Why
Megadeth Won’t Ever play This Song Again
Big-Joe-Radio
8/29/2014
Welcome
to my writing sanctuary that I humbly like to call, Big-Joe-Radio. In taking to
my usual custom of writing about themes with music, I’d like to go over one of
my most favorite metal bands of all time. By that, I mean Megadeth. More
specifically I’d like to get into the mind of Dave Mustaine, to see what made
him write and perform such dark themed music. His spirituality is amazing to
me. He has swung all the way from the right side of the pendulum to now the
left. He went from supreme sinner, to what
he has labeled himself to being a born again Christian. Take a ride with me as
I Analyze the music, the man, the black magic. First enjoy the music and the
Lyrics of, The Conjuring.
"The Conjuring"
Welcome to out
sanguinary sect of worship,
Feel at home in our black conventicle,
As we anathematise,
All of those who oppose us,
Don't summon the devil,
Don't call the priests,
If you need the strength,
The conjuring. Obey!!!
Behold the flames rise,
From the compass' cardinal points,
Burn the sacred oil,
And, with the ashes you'll annoint,
Arrange the symbols,
Of the wizard, and, magician,
Light the candles,
Place the parchment paper in position,
Between its leaves place,
The lash from a black cat's eye,
A straw of a broom,
Fold, and, burn, and, centralise,
Don't summon the devil,
Don't call the priests,
If you need the strength,
The conjuring,
I am the devil's advocate,
A salesman, if you will,
You know my name. [You know my name],
I met your father years ago,
Gave him what he'd please,
He called my name, you'll do the same,
I'm claiming what is mine by right,
It's time to close the deal,
You're bought and sold, bought and sold,
Come join me in my infernal depths,
Mephisto's hall of fame
I've got your soul, I've got your soul,
The conjuring. Obey!!!
Holy-cow,
fellas. What the hell was I just listening to? I remember I was a young lad of
about 13-14. I was starting to get into my years of discovering my own identity
and individuality. I remember walking into a record store one day and hearing
the base line of this song, after the singer says, “Obey”. To me that sounded
exactly like 4 horsemen riding into the dark of night to wreak havoc, chaos,
and destruction on the world. The
Conjuring was the anthem of those deadly riders. I loved it.
The
song that I speak of is of course call The
Conjuring. The song is the second track on probably the best thrash metal
album of all time, Peace Sells but Who’s
Buying. The song simulates a Satanic ceremony. It also makes it seem like
the singer is representing himself as the Devil’s advocate, or salesman. That
singer is Dave Mustaine himself. He claims that the song is deeply rooted in
black magic. The song has not been played by Megadeth since 2001, roughly
around the same time that Dave Mustaine and the Bassist David Ellefson,
converted to Christianity.
Here’s
my brief description of what I think of all the tracks on Peace Sells… The introductory track, Wake Up Dead is obviously about coming home late at night and
hoping that your live in girlfriend is not aware that you were just out
cheating on her. How many of us men can relate to this? The idea of momma
giving us a kitchen pass, for us only to use that pass to betray her behind her
back. Sometimes cheating has nothing to do with whether or not we love the
woman we cheated on, but rather the fact that men are very carnal in nature. We
love the thrill of the chase, the capture and the seduction of a beautiful woman.
Sometimes when a girlfriend/wife gives us that free pass, she is giving us a
ticket to our own harm. This song clearly displays the truth to this, and the
music conveys the madness that happens inside a man’s mind as he must choose
between two women. This is true even though he may love both woman but for two
very different reasons. Or he may just love the hunt like I said.
"Wake Up Dead"
I sneak in my own house,
It's four in the morning,
I had too much to drink,
Said I was out with the boys,
I creep in my bedroom,
I slip into bed,
I know if I wake her,
I'll wake up dead,
[Chorus:]
I wonder, will she find out,
About the other, other lover,
Diana.
Wake up dead, you die,
Wake up dead, and buried,
Wake up dead, you die,
Wake up dead.
Peace
Sells, the title track, to this album is a direct reflection of Dave Mustaine’s
strong political beliefs. Now I am not going to say that I fully agree or
disagree. I will state that when I first bought the cassette tape, I fully
admired the cover. You have this skeleton in a business suit standing over a
for sale sign. His mouth is wired shut, his ears are muffled by some cool chain
links and his eyes are a steel plate, screwed shut. To me that conveys the idea
of “Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil”. Obviously the idea was to depict
the government as one huge hypocrisy. The government is probably the most evil
entity out there. Now you can decide if those are my words or Dave’s words.
“Peace Sells…but
Who’s Buying”
What do you mean, "I don't believe in
God"?
I talk to him every day.
What do you mean, "I don't support your system"?
I go to court when I have to.
What do you mean, "I can't get to work on time"?
I got nothing better to do
And, what do you mean, "I don't pay my bills"?
Why do you think I'm broke? Huh?
[Chorus:]
If there's a new way,
I'll be the first in line.
But, it better work this time.
What do you mean, "I hurt your feelings"?
I didn't know you had any feelings.
What do you mean, "I ain't kind"?
I'm just not your kind.
What do you mean, "I couldn't be the president of the United States of
America"?
Tell me something, it's still "We the people", right?
[Chorus: (repeat)]
If there's a new way
I'll be the first in line,
But, it better work this time.
Can you put a price on peace?
Peace,
Peace sells...,
Peace,
Peace sells...,
Peace sells...,but who's buying?
Peace sells...,but who's buying?
Peace sells...,but who's buying?
Peace sells...,but who's buying?
[n+1 times more]
No, peace sells...
Devil’s
Island is probably my second favorite track on the album. From looking at the
lyrics, you see a man is destitute on a penal island, awaiting his execution.
The song is called Devil’s Island, but here’s what I find interesting. I find
that either we live a 4 dimensional world, in which one of those dimensions is
one that we can only sense. We cannot feel, see, taste, or even hear it. Yet we
know it is there. Take a look at your own child, and you will realize that only
then have you seen the closest thing to heaven, or realize you have an angel
from God. On the other hand be in the presence of the most sinister being, and
you will realize that some people are surrounded by the most sinister spirits.
The bible itself speaks about the Government being the agents of God’s wrath on
humans. For this song, that is none-the-less true. A man awaits his death. He
prays for mercy. He gets instead a life sentence on this island, rather than
death itself. Very amazing stuff. Even devils and angels operate in the highest
forms of our government.
"Devil's Island"
The light that fills my lonely cell,
Is blocked out by the key,
That locks the door to this hell,
The place they wanted me.
Time's racing like the wind,
Execution's near,
Oh lord, I wait for death,
And, yes, I have no fear.
I recall that night, my every breath,
And, step along the way.
Closed my eyes, walking,
As danger paved the way.
The devil, and the darkness
Let her evil wander free
And, here on Devils Island,
The final stop for me.
[Chorus:]
Devils Island, Devils Island.
Oh, there is no escape,
The sea is full of sharks.
The tide takes you away, and
Smashes you on the rocks.
The sun is shining,
But feel not today,
It's warmth, it's dying,
And fading away.
[Chorus (repeat):]
Devils Island, (here I stay) Devils Island.
Oh, hear the call,
From the grave beyond.
Oh, so pernicious,
Her soul it creates song.
As there is no man, that is
Here upon the earth,
Able to terminate our
Noisome will since birth.
The priest that reads the sermons,
Is walking next to me,
To the stake, my last request,
To have her burn with me.
But, so it did, the heavens opened,
Rain began to fall.
The final judgement came, and
Was spread before you all.
Final judgement.
Old, weak, and feeble,
But the lesson taught to me,
To stay away from evil,
She doesn't care for me.
She haunts me in my sleep,
Though I tore that page away.
And, here on Devils Island,
I'll always have to stay.
[Chorus (repeat):]
Devils Island, Devils Island.
(Devils Island, Devils Island.)
Here I am.
[Chorus (repeat 4 times):]
Devils Island, Devils Island.
Good Mourning/Black Friday is an
interesting song about a serial killer. I don’t know where Dave came up with the
idea for this song, but it seems to coincide with the rest of the record in
dealing with the dark spiritual realm of the world we live in. For this song
though, we see that a man is deranged or obviously possessed to take the lives
of others. He has no conscience, no apathy, and no sympathy for anything. He’s
a cold blooded killer who’s only motivation is the thrill of the kill.
"Good Mourning / Black Friday"
Good Mourning.
Hey, I don't feel so good.
Something's not right,
Something's coming over me
What the f**k is this?
Killer, intruder, homicidal man.
If you see me coming, run as fast as you can.
A blood thirsty demon who's stalking the street.
I hack up my victims like pieces of meat.
Blood thirsty demon, sinister fiend,
Bludgeonous slaughters, my evil deeds.
My hammer's a cold piece of blood-lethal steel.
I grin while you writhe with the pain that I deal.
Swinging the hammer, I hack through their heads,
Deviant defilers, you're next to be dead.
I unleash my hammer with sadistic intent.
Pounding, surrounding, slamming through your head. Yeah!
Their bodies convulse, in agony, and, pain.
I mangle their faces, till no features remain.
A blade for the butchering, I cut them to shreds.
First take out the organs, then cut off the head.
The remains of flesh now sop under my feet.
One more bloody massacre, the murders' complete.
I seek to dismember, a sadist fiend.
And, blood baths are my way of getting clean.
I lurk in the alleys, wait for the kill.
I have no remorse for the blood that I spill
A merciless butcher who lives underground.
I'm out to destroy you and ,I will, cut you down. (Cut you down)
I see you, and, I'm waiting ,for Black Friday.
Killer, intruder, homicidal man.
If you see me coming, run as fast as you can.
A blood thirsty demon who's stalking the street.
I hack up my victims like pieces of meat.
I lurk in the alleys, wait for the kill.
I have no remorse for the blood that I spill
A merciless butcher who lives underground.
I'm out to destroy you and ,I will, cut you down.
It's Black Friday, paint the devil on the wall. [8 times]
Bad
Omen is another song about the occult. The first sentence in the song mentions
the falling of stars. That is very remarkable, because in the old Jewish
portions of the bible, Satan is referred to as the “Great Morning Star” that
fell. Apparently there was and is a hierarchy in the spiritual world. In
heaven, Satan was described as the most beautiful and wisest of angels. His
splendor was magnificent and only second to God himself. From my own
interpretation, I can tell you that Satan became proud and wanted to be even
greater than God himself. Satan convinced a third of the angels to take part in
his rebellion against God. There was a war in heaven and God and his angels
cast out the devil and his angels, who were now transformed into demons, with
Satan being the head of all demons. God also spoke of a time that Satan and his
demons would face an ultimate judgment. All of hell knew it was on a short
time-table. If the bible is true, we are still heading towards that time of
judgment where the unbelieving part of mankind will join those demons in a
final place of the Abyss; a place far worse than the current hell that is
spoken of. Anyways this song depicts what happens when unsuspecting men walk
upon a demon inspired sexual orgy.
"Bad Omen"
Down fell the stars, as they
Splashed into the sea.
"Mi nomine Baphomet",
Come dance with me.
Sacrifice the virgins,
Spiritual rites.
Their master's time has come,
The moon is full tonight.
Drinking, dancing,
They worship, and toast
The devil, who's watching,
With demon's remote.
Fire, rising,
Racing in your blood.
Possessed, naive,
His service is done.
Bloody blasphemy.
Sinister's the word,
As the demon's take their fill.
An orgy's taking place,
Human blood will spill.
An act of worship,
As they conceive the ghouls.
Satan has their souls,
They sing pagan tunes.
The ceremony,
Is sure to be cursed.
They ask for his blessings,
But, down comes the worst.
Their bodies, soulless,
A corpse from the grave.
Their minds are helpless,
And, no-one can save [x 5],
No-one can save them (oh no). [x 2]
I Ain’t Superstitious is a remake of a song written
by Willie Dixon. Megadeth did a very different version of the original song
performed by Howlin Wolf. Just another song to give you the creeps.
"I Ain't Superstitious"
I ain't superstitious,
When a black cat crosses my path.
And, I ain't superstitious,
As I break the looking glass.
Ain't afraid of no demons,
Don't make me laugh!
I ain't superstitious,
Under the ladder I go.
I ain't superstitious,
It's all bulls**t, don't you know!
Ain't afraid of the shadows,
I like the dark anyway, and that's a fact!
Superstitious [x 2]
I ain't superstitious,
No such thing as bad luck.
I ain't superstitious,
I couldn't really give a f**k.
Take your stupid superstitions,
And find some other paranoidal,
Chickens**t, sissy, worm, and, tell it to him.
Superstitious [x 2]
My Last Words is the last song on this
sinister album. The song is about suicide via Russian Rouelette. The lyrics
depict the fear that must go on inside a man’s head to play with his life in
such a way. Finally it ends with the participant looking for someone to put
under his spell and social pressure to join him in this deadly game. The first
time I read the lyrics to this song, I was mortified. These are very scary
lyrics written by obviously a man who was very angry, opinionated, and even if
he was not directly into the occult, he was very familiar with their ways.
"My Last Words"
My life's on time,
But again my sense is late.
Feel a might unsteady,
But still I have to play.
Six to one's the odds,
And, we have the highest stakes.
And, once again I gamble with my very life today.
Highly polished metal,
The oil makes it gleam.
Fill the terror chamber,
Your mind begins to scream.
Your life is like a trigger,
Never trouble till you're squeezed.
Now you crack a smile,
As you give the gun a tease.
Place the piston down,
Now give the gun a spin.
Soon as the spinning stops,
Oh no, the game starts in.
A hateful way of vengeance,
A bit of playful sin.
Load another bullet,
Now the second round begins.
A couple grains of powder,
A couple grams of lead.
A touch against the trigger,
A touch inside the head.
Take another drink, and
Raise the last bets.
Think about my last words,
They might be what I just said.
A click comes from the hammer,
That couldn't drive a nail.
Sense the numbing cold blue,
Or the red of Hades' grill.
A fraction of a second,
Do you lose, or maybe still,
Pass it to the left,
And collect your mighty kill.
Add another bullet,
The third round begins.
Soon as the spinning stops,
Oh no, the game starts in.
Please, no I.O.U.'s,
No markers for death.
Does anybody play? Anybody,
Somebody, anybody play.
You, you, next victim, you next to die.
You, you, next victim, you next [s: your turn] to die.
You, come on, next victim, your turn to die.
You, come on, next victim, your turn to die.
So
there you go; a list of all the songs and lyrics to one of my most favorite
metal bands of all time. Examining it now, I will tell you that I don’t think I
should have been listening to this stuff at 13 years old. At the same time I
can admit to you with a clear conscience, that I have never played the
Ouija board, sacrificed any animals, or
had any sadistic thoughts of murder for anyone. Yet, let’s examine Dave
Mustaine himself.
In an
interview, Dave admits that he was not only familiar with the occult, but he
cast hex spells on others. He mentions that those days still haunt him to this
day. I am not surprised. Let’s examine this from a couple different religious
aspects. We can go right into Judaism. In the book of 2Kings, there was a young
king named Saul. He was a bad king. God had placed him over the Jewish people
to be their guide and Sheppard. Instead he worshipped the gods of the
surrounding nations. Through the prophet Nathan, God told Saul that he would no
longer be king, but that he would be replaced by someone after God’s own heart.
He was referring to King David. He is the humble Sheppard onto to whom the
bible prophesizes about the Messiah or the Ultimate King who would one day
destroy evil and rule the world.
King
Saul contacted a woman who specialized in divination, or the calling of
spiritual forces. God further condemned the king for what is later explained as
having direct contact with demons. It is very ugly and scary stuff. Black magic
or divination is used primarily for selfish purposes. It is a tradition that is
thousands of years old. We just don’t see it that much in our culture because
of our Christian, or western thought. In Richard M Place’s book, Magic and Alchemy, black magic is
referred to as the worship of spiritual beings.
So
Dave Mustaine was into this, and used for selfish reasons, the idea of putting
hex curses on other people. From a Buddhist or even Hindu thought of thinking,
to do that only creates an enormous amount of disharmony within yourself. You
create the most toxic mess fathomable. I would go on to say that these
perspectives would not even give credit to the idea of spirits actually
existing, but to the idea that since you wanted to do such harm to another
human being, that intention is what causes that toxic disharmony within
yourself.
The
Christian point of view is the final point of view that I want to look at this
situation from. First and foremost, God existed before Christ was born.
Secondly, the bible says that Christ was with God before the creation of the
world began. The bible refers to him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
That inherently bestows the term unto him as avenger. A King not only makes
decisions based on his wants and needs, but for the betterment of his kingdom.
A king is the ultimate authority to take vengeance for one of his citizens who
is not able to defend himself. The bible is full of verses about God taking the
arrow from the wicked and using them against the wicked man’s own heart.
A
king is also the final point of mercy too. He can have mercy on whomever he
wants to have mercy and he can condemn whoever he wants to condemn. The bible
says that about God/Christ in his kingdom to come. Hell will be paved with
people with good intentions. That being said, do I condemn Dave Mustaine for
writing and singing some of the darkest music in metal history? No I absolutely
do not. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If Dave really is a
Christian now, I truly think his dark days were instrumental in making him come
to the light all that much better.
Christians
have been given a bad name for a very long time for judgmental and hypocritical
values. Those “Christians” who judge people like that first of all are not
Christians. They are nothing more than ignorant people who take out of context
something that was written thousands of years ago and use it as weapons for
their own selfish motives. It’s just like black magic and just in the same way;
it creates a huge amount of disharmony within the person himself. That is why
those “Christians” are so bitter and hateful. Jesus hung out with sinners,
prostitutes, tax collectors and thieves. He protected woman caught in the act
of adultery. He chose 12 misfits of men to change the world in his name. Being
a “Christian” is not about calling God’s fire down on the heathen. It’s about
realizing that we all use to play for the wrong team. Eventually the coach of
God’s kingdom came looking for us and recruited us.
Thank you for reading my blog. To close with this, I’d
like to insert my favorite verse of the bible. It’s about a King, Homies…..
Matthew 25:31-46
The
Sheep and the Goats.
31 “When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will
sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will
be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He
will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then
the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of
the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me
something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then
the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When
did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe
you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and
go to visit you?’
40 “The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then
he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For
I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did
not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in
prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They
also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He
will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then
they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Sources for the Dead…
1. Magical
Religion and Modern Witchcraft by James R Lewis
2. Magic
and Alchemy by Richard M Place
3. The
Bible by God J
interesting article about Dave
Mustaine
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