Author: Kefa

On page 12, Marcus says:

“And they were killed with their own names. From the Psalms. Beware your name, for it is the first venom. Revelations.”

I was intruguied as to where these came from, what was the exact scriptual reference and context. So I looked it up. Nothing but references to Flame Alphabet appeared in a google search, so I looked in the online Bible. And what a twist when I found out…these references don’t even exist!! Nada! I tried with only key words like kill and name, even used synonyms like poison instead of venom, changed the version from NIV to KJV (different Bible versions), and there was nowhere where there is any such grouping of those or similar words anywhere in any single sentance that vaguely resembled the lines above.

Then I remembered: Sam (the narrator) is Jewish! It might be in the Torah!

Nope

Then it hit me that not only is the Bible’s Old Testament all in the Torah anyway, Revelations, in the New Testament of the Bible, isn’t in the Torah, so Sam must have been referring to books in the Bible.

But Sam’s Jewish! Why would he know exact Biblical scriptures (even if they are fake)? Not that that matters, it’s not like he’s not allowed to read a Bible. But then, why would he (Sam) quote fake references? Why would Marcus make fake scripture, especially when so much relevant real scripture exists?

For example: James 3:8 NIV “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” or even better (and from a book he actually mentions) Revelation 6:8 NIV “It’s rider was named Death…they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, famine and plague…” IT EVEN USES PLAGUE!

So that’s a curious choice.

You say that selling blood is quite alright,

That blood is just another good.

But if your blood, your very life,

Can be sold so cheaply; nay, have a price,

Then what is it that you value dear,

Where are your values,

Are you so severe?

That you are willing to sell yourself,

Like a common harlot, you’re the lowest low,

If you believe, if you do know,

That you are profiting from God’s gift,

The gift of life, the essence of it –

Have you no morals, how can you say,

That it’ll regenerate anyway!

You have no heart, it is forsaken;

When all the crimson fluid is taken,

Maybe then, then shall you know,

That no amount of cash can flow,

Like blood within your very veins,

Money only binds you in further chains,

Could you just please, use your brains!

 

Forget the morals, ethics and norms,

Your sacred economics gathers storms,

To show you how wrong you really are,

That your words are so very bizzare;

Can you even fathom the desperation,

The poverty, dearth, and consternation,

Can you hope to imagine the exploitation,

The terror, pressure, and desolation,

That leads someone to give away,

To siphon blood, to go astray?

You can not truly understand,

The true supply, the true demand,

That people weaken day by day,

That they’re abused, and cannot say,

Please, just go away – I’d rather starve than hear you say,

That my blood has no meaning true,

It’s just an income source to you.

So don’t act like you know it all,

Like you hold some secret crystal ball,

The world is not so simple thus,

And that is why I make a fuss.

 

You say that selling blood is quite alright,

That blood is just another good.

Truth is, there’s more to it than that,

It’s life incarnate, remain so, it should.

 

 

So I’ve been unable to track down a full version of the original song, the best I could do was a snippet I found here and a remix that I found here. And trust me, I spent a long time looking for the full thing. This blog, aptly named Welcome to My Online Hillbrow has a reference in the text to the song, and the lyrics. I thought they were interesting, melancholic, and worthy of our attention. It’s a recuring motif in the text, barely 5 pages go past without it being mentioned. Sadness, love, desperation, depth.

Here are the lyrics anyway:

It don’t hurt no more
Cause I’m stealing into the night
This broken heart
Won’t you please write a letter to yourself?
Maybe we’ll touch base when I can see your thoughts
Won’t you please take this child far away?
There’s too much blood flowing around
Please be safe this child
Won’t you please take this child by the hand?
Put a smile on the child’s face so scared and knows no other
Always feeling so alone
Won’t you please take this time to right the wrong?
That wasn’t her intent to mess with you
Say it loud say it loud say it loud and clear
I made a call to the missing people’s bureau
I wrote a song I had never sung
Your voice on the other side
Such pained and old I said son
There’s no time for a second call
Try again tomorrow so I’m glued
I say take my son take my pain to my pay check and love
But please take the child
With a little help from our friends
From our friends in high places
From our friends in even higher places
We can save the child
Now won’t you please be responsible
Now take your time to take think about the needs of a child
It’s their world we’re living in
See the world through the eyes of a child imagine yourself in the same situation
You got nobody you know no other you’re so lonely say in the darkness
You were a child once
Love is a destination
Belonging and respiration in good time
See the world through the eyes of a child
Take this child away from me too much blood flowing