The Stories Behind Our Latest Single
Thu., Jul. 16. 2015 2:20pm EDT
Here's the story behind our latest single -- straight from the lyricist's mouth:
There are two obvious reasons we called our new single "Treading on Poisonous Scorpions" — the bands we spoofed on it are Poison and the Scorpions — but it's biblical, too. Jesus told His disciples:
Luke 10:19
"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
There's also a specific verse about protection from poison in Mark's Gospel, but the section of scripture where it occurs (Mark 16:9-20) is not in all of the early manuscripts. It's found in many but is omitted in two of the earliest complete copies of the Bible, the Codex Vaticanus (350 AD) and Codex Sinaiticus (375 AD). Nevertheless, here's the verse:
Mark 16:18
"they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
One of our fans said the following:Been waiting a long time for "Unskinny Bop." "Unfinished Job" was an excellent idea, especially considering where we are in this day and age. I'm glad you did it that way.
I love how you put the word "Abraham" in the place of "Here I am" (in the parody of "Rock You Like a Hurricane"). That was a stroke of genius, and you know we get ALL our smarts from the Lord. Keep up the good work! As I told that fan, I loved the way "Abraham" worked out in that song, and it totally was a gift from God. But dig this: I just re-read that Bible story a week or so ago (after I'd written the song), and whenever God calls Abraham the two times in that story, He says "Abraham!" And what does Abraham say in response? "Here I am." Isn't that cool?
Genesis 22:1
Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
Then the second time in the chapter, when God calls Abraham through the angel of the Lord, it even says: "Abraham, Abraham!" Almost like the echo effect on the voice:
Genesis 22:11
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
And you can imagine the voice saying "Abraham" echoing like in the Scorpions song. I thought it was so amazing that it worked out that way.
I did feel kind of hypocritical when I finished the lyrics for "Unfinished Job," and when we finished the recording, too. Maybe we should have left it unfinished? I'm kidding, of course.
If you haven't seen the cover of the new single, you must check it out. You've gotta love Keith Haynie rockin' the Brett Michaels bandana and the scorpion lollipop. He says he licked it till the pincher started jabbing his lip!
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