Baker Academic

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Dale Martin Sings a Song Written by A.-J. Levine at SBL 2014

Ever wonder what Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" would sound like if rewritten by Amy-Jill Levine and performed by Dale Martin? Of course you have. Well wonder no more:


Or if you'd prefer youtube:


-anthony

6 comments:

  1. Lyrics, Anthony, I need lyrics! I'm doing my best to get them from the video, but I've got some lacunae here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gail, my guess is that this is meant to be a mad libs. We should all try to fill in the blanks independently and see what we come up with.

      -anthony

      Delete
  2. I haven't worked this hard to understand the lyrics since "Louie Louie" came out.

    Here's what I've got. Please add and correct:

    ... say that scholarship must ...
    And there are ... that are diatribe.
    This is an ... to which I can't subscribe.
    Twixt text and time, I draw the line.

    I tell the Christians Jesus was a Jew
    and what he said was often not so new.
    And there are ... of fossils [?] misconstrued.
    On what's divine, I hold the line.

    I do believe that truth shall set you free,
    but who's constructing truth for you and me?
    So I'll insist that ...
    All this sublime, in ...

    That ... Jesus ...
    is a perspective thoroughly obscene.
    Through scholarship this [vision? mission?] I believe,
    since it maligns, I write ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe we need a few Dead Sea Scrolls specialists to help us here.

      -anthony

      Delete
  3. Larry, thanks!

    I was working on this, too, and will incorporate your better readings into the following attempt at translation:

    They say that scholarship must just describe
    And either they learn (?) that or diatribe.
    This is the Q to which I can’t subscribe
    Twixt text and sign, I draw the line

    I tell the Christians Jesus was a Jew
    And what he said was often not so new
    And there are things apostles misconstrue
    On what’s divine, I pull the line

    I do believe that truth shall set you free
    But who’s constructing truth for you and me?
    So I’ll insist that with sexuality
    All is sublime, in . . . time.

    That you want Jesus the Jew must . . .
    Is a perspective thoroughly obscene.
    Through scholarship this position I glean,
    Since it maligns, I write my lines!

    ReplyDelete