because in the end the Hare Krishna put his fingers in his ears and began walking in tight circles.

When Jimmy Swaggart wept and confessed that he had sinned with prostitutes etc., Rob, a devoted follower of the Reverend, underwent a crisis of faith. But eventually he concluded that because Swaggart had repented, he could forgive him. Later, when I told him I was gay, he said that if I repented he could forgive me, too.)

HELP ME SOMEBODY

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: Reverend Paul Morton,
broadcast sermon, New Orleans, June 1980.

Talkin' funny and lookin' funny and talkin' 'bout "Nobody loves(?) me" you make yourself look bad.

Help me somebody.

You need to take a good look at yourself and see if you're the kind of person that God wants you to be.

It's no big thing, it's a small thing, what... people... think(?).

Help me somebody.

There's no escape from Him. He's so high you can't get over Him. He's so low you can't get under Him. He's so wide you can't get around Him. If you make your bed in Heaven He's there. If you make your bed in Hell He's there. He's everywhere.

Woo! Help me somebody. Woo! Help me somebody.

Reactions:

Before we parted company, I went one time with Rob to his church. He'd said he was feeling lonely and wanted some company, but that turned out to be ruse. He'd become concerned about the music I was listening to. The service that day consisted of a presentation by an itinerant preacher who lectured on the evil of rock music. He projected slides of album covers onto a screen behind the altar to illustrate his point. I remember that David Byrne (as depicted on the back of "Little Creatures") was accused of promoting "spiritual weirdness." I told Rob afterwards that I appreciated the sentiment, resented the deception, rejected the sermon, and that he should have at least warned me not to wear my David Bowie T-shirt.)

Alternative hearing:

Jase: Something I forgot to mention earlier having to do with the lyrics on 'Help Me Somebody' from the Bush of Ghosts album. In the first verse, I strongly believe that its ~ 'Talkin' funny and lookin' funny ... and talkin' 'bout "nobody judge me," you make yourself look bad.' Listen to it and see what you think, but I pretty sure this is what that minister is saying.

THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: Unidentified exorcist, New York, September 1980

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

Do you hear voices? You do. So you are possessed.

You are a believer born again and yet you hear voices and you are possessed.

Okay, now are you ready Elizabeth(?).

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

Put your hand over there. [???????????????????]

Okay sister, you have a Jezebel Spirit within you. You have a Spirit of Grief, and you have a Spirit of Destruction.

Jezebel! Spirit of Grief! Spirit of Destruction! I bind you with chains of iron! I bind you [??????] be bound in heaven! Lessen your hold and come out of her now!

Start blowing out, sister... Out... Out, Jezebel! Come out now! Go ahead... Out in the name of Jesus! Come on Destruction! Come on Grief! Jezebel, you're gonna listen to me! Jezebel! Go ahead sister, keep blowing... Jezebel, I'm binding you! She was intended by God to be a virtuous woman! You have no right to her, her husband is the head of her heart(?)! Out, Jezebel! Out! Out! And Jesus said: "... That's right, I'm gonna break your power Jezebel! [?????????????] Go ahead, sister... Go ahead, sister... [?????????????...]

Alternative Hearings:

Okay, now are you ready Elizabeth(?). I always heard this as "Okay, now are you ready to be delivered?"
Put your hand over there. I always heard this as "Put your hands in the air". My $.02. Thanks for the work on the site. (-- John Robinson)

yellowstone:
> Okay, now are you ready Elizabeth(?). Definitely "are you ready to be delivered"
> Put your hand over there. [???????????????] The [???] part sounds like "This is from the [figure out??]."
> Jezebel! Spirit of Grief! Spirit of Destruction! The order is wrong. It should be Jezebel! Spirit of Destruction! Spirit of Grief!
> I bind you [??????] be bound in heaven! Lessen your hold and come out of her now! The exorcist is referencing Matthew 18:18: Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. [KJV] It doesn't really help with the [??????] part, but he's definitely saying /Loosen/ your hold and come out of her now!
> And Jesus said: Actually "In Jesus' Name" (c.f. Jn:14:14: If ye shall ask any thing in my [Jesus] name, I will do it).
> That's right, I'm gonna break your power Jezebel! [?????????????] [?????????????] is "Loosen your hold from her mind".

John Dunster: I transcribed these a while ago, I've highlighted bits I've heard differently, and some bits missed. What do you think?

Jezebel Spirit

Do you hear voices?
You do, so you are possessed.
You are a believer, born again
And yet you hear voices and you are possessed.
Ok, are you ready to give us a listen?
Put your hand over there.
We want this figured out.
Ok sister;
You have a Jezebel spirit within you
You have a spirit of grief
You have a spirit of destruction.
Jezebel,
Spirit of destruction,
Spirit of grief,
I bind you with chains of iron
I bind you out of that bounded heaven.
Loosen your hold and come out of her now.
(It’s no good our sister.)
Out. Out Jezebel.
Come out now
(Go ahead)
Out in the name of Jesus
Come out destruction
Come out destruction
Come out grief
Jezebel you are going to listen to me Jezebel
(Go ahead sister; keep going.
Jezebel will abandon you)
She was intended by God to be a virtuous woman
You have no right to her
Her husband is the head of the house
Out Jezebel. Out. Out.. Let Jesus in.
That’s right
I break your power Jezebel
Loosen your hold on her mind
Go ahead sister
Go ahead sister
Use your head
That was easy
You can sit down now.

Mark Ultra:Growing up in Georgia, I have some experience with appalachian pentecostal Christianity, but the preacher in "Jezebel Spirit" has the strangest accent I've ever heard. Is he from rural England? The way he says "again" and "iron" is not southern appalachian, but again, I'm not a linguist. Anyway, although I've never witnessed a exorcism per se, I've seen laying on of hands and healing which is pretty much the same thing. The preacher is definitely saying "Okay, now are you ready to be delivered?" "Put your head under there" (Probably, she has approached near him at the pulpit or in the aisle, he's holding up his hand. He wants her to move close to him and touch her forehead to his outstreached palm. "This she [?] out". Here his accent is so weird that I can't understand him but it might be "has figured" although I hear a "p" or "b" sound in there. One thing to bear in mind is that certain of his phrases may be glossolalial, or he could be invoking the name of an Angel or a demon. ..."I band (bound) you now to that and be bound in Heaven" (the Matthew 18:18 reference). ..."Start blowing out, sister... Out... Out, Jezebel! Come out now! Go ahead... Out in the name of Jesus! Come on destruction! Come on destruction! Come on grief! Jezebel, you're gonna listen to me! Jezebel! Go ahead sister, keep blowing... Jezebel, I'm binding you! She was intended by God to be a virtuous woman! You have no right to her, her husband is the head of the house! Out, Jezebel! Out! Out! In Jesus' name. ...Thats right. Break your power, Jezebel. Loosen your holds on her mind. Go ahead sister. Go ahead sister. So go ahead! Talk to me (the preacher is addressing the demon, not the woman). [Do not s]? it down my husband". Could be "Knocks it down, my husband". The husband is probably standing behind her, and when the demon leaves her, she will fall backwards into the husband's arms. My guess is that the preacher is about to culminate the exorcism and push her backwards using his palm on her forehead.

Well, anyway, I much enjoy the site. Keep up the good work.

EnoWeb: Nope, that there preacher bain't be frum rural England. We don't 'ave accents loike that rewnd eer.

MOONLIGHT IN GLORY

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: The Moving Star Hall Singers, Sea Islands, Georgia, from "The Moving Star Hall Singers" Folkways FS3841.

... He wasn't responsible for the act. I've been warned...

I believe it wrong not to warn the people.

And the machine... he come upon them and strike. ...

I understand that somebody began to...

And the song began to move up.

I understand like this. Move up. I understand like this. ... Move up.

So, they get tired. It was come dark and rain'll make you very tired.

And then he went and knocked on an old lady house and old lady ran to the door, say "Who is this?" Jack say "Me, Mama-san, could we spend the night here? Cause we're far from home, very tired." And old lady said "Oh yes, come on in." Said "Come on in." So I'm realizing I'm in trouble.

It was come dark and rain'll make you very tired.

Notes:

The voice credit may refer only to the singing and not to the spoken words. About those words: shades of "I Zimbra" - I'm not really sure that the first speaker is speaking English. I can only make vague, hopeless guesses about fragments, which I'll set off in ellipses. (?)'s throughout are implied.) (-- Jose Isaza)

Jack say "Me, Mama-san == Jack said, it's me, momma (-- Tom)

I can assure you that the opening words are indeed in English, albeit spoken with a thick rural accent. The words are (as near as I can make them out):

Before God destroyed.... the people on the Earth.... He warned Noah to build an Ark. And after Noah.... built his Ark.... I believe he told Noah to warn the people.... And they must change all the wicked things before.... he come upon them and destroy them..... And when Noah done built his Ark..... I understand that somebody.... began to rend a song. And the song began to.... move on.... I understand like this.

I hope this makes the archive, as I have found this oral re-telling of the Great Flood story of the Bible particularly moving in the context of this song. (-- David Wheeler)

Mark Ultra: Hi, I recently discovered EnoWeb. I think I can add some information to the lyrics page about the Eno/Byrne collaboration "Moonlight in Glory". I believe that the voices, except the really phased one which I can't say much about, are speaking in thick Gullah accents. Gullah is an english based creole with lots of african vocabulary and grammar which the slave decendants in the Georgia and South Carolina barrier islands speak. I lived among these people, however not as a linguist but as an estuarine ecologist. See the Pat Conroy novel "The water is wide" for more about them.

The way I hear it is: (Coming in in mid-story) "...before God destroyed the people on the earth, He warned Noah to build an ark. Now after Noah built his ark, I believe He told Noah to warn the people. That they must change all their wicked ways before He come upon them and destroy them. And when Noah had done built his ark, I understand that somebody begun to realize something, ...and the song began a moon ah- I understand like this:" then this singers sing "Moon... by the moon" He says "Moon-ah". They sing "Moon..by the moon." He says "I understand like this." They sing "Moon..by the moon." He says "And when Noah had done built his ark." They sing "Moonlight in Glory oh by the moon." (Glory means heaven). He says "Moon-ma" or whatever it is. Then the really reverbed or whatever it is voice comes in. I don't think its a Gullah speaker. Its probably an engineer or Eno or Byrne (just a guess). Anyway, that voice comes in and out at various times until the end of the song. Some of the phrases can be made out, but I'm not transcribing them here. Anyway, a different female storyteller "So they get tired, it was come dark, and rain [?] done make it weary and tired. And then he went and knocked an old lady house. Old lady ran to the door and say who is this? Jack said me momma said can we spend the night here cause we far from home and very tired. Old lady says oh yes, come on in." Singing again, "Moon, by the moon." Spoken, "pssst (or sudden tape noise?) ...come on in". Sung, "Moon by the moon". Spoken, "cause I realized I'm in trouble" [?] Sung, "Moon by the moon". Spoken, "it was come dark, and rain [?] done make it weary and tired. Sung, "moonlight in Glory oh by the moon."

COME WITH US

written by Brian Eno & David Byrne

VOICE: Unidentified radio evangelist, San Francisco, April 1980.

Come with Us.

Learn the Truth.

We will appear to you

From time to time.

John Kahila adds:

All of the material sampled on "Moonlight in Glory" (and in tiny fragments elsewhere on MLitBoG), both song and narrative, can be found on Folkways album FS 3841, "Sea Island Folk Festival" (Moving Star Hall Singers and Alan Lomax). The original Folkways notes give the editor's hearing of the lyrics, which I usually agree with (but not always).

Most of the Folkways catalog of well over 2000 titles was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution after the original Folkways went out of business in the Eighties. Except for a few hundred titles distributed by Rounder Records, the Smithsonian keeps all of the original titles in print via a CDs-on-demand service, and also issues new titles under its Smithsonian/Folkways imprint.

"Moonlight in Glory" can also be found on Smithsonian/Folkways CD SF 40031, "Been in the Storm So Long", a compilation of material from FS 3841 and FS 3842 (another Sea Island recording). I prefer FS 3841 (less polish, better notes -- the SF compilation doesn't print any lyrics); but your mileage may vary.

If anyone is interested in ordering either of these titles from the Smithsonian, they can check out http://www.si.edu/folkways/

Back to lyrics page