Of Gods and Planets

I wrote this. Technically, what I wrote was a poem, but it can be turned into a song by putting the verses to the same tune as "Somebody's Baby", by Jon Foreman, which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRCmbqVxas. It's a great song, so check it out.

As for my poem/song, I rely heavily on allusions, so to help explain the full meaning, here is a refresher on the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. The Greek names are more familiar, but the Roman names are the names given to the planets. I use both, so I will write them as Greek (Roman).

Artemis (Diana): goddess of virginity, the hunt, and the moon
Athena (Minerva): goddess of wisdom, mathematics, strategy
Ares (Mars): god of war and violence
Zeus (Jupiter): king of the gods, god of the sky, ruler of Olympus
Apollo (Apollo): god of music, poetry, and the sun
Aphrodite (Venus): goddess of love, beauty, and sex
Dionysus (Bacchus): god of wine and ecstasy
Hera (Juno): goddess of marriage
Hermes (Mercury): messenger of the gods, with winged sandals
Poseidon (Neptune): god of the sea
Hades (Pluto): god of the underworld and afterlife

And with that, here is what I wrote. It's a song about idolatry, and it loosely follows one possible journey through life. Let me know what you think.

Of Gods and Planets

Verse 1:
It started off innocent, too good to be true
When Artemis told me to shoot for the moon
I chased it in circles, but it fled every day with the dawn

So I searched for Athena in figures and proofs
In books and in writings, if only I knew
That just being right doesn't make up for all of my wrongs

I chased after Mars and his fires of war
His violence was power, but I thirsted for more
Just like the red rover, Curiosity just wouldn't stop

So I lifted my sights and I started the climb
to the top of Olympus, there only to find
That even King Zeus is deluded alone at the top

Chorus:
These aren't my vices,
These are my gods
I'd make any promise
and break any law

I stand here condemned
When I kneel at their feet
Trading my birthright
For one bite to eat

I'm lost and I'm drowning
With the sirens at sea
Chained to the mast
As they serenade me

My demons surround me
They circle my heart
Like sharks in the water
Or planets 'round a star

Verse 2:
I plug in my headphones and hear Apollo's song
He tells me "look pretty", so I play along
I yell "Hey Aphrodite, come here, I want you to be mine"

The gym is my church ground, my altar the floor,
My body's a temple, but not to the Lord
I bow down to Venus, but get left in the dust every time

Then I met Juno, the love of my life
I said "You complete me," and made her my wife
But even the whitest of gowns only lasts for a day

When she lets me down, I scream "I've had enough,
Come on, Dionysus, come help me get drunk
My life is so bitter, your sweet wine can take me away"

Chorus:

These aren't my vices,
These are my gods
I'd make any promise
and break any law

I stand here condemned
When I kneel at their feet
Trading my birthright
For one bite to eat

I'm lost and I'm drowning
With the sirens at sea
Chained to the mast
As they serenade me

My demons surround me
They circle my heart
Like sharks in the water
Or planets 'round a star

Verse 3:
I tried to run faster, to join the elite
I asked Mercury to put wings on my feet
My god brought me messages faster than ever before

I ran straight off the land into Neptune's domain,
Into swells of a storm that I could not contain
Adrift on the sea of my life like a man overboard

That's when I saw Pluto, the darkest of shores
No land for the living, but I'm not anymore
My life, like the light, had faded till I was undone

And there, at the end, I knew I had to turn back
And I realized the center is what holds things intact
And that all of these things were created to circle the Sun

Chorus:
These aren't my vices,
These are my gods
I'd make any promise
and break any law

I stand here condemned
When I kneel at their feet
Trading my birthright
For one bite to eat

I'm lost and I'm drowning
With the sirens at sea
Chained to the mast
As they serenade me

My demons surround me
They circle my heart
Like sharks in the water

Chorus 2:
These are my vices,
But You are my God
I trust in your promise
And dwell on your laws

I stand here amazed
As you wash off my feet
You laid out a banquet
And called me to eat

I was lost and was drowning
Till you calmed the sea
You broke every chain
And said I am set free

Your Spirit surrounds me
And dwells in my heart
I drink living water
Oh Lord, my God You are!