Come join us!

Keywords: political cults, political music, punk rock, religious cults

The other day, listening to one of my CDs more closely than before, I noticed a couple songs that are quite germane to those of us who've had experiences with abusive groups. This one pertains to the sort of group that I belonged to once, in my adolescence:

 "Come Join Us"

Don't you see all the trouble that most people are in

And that they just want you for their own advantage 

But I swear to you we're different from all of them 

Come join us

I can tell you are lookin' for a way to live Where truth is determined by consensus

Full of codified arbitrary directives

Come join us

All we want to have is your small mind

Turn it into one of our own kind

You can go through life adrift and alone Desperate, desolate, on your own

But we're lookin' for a few more stalwart clones

So come join us

Come join us

Come join us

We've got spite and dedication as a vehement brew

The world hates us, well we hate them too But you're exempted of course if you

Come join us

Independent, self-contented, revolutionary Intellectual, brave, strong and scholarly

If you're not one of them, you're us already

So come join us

And here's one for those whose abusers were more "spiritual":

"Spirit Shine"

Shed a tear for the criminal, give him something to believe

Light a fire for the miserable, give the darkness some meaning

Closed wounds harbor pestilence, when you lick them from within

Charity has a redolence chastity cannot rescind

Spirit shine, it's a sign

Of a troubled mind (tortured mind)

Spirit shine all the time

Can render you blind

You can take it all to heart or throw it all away

You can call it just a lark or live your life that way

You can give until you're dry and sucked of all your gleam

You can fake another cry and compromise your dream

Cling tight to the parable -- let it dominate your life

Create a God who's infallible -- give your leader some respite

Closed wounds harbor pestilence -- when you lick them from within

Today smiles lose their radiance -- when you take it on the chin

Both of these are from Bad Religion's album The Gray Race.