I was addicted to television as a child. When I came off of it in college, I was a man on a mission, convinced that TV was at the very least one of Satan’s minions, if not ‘ole Beelzebub himself.
Though not everyone followed my thinking about television, my good friend John Prine certainly did. He even wrote a song about it.
Spanish Pipedream (AKA Blow Up Your TV)
© John Prine
She was a level-headed dancer on the road to alcohol
And I was just a soldier on my way to Montreal
Well she pressed her chest against me
About the time the juke box broke
Yeah, she gave me a peck on the back of the neck
And these are the words she spoke
Chorus:
Blow up your TV, throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try and find Jesus on your ownWell, I sat there at the table and I acted real naive
For I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve
Well, she danced around the bar room and she did the hoochy-coo
Yeah she sang her song all night long, tellin’ me what to doRepeat chorus:
Well, I was young and hungry and about to leave that place
When just as I was leavin’, well she looked me in the face
I said “You must know the answer.”
“She said, “No but I’ll give it a try.”
And to this very day we’ve been livin’ our way
And here is the reason whyWe blew up our TV threw away our paper
Went to the country, built us a home
Had a lot of children, fed ‘em on peaches
They all found Jesus on their own
Life’s too short to watch it go by, even on the biggest of screens.
{Note: ”Spanish Pipedream” can be found on Prine’s first album (pictured above). It can be purchased in a variety of incarnations at the Oh Boy records company store.}
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more reflections on Prine’s music…
I had a bumper sticker on my car in high school that read: Kill Your Television. With the exception of sports and the occasional Law & Order re-run, I’m glad to rid myself of the tv . . . (oh, but my three year old is a different story!)
The Pistol fires back: I take perverse pride in proclaiming that my 6 year old has never in his life seen a TV commercial. He stills watches a steady diet of Barney, Wiggles, etc…, but they are all from videos. We haven’t had TV hook-up for over 13 years, and are none the worse for wear.
It’s so funny (as in “interesting”) that you would write about this topic….
I have felt, for a long while now, that TV is a means by which the “dark one” NUMBS our minds and our spirits… When my son was very small, I recognized it in an entirely new way, when I saw his little eyes “glaze over” when he had been in front of the TV for an hour or so. He would get SO excited, when we would drive by a McDonald’s, and jump up & down, begging to go there….not so much because the food was all that special, but because of the TV commercials with Ronald McDonald (who my son called “Ronnal Donnal”)…. VERY early on, I began to selectively “limit” his TV viewing, and the sound was TURNED OFF during the commercials. The Saturday morning cartoons were turned off by 11 a.m., and it was time to get outside into the fresh air to play.
It’s very obvious with the adult population, as well….in the medical office where I work, my co-workers report that there are certain programs that are of such vital importance, that the world comes to a complete HALT when they are on. No one moves…or talks…. (does the work “obsession” fit the bill?).
TV is a form of “background noise” in most homes….and I have been guilty of that as well. Perhaps the “silence” is too “deafening”?
How many parents use the TV as a form of “babysitter” for their children? It’s so “convenient”, isn’t it? Like hooking them up to a “feeding tube”, and leaving them unattended, not ever really knowing what form of “nutrition” they might be receiving (if any at all)…
When you turn on the TV and see the (hundreds of) programming selections available to us in this day and age, it’s rather unsettling… frightening even. As a society, it seems that our minds, spirits and consciences are “glazing over”, much like my young son’s eyes did, at the age of 2 and 3. This “background noise” isn’t as “harmless” as it might seem. It’s helping to dull our ability to think for ourselves….even to recogize “right” from “wrong”.
Thank you, Pistol Pete, for this very TIMELY reminder of something that many people don’t even give a THOUGHT to….
and for once again, helping us to remember WHY it’s important to THINK, and to look just a little bit deeper beneath the surface of our daily lives…..as Christians, we have a (huge) moral responsibility to do so.
The Pistol fires back: Boy, you’ve given that a lot of thought. Now, go eat a peach and think about Jesus.
Lot of food for thought. I have been become a bit of a news junkie lately, certainly not good for attitude. I have always known (well, not always) we needed to be careful of what we take into our minds and especially what our children and grandchildren watch.
As I said, this is something I really need to consider. You have given me a lot to think about. Peaches do sound good. Yum Yum. I love Jesus just need the peaches!
Just wanted to add a ditto to the many insightful comments regarding the “Boob Tube”.
To Angie:
If you’re considering adjusting your time committed to the TV, count yourself blessed. I think that its the Holy Spirit working to convince you in your hear that there are other priorities in your life that need your attention.
For what it’s worth.
Grace & peace be with you all.