VEGANGELICA

Hello, All! This is Erica, a songwriter, singer, and beginner guitarist who is making vegan vegetarian music under the name of Vegangelica. I am writing to share some of my song lyrics to find out how other vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians perceive them and to hear any changes you recommend. I have included the lyrics from two songs in this first post, and additional songs in later posts. Thank you in advance for whatever feedback you are able to give.

****************************************

"DICHOTOMY" by Erica

He was raised to believe things were either, or.
Always one or the other, never less or more.
He could choose heaven or hell. There was no between.
He was taught to follow a being unseen.

Earth was a weigh station, a proving ground,
a gift from God in whom all joy was found.
Nothing around him existed of its own.
All was attributed to God alone.

Animals are low, they said, with humans above.
Maybe beasts had feelings, but they couldn’t love.
Our duty was to use them. It was their fate
to feed and clothe our kind as we procreate.

His family loved animals but only cooked well through.
They liked them alive but just for what they do for you.
They felt it was righteous to dominate,
with utter disregard for whom they ate.

And they cried,
“Praise the Lord for our earthly banquet,
the tender lamb on our dinner plate,
all of gracious God’s designing.”
No room for debate.

And they prayed,
“God, bless our family and our meal.
Come and sit at our table’s head.”
But if the meal were truly blessed,
the boy thought, it would still be alive, not dead.

What kind of god would ever design
the cruelty on which they dine?
What sort of god would ever intend
for creatures to come to this beastly end?

He had a sacrilegious tendency
not to see dichotomy
but a matter of degree.

He pushed away from the table, ran as far as he could,
out to the stable where he went in his childhood
with the ghosts of the goat and the somber sheep
who used to comfort the child when they heard him weep

because he knew precisely what their end would be
but he was not allowed to set them free.
The lamb would settle by his side. The farm dog nuzzled his hand.
They had no need for words to understand

he had a compassionate tendency
not to see dichotomy
but a matter of degree.

He’s a grown man now, buys his own table fare,
a vast cornucopia of fruits that plants bear.
No animals are used or killed to meet his needs
because he nourishes his life with the goodness of seeds.

If God gave “every green plant” for food,
then why do people think it’s rude
when you say that killing’s not nice,
and it’s cruel to sacrifice

all these beautiful beings whose birth
makes them our fellow travelers on earth,
sharing love and pain and joy,
which he already knew when a boy

because of his wonderful tendency
not to see dichotomy
but a matter of degree.

****************************************

"I" by Erica

I used to like bacon frying in the pan.
I used to raise the meat supply with my demand.
I loved burgers on the grill.
I used to eat my fill.
Taste was all that mattered to me.

I used to like tuna from a can.
I used to like hotdogs from the stand.
You’d think with all of these I’s in my life,
I would have had the eyes to see
what people were doing to you
to turn you into food for me.

But I didn’t realize. I never thought to care.
Now I wish I’d loved things less. Wish I’d been aware.
And you, you, whom I didn’t think about before,
I wish I’d loved you more.

I used to like spiced ham and eggs.
I used to like chickens’ wings and legs.
I didn’t think about you.
You were too far from view.
All I thought about was me.

I used to like ice cream cones.
I used to like veal and breaking wish bones.
You’d think with all of these I’s in my life,
I would have had the eyes to see
you had a life of your own
and it didn’t belong to me.

But I didn’t realize. I never thought to care.
Now I wish I’d loved things less. Wish I’d been aware.
And you, you, whom I didn’t think about before,
I wish I’d loved you more.

You were a piglet when I was five.
You were so playful, so alive.
I could feel the joy in your step.
I could sense your curiosity.
Now I wonder, were you one of them
whom I ate unthinkingly.

Oh, I realize now. I use my eyes to see.
Now I don’t love things. They mean less to me.
and you, you, whom I didn’t think about before,
now I love you more
I love you more
I love you more
I love you more!

I don’t dismiss your pain. I don’t use you for gain.
I don’t raise you to eat. I don’t need eggs, milk, or meat.
I don’t cut your life short. I don’t kill you for sport.
I don’t slice you apart. I don’t harden my heart.

I don’t make you feel fear. I don’t taunt you or jeer.
I don’t crush you as chicks. I don’t beat you with sticks.
I don’t shoot you with bows. I don’t stab you in shows.
I don’t exploit the meek. I don’t torture the weak!

I don’t harvest your seed. I don’t force you to breed.
I don’t stuff you with grain. I don’t bludgeon your brain.
I don’t chop off your head. I don’t cook you when dead.
I don’t pay people to do these awful things to you!

I don’t kill you as lambs. I don’t smoke you as hams.
I don’t boil you in stew. I don’t barbecue you.
I don’t lure you with calls. I don’t mount you on walls.
I don’t sever your limbs just to satisfy whims.

Because I love you more.
I love you more.
I love you more.

****************************************

Arya Stark

"I" has to be the only one I was even remotely interested in. After awhile, hearing music about death, destruction, love life, and heartbreaks get old. This was new to me. It was fresh, even if it sounded a little bit playful at the beginning.

__________________

MB Journal.
Azucar y Especia. My blog.

VEGANGELICA

Hi, Xxawwxsugarxx,

Thank you for your honest feedback. Hmm...I will now have to root around my existing lyrics for some that don't deal with death, destruction, love life and heartbreak to see if there are some that might seem fresh to you, like you felt "I" was! :-)

I agree that it is interesting to hear something new or from a different angle, and I, too, get tired of love/heartbreak songs that seem simplistic and much less like the complexity of real life.

Thanks again!

--Erica

Stone Birds

ok here's a challenge (its actually quite simple)
choose any of these pictures and use them to write a song





this is a songwriting exercise one of my music mentors taught me.

__________________

[Link removed by mod, no advertising] ... Damn those mods are always gettin ya :)

AshleighJane

yeah i used to do that too i would have my band mates give me a pic and i would write a song about it lol

__________________
My love....If only he was still alive♥

Stone Birds

that's how i came up with "The Kite" and "Towerman"
("Towerman" is not that great but i like "The Kite")

__________________

[Link removed by mod, no advertising] ... Damn those mods are always gettin ya :)

Arya Stark

I actually just wrote a poem about one of those pic tures after I saw your post. I like the outcome, but I'm not sure I want to post it. Thanks for the ideas.

__________________

MB Journal.
Azucar y Especia. My blog.

Stone Birds

you're welcome that's what the exercise was for

__________________

[Link removed by mod, no advertising] ... Damn those mods are always gettin ya :)

Arya Stark

Moreeee. Now I'm going to go look for pictures to write about. It seems they give me the best outcome. =D

__________________

MB Journal.
Azucar y Especia. My blog.

Stone Birds

read this after you're done:

__________________

[Link removed by mod, no advertising] ... Damn those mods are always gettin ya :)