This song gels beautifully with the rest of the album. Same kind of soft, gentle rock with MK's voice pleasantly blending into it.
This song IMO conveys obvious disdain to the whole concept of "selling God" as is practised in the religious TV channels with their penchant for doling out sentimentality to the multitude. It starts with a claim from a man "under the influence" who considers himself lucky for having been chosen to partake in the process of charity instituted by a man "from the ministry". He is so happy that he has a "smile on his face" and is in a "state of grace". He thinks that the man from the ministry personally talks to him and admonishes him to part with money that he can ill afford to lose in the name of charity. You would think that MK believes in all this were it not for the palpable sarcasm in describing the man from the ministry who has now morphed into the "man with the diamond ring" thereby revealing the affect of the garnered wealth on the man.
The mild disdain on the man becomes more pronounced when it was told that "he sure can sing". The rest of the song about people believing in the "ticket to heaven" and the "ride all the way to paradise" add further fuel and ironic humor to this song which begins to resemble a critical poem now. How this whole God epidemic, with its emphasis on creating institutions as opposed to promoting spirituality, has become increasingly prevalent is further indicated with words such as "tuning across the land to hear him sing" - as if to suggest that just the song (and not the message) is able to sway the crowd to support the man with the diamond ring making him even more wealthy.
Overall a lovely song with great vocals.
This song gels beautifully with the rest of the album. Same kind of soft, gentle rock with MK's voice pleasantly blending into it.
This song IMO conveys obvious disdain to the whole concept of "selling God" as is practised in the religious TV channels with their penchant for doling out sentimentality to the multitude. It starts with a claim from a man "under the influence" who considers himself lucky for having been chosen to partake in the process of charity instituted by a man "from the ministry". He is so happy that he has a "smile on his face" and is in a "state of grace". He thinks that the man from the ministry personally talks to him and admonishes him to part with money that he can ill afford to lose in the name of charity. You would think that MK believes in all this were it not for the palpable sarcasm in describing the man from the ministry who has now morphed into the "man with the diamond ring" thereby revealing the affect of the garnered wealth on the man.
The mild disdain on the man becomes more pronounced when it was told that "he sure can sing". The rest of the song about people believing in the "ticket to heaven" and the "ride all the way to paradise" add further fuel and ironic humor to this song which begins to resemble a critical poem now. How this whole God epidemic, with its emphasis on creating institutions as opposed to promoting spirituality, has become increasingly prevalent is further indicated with words such as "tuning across the land to hear him sing" - as if to suggest that just the song (and not the message) is able to sway the crowd to support the man with the diamond ring making him even more wealthy. Overall a lovely song with great vocals.