Musical Genre Displacement

[thefool_wa]

OK, so I'm sure many out there know who wrote and perform the song whose lyrics I've transcribed below, but I have a question.

If you did not (or do not) know who sings this song, what era, genre or even artist would you think it came from? I love this song (and the artist) and have been amazed at the source since the first time I heard it.

here it is...

(father can you hear me?
How have I let you down?
I curse the day that I was born!
And all the sorrow in this world...)

Let me take you to the hurting ground
Where all good men are trampled down.
Just to settle a bet that could not be won
Between a prideful father and his son.

Well regard me now so I can see
A reason for the suffering and this long misery.
What if every living soul could be upright and strong?
Well then I do imagine...

There will be (sorrow)
There will be (sorrow)
There will be sorrow no more!

When all soldiers lay there weapons down,
Or when the kings and the queens relinquish their crowns,
Or when the only true Messiah rescues us from ourselves.
Its easy to imagine...

There will be (sorrow)
There will be (sorrow)
There will be sorrow no more!

[otherlander]

1. I don't know...

60's folk-rock? I like the words.

[thefool_wa]

3. Interesting

I've always thought it sounded more like 50's Gospel. In fact I thought at first that it was an adaptaion of an old Gospel song, but all the writing credits I have found credit the band that performs it as the original source.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

2. Yentl?

Streisand?

[thefool_wa]

5. Nope

Do you know who actually does it?

I can kinda hear Striesand singing it, but it totally destroys the song for me :)

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. Sorrow by Bad Religion 2002 n/t

[thefool_wa]

6. Yes, I know who does it

As I said, it is one of my all time fave tunes. I've just always found it drastically out of character for both the band and the genre in which they typically write.

Who do you think could sing it in a genre that is more fitting of these types of lyrics? (punk rock rarely suits itself with Gospel lyrics, and these are definitely Gospel lyrics)

[ZombieNixon]

7. BR tends to have a fair few "gospel" lyrics in their songs.

Greg Graffin's not a bad gospel singer on his own, as witnessed by his solo album.

[thefool_wa]

8. He has a solo album?

What is it called?

[bbernardini]

11. Cold As The Clay nt

[Gatchaman]

9. Sounds like Nu-Metal horseshit to me

Linkin Park?

[thefool_wa]

10. No

Bad Religion - Old School Punk

[ghostsofgiants]

12. Ohhhh, the ignorance never ceases sometimes.

[thefool_wa]

13. Amen! n/t

[ElboRuum]

14. Reads a little U2ish. I confess this is a guess.

[thefool_wa]

15. Nice

I could sooooooo se them singing this song!

The messiah line might be a little too gospel for U2 though. Maybe not...