Tragic Chemistry

Background Info*

I think Augustine was a very interesting and conflicted man. His struggle with his own humanity in his quest to know God evokes a fair bit of pathos for me. "Give me chastity and continence, but not yet", he said, while still enjoying the material and carnal pleasures in life. His weakness and humanity are what make him interesting to me. In my estimation his mark on the world was both great and terrible, and I generally feel this way about organized religion as a phenomenon: Augustine, for me, is a symbol of religion and all that it has spawned. I often wonder how much he might have thought about how his life measured out on divine scales and how worried he was about eternal damnation as his life came to a close. The little counter-lyric at the end of the song is poignant for me, and is not really intended to be the voice of Augustine, but rather the voice of anyone who doesn’t want to fade away:

i want to live after i die
if not with god, than in the minds
of other men who suffer too
my afterlife might be in you

The song should feel dark and minor, and i'd like to try to make it seem simultaneously militant and penitent if that means anything to anyone. Put another way, it should seem aggressive but conflicted.

Technical Notes

The verse rhythm guitar effect is achieved by Jorgenson performing 3 variations of the part and layering them together. All are performed on Gibson Les Pauls of various models, running through different combinations of an Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, an Ibanez TS-808, an Orange 'Tiny Terror' and a Marshall JCM 800 with an external 1960A cabinet.

The "tortured sea gull" part (as the band refers to it) is generated by Jorgenson playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom Classic into a Vox Time Machine delay pedal, then "reversing" the signal by plugging into the output jack of a Vox wah pedal, with the input sent to a Fender Twin amp.

Lyrics

oh saint augustine
what did you mean
when you mentioned
that grace is predestined?
He counts all our sin
before we begin
shh‚ don't say it loud to the crowd

popularized
then canonized
by a people
not beneath the steeple
when you lusted
so disgusted
will the almighty
agree about your piety?

thank me for
the just war
you can raise your spear
if He whispers in your ear
that you are right
and they are wrong
collect the tithe
make your swords long

oh saint augustine
so pristine
give me chastity
when i've lost alacrity
for my concubine
and the taste of wine
when i grow old
and blood runs cold

did you fear as the end drew near (I want to live)
that the good you did (after I die)
wouldn't outweigh your id (if not with god)
indiscretions (then in the minds)
dark intentions (of other men)
when it's my turn (who suffer too)
will i burn? (my afterlife might be in you)