You Don't Owe Me Nothing

[Image: 'On The Fritz' Front Cover]

Sections:

Lyrics

There was a time in Christendom
The road to God was hard to tread
'Til charlatans in leisure suits
Saw dollars dancing in their heads

You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing

I heard her say she struck a deal
Her faith will bring in money bags
I'm heading for the mercy seat
My goodness looks like dirty rags

You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
Need I even say
You don't owe me nothing
Why'd you give it anyway?

I know you'll give me what I need
They say I need a shopping mall
I claim the victory over greed
Lord Jesus, I surrender all

You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
Need I even say
You don't owe me nothing

You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
You don't owe me nothing
Why'd you give it anyway?

You don't owe me nothing

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About The Song

From Cornerstone 1985, July 1985:

I'm watching television the other day. We get back from a concert, it's real late at night, go back to the hotel, [...] and I'm going through the channels on a TV that's got those cable things where it goes up to channel 370. I'm flipping through, I come up to channel 64, and the first thing I notice about channel 64 is that it's some kind of a talk show, but it's not like any talk show set I've ever seen before.

It's got light blue carpet and light blue curtains and pink sofas, so I figured it must be some kind of a Christian talk show. This lady walks out who I assume was the host of the show. She was an interesting-looking host. She had one of those inflatable Christian hair-dos. You seen those before? There's a little valve in the back for the compressed air. The makeup that she used was unique, I think it was like from Maybelline in a drum or something like that.

She gets talking and she starts off by saying, "Now, everyone that's watching, I need for you to know that our ministry is in great danger right now, and the only way that we can get through this is if every person who's watching will send fifty dollars." She then promised that every person who sent fifty dollars that God would multiple that amount for each person times one hundred. So I got out my calculator, that's better than a U.S. savings bond, you know what I'm saying?

Then she goes on to say, "Do you realize that it's your right to be healthy and wealth as believers?" And if you're not, then all you have to do is "name it and claim it", or mark it and park it, or something like that. She goes on to say that you're supposed to have nice things and if you're not driving around in a nice new car, it's because you don't have enough faith in God. Which I guess means that no one on this stage has had enough faith for quite a while.

I get out my Bible and check out what Jesus had to say concerning worldly possessions, and the two just didn't jive. I know these people are sincere, and this is our kind of sincere rebuttal to that whole school of thought. It's called "You Don't Owe Me Nothing".

From Clone Club News Flash Winter 1986, Winter 1986:

In the book of I Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives a stern warning: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap... Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Yet today we're bombarded with formulas for health, wealth, and worldly success coming from within the Christian church! This song was written as a warning and a challenge to the Church to return to the belief that "godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."

From Now The Truth Can Be Told Liner Notes & Song-By-Song Essays, Now The Truth Can Be Told Insert Booklet, August 23rd, 1994:

Not one of my more insightful lyrics, with Jim & Tammy, et al. The televangelist target had gotten too easy--rather like criticizing a cartoon character for bad acting.

But since this is a live track, and a very good one at that, I'll instead take the oportunity to thank the band, who had nothing to do with the lyrics, and everything to do with making it all still sound interesting.