Could Be A Lot Worse

I was listening at lunchtime to a CD by one of my favorite bands, Vigilantes of Love. There's an excellent chance you've never heard of them, because they've never had much airplay. They're a band from Athens, GA, that's bigger in England than here in the States and in neither country are they well-known.

Which doesn't mean they're not great. In our world greatness, acclaim, and popularity have very little to do with each other. I'm part of a musicians forum that has a running thread called "Worst Top-40 Songs EVER" and it's a hilarious collection of terrible music and rancid lyrics that have somehow pierced our nation's ears. I mean, really, do "Muskrat Love" or "Feelings" do anything for you? Popular...not great. Kanye West? Acclaimed...not great. Paris Hilton? hard to describe how incredibly un-great she is. But whatever she's got is all you need to be a celeb.

So, great and well-known are unrelated.

I first ran into VOL one day when I was digging through the bargain bin at our local Family Bookstore (an emporium devoted to Christian junque and flavor-of-the-month authors and music). There I spotted an old, unsold CD called "Blister Soul" from the as-yet-unknown Vigilantes of Love. Now, "Blister Soul" may or may not be a good name for an album, but THAT is a great name for a band! So I bought it.

And I wasn't disappointed. The sound would probably called "Americana" - rock, folk, even country; electric guitars, old Gibsons, and the occasional mandolin, with music deeply rooted in the soil and lyrics sharp and insightful. The main Vigilante, Bill Mallonee, explores his faith, his fact and fiction, with wry honesty that appeals to me. It's not "worship" music, mostly, or even what most people think of "Christian", except that Bill is a believer, and God is always honored when His children face life head-on and include Him in the process.

a kiss for the miles to drive, a prayer for when it rains
one shot of perspective, a couple more to kill the pain
when all the best metaphors are hitting too close to home,
when all the best metaphors are bleeding from your bones

i'm gonna die a failure but to happiness awake
you can go to sleep in hell and wake up at heaven's gate
think of all that we miss today
that lay right before our eyes
think of all that fades away
in the hard-pressed compromise

and this is dangerous terrain we're attempting to traverse
it's a crying shame but it could be a lot worse

so you proceed with caution
though you're mumbling in the dark
and that one shot of perspective has finally hit your heart

faith she's a whistling train running hard in the dark
and hope is like a thing untamed
gonna lay to waste your heart
love's a little bit of God there for all to know
love's the everlasting arms that never do let go

Isn't that life? Kisses, prayers, mumbles, empty miles, failures, true perspectives, faith, hope, and metaphors that are too close for comfort. Life may be hard, dangerous terrain...
but it could be a lot worse.


(check out more of bill and VOL at
http://www.parting-shot.com)