| gNASHVILLE! |
| 1. I Want to be a Christian -- Intro 2. Read it in a Letter 3. Barbie Dolls 4. Wake 5. Closer to You 6. Arise, My Soul 7. Gnashville 8. Radiation 9. Johnny's Dead 10. Perish Hilton 11. Thelma and Louise were a Couple of Dishes 12. Loser's Lament 13. Leper's Logic 14. My Hope is Built 15. Zaccheus 16. Television Anesthesia 17. Hypocrisy 18. I Want to be a Christian 19. Joy 20. Rejoice 21. How Firm a Foundation |
| Track 7: Gnashville |
| Written by: Bob Brown Date of Writing: September, 2006 |
| Notes Of course you know what Gnashville means. No?!? Consider its last six letters only, remove the v and the i, and re-arrange the remaining letters. "No Exit" is the English translation of the title of Jean-Paul Sartre's play "Huis Clos". (It's not a literal translation, as huis is a type of heavy door, and a huis-clos is a judicial term for a deliberation behind closed doors.) The play takes place in hell, but not the kind of hell described in the Bible. The characters have all passed away, and they are in a room discussing their lives with each other--condemned to do so for the rest of eternity. It's been like 20 years since I read "Huis Clos", but I seem to remember that they began to annoy each other. I remember the phrase, sort of Sartre's moral of the play: "L'enfer, c'est les autres." Hell is other people. Just a cutesy literary reference here, no theological implications intended. |
| Verse 1: I was headin' down to Gnashville with a grin spread 'cross my face. Billboards promised riches if I'd sell out for this place. I drove my rig toward this gig, my heart told me I'd make it big. I kind of knew that I would never ever leave this place. I somehow knew that there would be no exit from this place. Verse 2: The way that leads to Gnashville is a six six six-land road. It's smooth and wide, an easy drive--the travel agent showed. You can hike or you can bike or you can truck down this turnpike. No mandatory weigh stations to check your heavy load. The path of least resistance--you can choose not to be slowed. Bridge: Gnashville is a hot town; no snowball's got a chance in here. Many are dying to move down to its lake front property. Verse 3: I saw a Man with long hair at the wheel of a bus driving against traffic. At Him motorists yelled and cussed. With grace and verve the bus would swerve. He asked me, "Do you have the nerve? Then leave the driving in My hands. Climb aboard and join us. Release the wheel and turn around and climb aboard with us." |