Words and Music by David Harley, copyright 1974.
Written at a time when I was much more ambivalent about my religious beliefs (or the lack of them) than I am now, but I’d like to think that even the least enlightened deity or prophet might be appalled at some of the actions their followers take in their name. A version of this song was released on the Scriptwrecked cassette, but re-recorded here.
Have you seen a man choke on another man’s dream
And humanity dying of shame?
Have you seen a man drunk on another man’s blood
And a scapegoat called Christ get the blame?
And God knows I’m no angel
But then I wouldn’t claim to be
Nor the gambler who lost
On a hill called Calvary
Have you walked in fear of another man’s lust
In the heat of a holy war
That slashed the throats of the innocent
The guilty and the bored?
And maybe we’re all guilty
But I wouldn’t want to be
The gambler who lost
On a hill called Calvary
Have you seen the soldiers of fortune
Fighting for names?
Have you seen the fallen angels
Play their whisky games?
And each one thinking
He has the right to be
A stand-in for the dealer
Who OD’d on Calvary
Wheal Alice Music 