u/Superb-Donkey7202

For those who never seen the movie, this goes without saying: SPOILER ALERT.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays a Marshal who is trying to locate a missing person on an island for the criminally insane. You find out through the course of the movie that he is an inmate. Then you find out why.

In the reveal scene, Leonardo‘s character Andrew Landis came home to find that his wife had killed all three of her children, drowning them in the lake outside their home. It’s revealed that the wife is mentally sick and the signs were ignored by her husband.

I was watching it with someone who had never seen it and asked, “who would do that to their own children?”

Welp….

(verse 1)

We looked so cool when the drugs were wearing off.

Waking up and it’s time to get some more.

Hanging out at all the parties.

Passing out on all the coats.

Saying, “if we’re not careful we’ll get an overdose.”

(verse 2)

We looked so cool when the drugs were kicking in. 

Take too much till the room starts to spin. 

Taking to the streets at night. 

With window displays and Christmas lights. 

Saying, “If we’re not careful we’ll get an overdose.”

(chorus)

What are we doing for the weekend?

Are we getting high on your supply?

When life hits and we all fall down, we’ll burn out till we don’t remember?

(verse 3)

We felt so young on the drugs we were on.

Took too much till our minds were completely gone. 

Searching through medicine cabinets 

Grabbing empty bottles and aerosol cans. 

Till one of us died of an overdosed. 

(Chorus outro)

What are we doing for the weekend?

Are we getting high on your supply?

When the acid hits and we all fall down, we’ll fade out till we don’t remember?

If you ever read this passage and thought, “What a strange passage” you’re probably not alone. 

I’m going to try to unpack this and do a deep dive. 

First the verse in question:

23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

25 Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

At first it sounds like Elisha is sensitive about his male pattern baldness. So much so that he sent bears to sic ‘em. Well, kinda. 

Direction:

2 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.

Problem with the last part is that Bethel is North West of Gilgal. They would have traveled up north to get there. 

3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master [a]from over you today?”

And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.”

But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.

5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”

So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.”

But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Elijah ascends into Heaven:

 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Just to give a brief history of Bethel: Jacob’s Ladder Genesis 28

10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder wasset up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep[c] you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome isthis place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place [d]Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

1 Kings 12

Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

As you can see from the text, Bethel and Dan was set up as a high place for worshiping idols. It seems like there’s a spiritual battle for Bethel. Bethel in Hebrew means “House of God.”

The phrasing in 2 Kings is not so much in the insult: “Go up!! You bald head!! Go up!!! You bald head!!!”

It’s in the direction. 

The children were chastising Elisha and telling him to go up the same direction Elijah went. The same direction the angels ascended from in Jacob’s dream. They wanted Elisha gone. 

It’s also interesting to note that Elisha got told by 50 of the sons of the prophets that Elijah would leave him. 

Anyway, tell me what you think in the comment.

I h r n

I’m a navy veteran and engineer. Any and all missions require immense planning. Operational Risk Management. Drawn out details. Check out the following verse description of the Ark.

14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.

Description: 

Cypress wood is an exceptional, naturally durable building material prized for its resistance to rot, moisture, and insects without requiring chemical pressure treatments.

Pitch:

Pitch, a product of the naval industry was used to caulk the seams of wooden sailing vessels.

Let’s go over the measurements:

1 cubit = 18 inches. 

Length 300 cubits: 150 yards

Width 50 cubits: 25 yards

30 cubits high: 45 feet. 

Notice it says nothing about a steering wheel. There’s not even an engine. Basically, God wanted Noah to build a raft. God wanted Noah to trust him. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

I wrote this when me and my buddies wanted to start a band. I never got to finish the lyrics. I thought we’d work it out together during band practice but decided that the lyrics were too disrespectful to the person it was written about. And the fact that I borrowed the title from a Flaming Lips song is probably not a good thing. So it got scrapped.

(verse 1)

Japanese zeros are dropping from the ceiling.

Getting killed was not the hard part.

It’s messing with my head and I can’t irk the feeling.

Getting killed was not the hard part.

Russian mafia and spies are living next door.

Getting killed was not the hard part.

Nuclear winters coming, that’s why we need more.

Getting killed was not the hard part.

(chorus)

Abandon all hope of rescue

No one is coming to get you when you’re….

Ego tripping at the gates of Hell.

To give a for example, say you want to write a spaghetti western like Marty Robbin’s Big Iron or Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door . Does anyone else put together a rough idea or string together a few lines to build off of?

Hiding bottles all over the house 

Hiding bottles so he don’t find out 

And Maria sleeps here on my couch 

Says she gotta hide from the man who keeps pushing her away.

(pre chorus)

And she said soul searching is all I’m really doing these days 

If I’m buying time it’s only just to give it away 

And I just throw it away 

(chorus)

You’re just a thorn inside my soul 

one’s not enough here’s a dozen more 

choke on the feast of roses 

Can’t swallow enough blood just to let it go 

(Verse 2)

Table for one away from the sun 

Sure does sound like a lot of fun until you realize that you’re drinking alone 

That’s alright I just drink to forget 

They’re still sending me them welfare checks 

It affords me a room with one Hell of a view 

Cause he’s grabbing bottles from under the shelf 

Grabbing bottles until there’s nothing left 

And he says, “I just toast to myself 

until they find me on the bathroom floor.”

(pre chorus)

soul searching is all I’m really doing these days 

If I’m buying time it’s only just to give it away 

And I just throw it away 

(chorus)

You’re just a thorn inside my soul 

one’s not enough here’s a dozen more 

choke on the feast of roses 

Can’t swallow enough blood just to let it go 

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter"

I don’t like to rant about things but I feel the need to say it really sucks living in a fallen world. There are people who believe the lies of “there’s no hope“, “God is dead”, “you can make up your own truth“, “the Bible is vile and evil“, “Hell is a fun place”, “you have all the time in the world“, and so on and so forth. It’s exhausting being constantly bombarded by this. I try to stay away from social media but occasionally you see it.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12

The worst part of this is the lies that I am too small to do anything. Or I can’t save anyone. Or the worst one: “you’re not really saved.”

“For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

1 John 4:4

God help me.

(Intro)

Like swallowing salt water 

I’m swallowing Dramamine 

I jump into the ocean just to escape 

 

(Break)

Will I be saved?!

(verse 1)

I’m tired of cleaning up my blood from below the decks 

I’m tired of hearing my name over engine noise 

I got to get off this ship

Because I was about to murder my chief before the guilt set in

Like swallowing salt water 

I’m swallowing Dramamine 

Walk the birthing where a young man hung himself and fantasized that it should have been me

Guess I’ll swim to shore 

Take my chances among the waves 

I fold my hands and pray for a calm 

(Break)

Will I be saved?!

(verse 2)

I got this chief that’s three times bigger than me

Can’t fit through a scuttle much less fit through a door 

I’m an utter disappointment as he inspects my shave

Guess I’ll get with a first class and un-fuck myself 

Like swallowing salt water 

Like swallowing Dramamine

I heard the Chief Engineer over the 1MC

Saying, “abandon all hope all those who come here!!”

I toss and turn in my rack

I hadn’t been able to eat a decent meal in days 

Given my chances are slim to none at survival 

I think I’ll take my chances among the waves 

(break)

Will I be saved?!

Shall I be saved?

(Outro)

I should have listened when they said turn back

When I saw blood dripping from Wetter’s pipe wrench 

Or the blood dripping from Monnahan’s head 

I should have swam just to get away 

I should have planned my own escape 

I’ll take my chances on  Mindanao

I’ll hide myself on Tioman Isle

And hide amongst the monkeys in the trees 

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”

John 16:2

“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.“

Revelation 20:4

I was watching an interview with a prominent pastor who brought up these verses pertaining to the end times. I wanted to highlight the part I found interesting.

“the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”

“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.” 

I think this is a great warning for our day.

I was writing a song called Drug Mule Blues that was the most fun to write. The first chorus was, “they forgot to put cocaine in the ashtrays.”

Towards the end of the song I wrote the line, “now my body is a winter wonderland.”

It was meant to be tongue in cheek but I would have to say that’s probably my worst line of a song. I probably wrote a lot more than just that. So feel free to comment. Let me know what’s your worst.

4pm on Saturdays waiting for a friend of mine 

I watched the Wall so many times I can quote every line 

And it been way too long since the last time I saw her face

And I‘m left to wonder what if she sees me for me

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse 2)

I met her at Nature’s Market Place when she was 19 years old 

She was standing next to her sister and together they looked so beautiful

And I was dating someone who was  into the art of jealousy

And I just wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Outro)

20 years goes by so fast 

When you wonder about the life you could have had 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

Note: I wrote this about a girl who I was ”seeing“ when I lived in North Portland. She went on to become a film director for an independent film company.

4pm on Saturdays waiting for a friend of mine 

I watched the Wall so many times I can quote every line 

And I’m waiting for her call 

And sometimes she doesn’t show 

Some days I wonder if she sees me at all 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse 2)

I met her at Nature’s Market Place in Vancouver Washington when she was 19 years old 

She was standing next to her sister and together they looked so beautiful

And I was dating someone who was  dating everything 

And I just wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me 

(Chorus)

I watched Maria dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was 

staring back at me 

(Outro)

20 years goes by so fast 

When you wonder about the life you could have had 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse)

You know your gonna look fine

Adorn in roses

Dancing with the dead on the boulevard.

With streets aligned 

In pure celebration.

As you close your eyes, bow your head, and cross your heart. 

A soft parade

Cuts through heaven 

And I say so much for the afterlife 

I just want to hold you in my arms 

(chorus)

Don’t you just love how they treat us?

Acting like they don’t even need us?

You know there’s too many Judas here and not enough Jesus.

Everyone’s looking out for themselves.

Oh, but when I get to heaven 

I’ll get to see you again 

(2nd verse)

Hard to say goodbye 

In my dark hour

As I hold onto your memory in the soft moonlight. 

I start to question myself 

If it could have been a better?

i saw it all and realized my hands were tied.

So I’m left to wonder

at your final moment.

I guess something’s are better left unsaid 

And somethings are better left to the unknown.

(Chorus Outro)

Maria waits up in Heaven 

Shining down like the sun 

Is there any room up in Heaven 

For anyone 

Or for me 

(Note)

I wrote this about a friend of mine who died back in 2004. I didn’t find out until years later. I still don’t know what happened to her and regret not keeping in contact. This was my goodbye to her.