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Song Parodies -> "Should I Pray 'cause You Should Know"
Original Song Title:
"Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Original Performer:
The Undertones
Parody Song Title:
"Should I Pray 'cause You Should Know"
Parody Written by:
Phil Alexander
The Lyrics
Another addition to the atheist annals... sorry, guys, but I still can't find it in me at all to credit the existance of an omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent god that expects us to go somewhere special to worship him (he's everywhere, remember?), pray to him (he knows everything, too, so why bother?) and then still does **** all about it. I mean, if prayer actually helped, surely the insurance premiums of Christians, Muslims et al would be lower?
God, I thought I'd say Hello
Should I pray 'cause you should know
And you should know which thoughts are mine
You're omnipresent all the time
So tell me if you've got a mo
Should I pray 'cause you should know
They say you're THE big cheese
So why'd you want me on my knees?
Omnipresent, always there
So tell me what's the point of prayer
Inform me of the quid pro quo
Should I pray, I'd like to know
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Are there really such omissions
In your all-knowing omniscience
Are they right, the Pope and Co.?
This whole religion's bugging me
They tell me things that cannot be
And you're some kind of guarantee
You'll stop that car that's gonna hit me?
So was that question apropos?
Should I pray so tell me, bro
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Will it get me out of trouble
Save me from that falling rubble
And will it pay off what I owe?
(My feeling is the answer's no)
So come on and let me know
Should I pray 'cause you should know?
Should I pray 'cause you should know
And you should know which thoughts are mine
You're omnipresent all the time
So tell me if you've got a mo
Should I pray 'cause you should know
They say you're THE big cheese
So why'd you want me on my knees?
Omnipresent, always there
So tell me what's the point of prayer
Inform me of the quid pro quo
Should I pray, I'd like to know
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Are there really such omissions
In your all-knowing omniscience
Are they right, the Pope and Co.?
This whole religion's bugging me
They tell me things that cannot be
And you're some kind of guarantee
You'll stop that car that's gonna hit me?
So was that question apropos?
Should I pray so tell me, bro
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Should I pray 'cause you should know now
Will it get me out of trouble
Save me from that falling rubble
And will it pay off what I owe?
(My feeling is the answer's no)
So come on and let me know
Should I pray 'cause you should know?
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User Comments
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So your idea is that the omnipotent should do things your way then? You won't pray because you think it will not benefit you? HMM, interesting. Isn't that sorta like an employee saying they will only work for their employer on their own terms. Sorry, boss, but if you want me, you better come to my home.
I see things the opposite way to John.... Humanity seems to be better off without religion. Faith is one thing, but religion is usually bullshit. I myself am an agnostic, and I think George Carlin is probably the most accurate at describing what religion really is. The main question I have for Christians (or any other religious people) is, if God is truly beyond our perceptions in his divinity, then why trust a book written by humans about him and which has gone through countless translations (and which is supposedly missing a few chapters as well due to the Catholic Church's machinations)? Logic would dictate that God is probably nothing like what we assume he/she/it is, if God exists at all.
No, John - you've not read it through properly: the point is that if God is omniscient then there's no point in praying as He knows what you want already... and if He's not going to do anything about it, then why bother praying?
I liked this one.
I don't agree 100% with the song, but I thought it was clever, too. At least he's asking questions instead of making uninformed statements. (excuse my ignorance, but i thought The Clash recorded the song first?)
I loved it. But you know God is going to influence the voting.
Phil, I think it's helpful to separate religion from God--cause they are separate, religion is mostly about man and God is about God.
Is anyone really informed in this area? Ok, I'll plead ignorance, I saw The Clash perform this at Shea Stadium and always assumed they did it.
Great job!
love it...interesting concept...5s
You know I'm always down with the aetheist propaganda; particularly fun to read, too, esp, the "Pope & Co."-type rhymes.
Why, no, I don't use spell-check. I have FAITH in my ability to spell things correctly. Like "atheist", for instance...
Have to admit that I considered putting in my preamble about The Clash, and that I've just bought a compilation CD which has this song done by The Undertones (which is what gave me the idea for this parody in the first place)... but I thought that would be way too boring for people, and surely nobody is *that* worried about which 70s punk band is which. Evidently I'm wrong ;-)
Royce, I agree completely: religion has historically been much more about control of the masses than any true belief. Though recently I've been having much more of a downer on faith, too - just because hundreds, or even hundreds of millions of people believe something don't make it true; just like Claude, I have faith in my ability to spell better than any PC-based spell-checker ;-)
Royce, I agree completely: religion has historically been much more about control of the masses than any true belief. Though recently I've been having much more of a downer on faith, too - just because hundreds, or even hundreds of millions of people believe something don't make it true; just like Claude, I have faith in my ability to spell better than any PC-based spell-checker ;-)
Can someone explain "quid pro quo" to me?
I think 'qui pro quo' kind of means, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".
(1) A few years back, I had this crisis of faith: If I pray for something to happen, maybe it will happen and maybe it won't. If I *don't* pray for something to happen, maybe it will happen and maybe it won't. So what's the point? Fortunately, after many years of pondering this, I was finally able to answer that question: Chocolate. The point is chocolate.
(2) No distinction between the Clash and the Undertones? Now *that*, Philbo, is sacrilege.
(3) Peter: See "The Silence of the Lambs." After you've heard Anthony Hopkibal Lecter hiss "Quid pro quo, Clarisse," you'll never again have to ask what it means.
(2) No distinction between the Clash and the Undertones? Now *that*, Philbo, is sacrilege.
(3) Peter: See "The Silence of the Lambs." After you've heard Anthony Hopkibal Lecter hiss "Quid pro quo, Clarisse," you'll never again have to ask what it means.
From here on in, I worship Phil! Or would have, had you mentioned The Clash ha ha! No-one cares, indeed! OMG!
Oops... I have a confession to make: I obviously have trouble reading things on the same line. This CD that I've had on in the car also has "Teenage Kicks" by, er, The Undertones... and a couple of songs before is this one by The Clash. It's only 'cause I was about to write a Teenage Kicks parody that I noticed that I must have read the CD sleeve wrong... D'Oh!
Shame on ye, Phil. In that case how can I change my fives to ones? Ha ha ;-)
Agrimorfee, Spaff: Thanx!
(Voted the other day) So are you saying it's like getting on an elevator and pressing the button for your floor even though that button is already lit? If so, then what you're saying is that God is like an elevator that stops on every floor and He knows before you step in, which floor you want and whether that's where He is going to take you -- you don't have to push His buttons. I have more, but you'll have to wait (probably forever) to read it in my (probably-not) forthcoming book "Does Your Elevator Go All the Way To The Top?" *big grin* Anyway, nice job, as always..
Phil, maybe that trickster God MOVED the song titles on that CD so you would f*ck it up. 'Course if that were so you'd have to start wondering if the Creator couldn't come up with something a little more productive or at the very least more clever. Personally, I think a lot of people have the concepts of "God" and "Santa Claus" kind of mixed all together - sort of like in that movie "The Fly" (Original "Al"(David) Hedison or extra-crispy later version with Jeff Goldblum)...OH, good job, I waited for a sign on what to give you but it didn't come so I exercised a little free will and clicked three 5's.
My understanding of prayer is that it is not a suggestion box or a request box by which a person lets the Almighty know his or her needs. Instead, it is a two-way form of communication by which we grow closer to God, develop spiritual maturity, and strengthen our understandings of His will.
Melhi, I'll be looking for your book when it comes out.
Melhi, I'll be looking for your book when it comes out.
But JJ, if God's omnipresent, how can one grow closer to something that's already everywhere? OK, so I'm splitting semantic hairs... but I'm not altogether sure that spiritual maturity is a good thing to aim for.
April SOTM - Well if God is "Omni" everything and "Infinite" everything, I suspect God's getting a major Divine Guffaw and Heavenly Chuckle from this great parody, seeing as God must therefore have the Best Sense Of Humor, too!
I really like this one a lot. I guess it the devil coming out in me...
Yeah! Great take on the Hairy Thunderer/Cosmic Muffin! I couldn't help wondering that, if you had parodied the Clash version, what the Spanish words would be...
Nice parody to get everyone talking. I pray anyway, mostly because there is something there, I don't know what it is, but I owe it my life. I just stopped asking it for specific things, besides 'strength' to deal with my everyday life.
SOTM - Helluva job, Phil - guess we'll see you there...
I LOVE this, Phil!
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