BAD MOON RISING

What were you doing in the 60's? Had you shown up yet?

In May of 1965, my high school class at Jonesboro High was marching to "Pomp and Circumstance". My friends and I welcomed that song, but we also loved the Beach Boys and the Temptations and others. My favorite song that year was by these gentlemen on the left..."Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen. They caused quite the "tempest in the teapot" that year about what the REAL words were that they sang. I read that the song was recorded in a one-mike set-up with the mike hanging from the ceiling and Jack Ely stretching to sing loud enough [while] the braces on his teeth created the mumble jumble vocals. But the band had instructions to say "no comment" when asked about the off-color lyrics and everyone just assumed they were naughty. Well, it sold records.

Lately I've been thinking about another disconnect between words and music. I was watching a YouTube video the other day of Creedence Clearwater Revival (below) performing "Bad Moon Rising". That was one of John Fogerty's best, although "Proud Mary", "Down on the Corner",

SusieQ", and "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" have lasted, too.

Did you know that when some people heard the words "there's a bad moon on the rise"...they thought Fogerty was singing "there's a bathroom on the right"? Either way. The audience in the old video was loving it and singing along and cheering and swooning over these shaggy fellers. But if you remember, that song was hardly cheerful. Fogerty himself described the song as being about the "apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us". No wonder the soldiers in Viet Nam identified with it. Which of these words do you think the YouTube audience could have possibly been thrilled about...?

"I see the bad moon a'rising. I see trouble on the way.

I see earthquakes and lightning. I see bad times today. (chorus)

Don't go round tonight, well it's bound to take your life...there's a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes a blowing. I know the end is coming soon.

I fear rivers overflowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin. (chorus)

Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die.

Looks like we're in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye." (chorus)

Yeah, pretty grim. Recon' Fogerty had been reading Matthew 24 about the end times? I guess modern-day Hollywood has been, considering the new movie coming out called "2012". But if I were you, I wouldn't take my cue from Hollywood or Fogerty.

When God does His end times thing, there will BE no disconnect. Everyone will understand exactly what is said and why; God says what He means and means what He says. But Mr. Fogerty WAS right when he said "hope you got your things together". Perhaps John Fogerty is a prophet. May we all be counted ready.

"Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, stars fall out of the sky, cosmic powers tremble. Then, the arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies - no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds." Matthew 24:29-31