Beat the Devil's Tattoo

In 2010, the band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club put out an album called “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo.”  Robert Been wrote the title song after reading Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Devil in the Belfry.’  “You would have sworn that there was a regiment of double-bass drummers all beating the devil's tattoo up in the belfry of the steeple of Vondervotteimittiss.”  Been found the line so interesting that the band ended up shaping the album almost like one continuous Edgar Allen Poe poem, and named the entire album after that one small excerpt.  

 

From the moment I first heard “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” a couple summers ago, it’s been one of those songs that I never get tired of.  Something about it makes you want to stop what you’re doing to turn it up and listen to the words.  The easiest way to describe this song, for lack of a more professional word, is badass.   It may be just a personal fixation, but I listen to this song obsessively, and get more and more out of it every time.

When you hear the word “tattoo” most of us probably think of the whole skin-inking thing, but the word “tattoo” can also be used as a verb for tapping or “beating” out a rhythm, sometimes anxiously.  The word has evolved a lot over time, but the term was originally used to describe the drumbeat that called soldiers back from the battlefield. 

When I was first introduced to this song, I was told the song was “obviously about heroin.”  This confused me for a little while, since I had a slightly different interpretation in my mind.  However, I’ve learned over time that whenever the word “needle” is used in rock music, people instantly correlate the entire song to heroin use.  To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what this song was written to mean so it may actually be about a drug addiction.  It’s one of those songs that’s so full of symbolism and wordplay that everyone probably has a different understanding of what it represents.

To me, this song is about how hard we, as humans, fight against the demons we all have within ourselves, but more so focuses on accepting them.  Embracing the parts of ourselves that we might hate.  The final part of the last verse says “You cannot fight it, all the world denies it… Open up your eyelids and let your demons run.”  The overall tone of the song is filled with restlessness, desperation, and vulnerability.  It seems as though the song is about someone who has spent all his life fighting battles within himself, but is finally letting go.

 “Everyone is king when there’s no one left to pawn.”   A metaphor is used to illustrate an 'every man for himself' mentality.   In a game of chess, pawns are the disposable pieces that are usually sacrificed in protection of the more powerful pieces.  But once all the pawns are gone, so is the king’s sense of security.  

You have forsaken

All the love you've taken
Sleeping on a razor
There's nowhere left to fall
Your body's aching
Every bone is breaking
Nothing seems to shake it
It just keeps holdin' on


Your soul is able
Death is all you cradle
Sleepin' on the nails
There's nowhere left to fall
You have admired
Every man desires
Everyone is king
When there's no one left to pawn


There is no peace here
War is never cheap dear
Love will never meet here
It just gets sold for parts
You cannot fight it
All the world denies it
Open up your eyelids
Let your demons run


I thread the needle through
You beat the devil's tattoo

I bled the needle through

You beat the devil’s tattoo 

Another Day in Paradise

How often do we complain about the stupidest little things that happen in our lives?   I’m talking about those moments when we only get 5 chicken nuggets in our 6-piece and suddenly our whole day is ruined. 

Just last night, a friend and I complained for a good 15 minutes about waffles.  I don’t have a toaster in my dorm, so I had to warm up some frozen waffles in my microwave (cooking tip: don’t do this).  The waffles came out soggy and tasted pretty gross.  We just sat there and stared sadly at the plate, complaining about how it felt like we were eating a hot sponge. 

In the middle of our waffle rant, a song started playing on my iTunes, which was lying on the floor of my dorm on shuffle-mode.  

Out of the thousands of songs that could have come on next, “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins began to play.   I sat there for a moment as the irony of the situation washed over me.

  

For those of you who may not be familiar with the song, it focuses on the issue of poverty and tells the story of a homeless woman.   The woman in the song is reaching out to passersby on the street, who walk past her without a second glance.   The chorus says “think twice… it's just another day for you and me in paradise.” 

If you listen to it, I feel like the message of the song is pretty clear.  In a nutshell, it speaks about how much we take things for granted.   It’s about how often we whine and grumble about things when we actually have so much to be thankful for.  This isn’t to say that none of us have any real problems, of course we all do.  But how many times in a day do we complain about the minor things that “ruin our entire day.”   For those of you who haven’t seen the “First World Problem” memes, check out this link: http://thumbpress.com/25-pictures-of-the-most-comfortably-uncomfortable-first-world-problems/  

I love these because they use sarcasm to make a point; they’re funny and true, but at the same time they can make you think. 

Even with our economic problems, we know how good many of us still have it in this country compared to others, yet we continue to find things to complain about all the time.  How many times in a day do we whine about the smallest things without stopping to ‘think twice’ about those who would do anything to have the problems that we do?   I catch myself doing it all the time.  I pathetically spent 15 minutes complaining about a waffle, while so many people would be happy to just have one decent meal a day.

To me, this song is not only about homelessness and poverty, but also describes how often we turn a blind eye to the issue.   “He walks on, doesn't look back, he pretends he can't hear her… He starts to whistle as he crosses the street, seems embarrassed to be there.”   I believe the man in the song represents us… Americans, or society in general.  Collins uses a story to put our apathetic attitudes in perspective.  Not to turn a serious topic into a joke, but this song makes me think of a Dane Cook skit about this exact issue.   We all know poverty is a worldwide problem, but many of us have toned it out.  We don’t want to think about it because it makes us feel guilty.

It’s been said so often, it’s almost become a cliché.   After the millionth time of being told about the “starving kids in Africa” as children, most of us have become desensitized in a way.  It’s humbling to think that the “problems” we deal with every day are someone else’s paradise.

She calls out to the man on the street, "Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep. Is there somewhere you can tell me?"
He walks on, doesn't look back, he pretends he can't hear her
He starts to whistle as he crosses the street, seems embarrassed to be there

Oh, think twice, it's just another day for you and me in paradise
Oh, think twice, it's just another day for you, you and me in paradise
Just think about it

She calls out to the man on the street, he can see she's been crying
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet, she can't walk, but she's trying

(chorus)

Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh oh Lord, there must be something you can say

You can tell by the lines on her face, you can see that she's been there
Probably been moved on from everyplace, cause she didn't fit in there

It's just another day for you and me in paradise.
 

Freewill

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, still look before they cross the road."  -STEPHEN HAWKING

The philosophical term “free will” is one of the most pondered and debated concepts human beings face throughout our life.   You don’t need to have a library full of Plato and Socrates to be familiar with the concept of free will.  Most of us have a general idea of what it's all about and many more of us are quick to say we believe in it.   We’re attracted to the idea of having freedom over our own lives.  The suggestion that our own “fate” or “destiny” is actually predetermined is far less appealing and a little bit scary.  So instead, many of us decide at some point in our lives to put our brains on autopilot and make our own paths as we go. 

This brings me to the Canadian rock band, Rush.  One of Rush’s most recognized songs was released in January of 1980, with the simple title: Freewill.  

Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for Rush, was heavily influenced by Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism, an idea that draws a lot of ideas from the perception of free will.  That influence was reflected a lot in his lyrics throughout the 70s and still remains there today. 

I’ve heard a lot of people refer to this song as an “atheist anthem”, although personally I’ve always taken the lyrics to simply be a debate of free will vs. destiny. 

"A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings

Of powers we cannot perceive” 

To me, this line is a reflection towards people who feel like they don’t have any control over the outcome of their own life.  They consider themselves merely characters in a lifelong puppet play.  Whether from cultural influences or perhaps religious reasons, these are the people who believe their lives are predetermined from the very beginning. 

“You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

This is by far my favorite line in the song.  Decisions and choices are obviously an inevitable part of life and whether we realize it or not, we all have the power to make our own choices.  Some may choose to trust in a god or "celestial voice", others may choose to trust in a person or an idea.  Though, at some point along the way, we all put our faith in something.  It's the force that keeps us going.  Many of us choose religion, some of us choose knowledge, many of us choose ourselves. 

However, regardless of the choices we make, my whole interpretation of the song is that we have the ability to choose our own path; and with that ability to choose comes the power to change the path as we go along.

“Life is a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.”    -JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 

There are those who think that life is nothing left to chance,
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings,
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive.
"The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign"-
Blame is better to give than receive.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose Free Will.

There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand,
The cards were stacked against them- they weren't born in lotus-land.

All preordained-
A prisoner in chains-
A victim of venomous fate.
Kicked in the face,
You can't pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate.

(chorus)

Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete.
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.