Hey now, ah ah ah ah, ooh yeah (etc)

50 years ago, 50 years ago, I was in Sunday school in Freedom, California
Yes, that is really the name of the town
Now they were undergoing a change of doctrine and regime
Up to then for the last few years, it was very simple:
Be a good boy, be kind to the poor
Don’t fight with each other, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t kill
And God will like you (“God likes me!”)

Suddenly, there were all these brand new rules (Uh-oh, what rules?)
It all involved: were you believing properly?
Had you been born again? Had you taken in the spirit of the Lord?
‘Cause if you hadn’t done…if you didn’t say the magic words,
Then nothing you did would count.
Works without faith were going to send you back to Hell no matter what.
(The opposite of Catholics).

Then one man came in on that one Sunday morning and
He laid it down for the Sunday school class and he said:
“These days, fathers don’t play the proper role for their children.
They don’t give their children any guidance.
Reject that father because the real Father is in Heaven. (Spank me daddy)
And you should obey Him! (Spank me daddy)
He’s the only Father that counts!” (Spank me daddy)

Mind you (spank me daddy in Heaven!)
I did not have the greatest relationship with my dad (You and a million others)
I didn’t agree with much of what he said (Who does?)
But that day, I never felt like defending him more (What’d you say about my Dad??!)
Who the hell is this guy to tell me my father is not my real father
And I wanted a sky daddy to tell me what to do (discipline discipline) (no I don’t think so)

It was a strange thing to teach kids (no I don’t think so no I don’t think so)
Tell them their fathers are giving them too much freedom? (no I don’t think so)
Fall into line with the “real Father” in the sky? (ain’t happenin’ here)

But this is how you understand
The authoritarian mind (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)
Good is based on obedience. (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)
If you are obedient you are good (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)
And if you are not obedient you are bad. (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)

So you can put any idiot at all in power (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)
The most malicious, nasty, incompetent, incontinent, sadistic dolt
If you put him in power (The cruelty is the point, the cruelty is the point)
It is good to follow him
It is bad to rebel against him.
That’s how the authoritarian mind works
And that’s what has got us here in America (and here we are).
America, the land of the free
Where you’re free to obey the good, righteous father.

Creativity, independent thinking
Critical thinking
Understanding what’s around you
Understanding of paradox (oooh paradox)
Respect, care and attention
Respect when respect is earned
Otherwise respect someone’s humanity
But don’t give them your obedience
Don’t give them your allegiance.

Anything else but that is useless, meaningless, unconscious
Default behavior with no thinking.

Are you free? Are you free?
Or do you just use the word “free” like a magic spell?
(The ability to deal with ambiguity is a sign of mental health)