By Larry Fyffe
But you've picked up quite a story, and you've changed since the womb What happened to the real you, you've been captured, but by whom (Bob Dylan: Property Of Jesus)
The double-edged song lyrics above can be construed as an expression of sympathy for the Devil, represented by Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.
As goes one of their songs below:
'Cause she'll never break, never break, never break Never break this heart of stone (Rolling Stones: Heart Of Stone ~ Jagger/Richard)
Asserted it be that s/he who’d follow the compassion of the soft-hearted Christ, including His love for Nature’s creatures, are gone missing from most songs by the band from modern Babylon:
He's the property of Jesus Resent him to the bone You got something better You've got a heart of stone (Bob Dylan: Property Of Jesus)
Black’s the colour of true Baroque poetry:
Was ever heart like mine? So bad? black? vile Is any devil blacker? Or can hell Produce it's match? It is the very soil Where Satan reads his charms, and sets his spell (Edward Taylor: Still I Complain, I Am Complaining Still)
Extended metaphor, hyperbole, and paradox be its main literary devices; individual skepticism concerning the doctrines of orgainized religion the mood thereof:
Faith's overtrumped, and oft doth lose her tricks Repentance's chalked up noddy, and out shut They post and pare off grace thus, and its shine (Edward Taylor: Still I Complain, I Am Complaining Still)
I can’t think for you, you have to decide – do the following lyrics refer to Jumping Jack Flash, or to Jesus, the Saviour; perhaps to both:
When the whip that is keeping you in line Doesn't make him jump Say he's hard of hearing, say that he's a chump Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve Because he doesn't pay tribute to the king that you serve (Bob Dylan: Property Of Jesus)
In the Thomas Hardy’s novel ‘Jude The Obscure’, Sue jumps from being a religious skeptic to being a true-believer. Seems the theme of the novel is that you’ve just gotta serve someone.
Hardy quotes from the following hymn: Teach me to live, that I may dread The grave as little as my bed Teach me to die, that so I may Rise gloriously at the awful day (Tallis/Ken: All Praise To My God, This Night)
The hymn refers to the Devil’s tempting Jesus by offering Him the whole wide world.
Replies Christ:
Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written That thou shalt worship the Lord thy God And Him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10)
Things fall apart, or do they? – the human Jesus becomes equated with the Almighty One:
You'll never break it, darling You'll never break this heart of stone (Rolling Stones: Heart Of Stone)
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