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An Atheist Album

by Shelley Segal

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mr_lasse
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mr_lasse Lovely voice. fantastic lyrics, true and inspiring as well. Simply a great album. Favorite track: Apocalyptic Love Song (For Hitchens).
PalouseTrance
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PalouseTrance "Saved" has a sly reggae feel, with a lyric that twists ever tighter verse by verse. Great song; it's become a favorite. Met her at the Darwin Day event in Moscow, Idaho several weeks ago -- she's as smart and savvy in person. Thanks for such a heartfelt song that I don't mind it running around my head!
Robert Online
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Robert Online "Saved" is like an anthem to my way of thinking since I've opened my eyes... Love it. Favorite track: Saved.
Finn Nicolas
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Finn Nicolas The first and best non-comedic atheistic music that I ever heard. Shelley, whose father is the president of a synagogue , makes brilliant, heartfelt and often, very funny music about atheism, secularism and the problems with organised religion. Favorite track: Apocalyptic Love Song (For Hitchens).
Stevie Kincade
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Stevie Kincade Shelley has a great voice and I really like the songcraft and message of "Saved" Favorite track: Saved.
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1.
Eve 04:15
The bible tells me I was made for and from man And I must do for him everything that I can I must surrender to his will, yeah I must submit I can’t make the household decisions coz I am unfit It tells me my place With ever-lasting grace The bible tells me I must be silent you can’t hear my voice My role has been divinely defined and I have no other choice I may not be a teacher of man, I must cover up my shame These are the laws of the one who in vain I cannot name He tells me my place With ever-lasting grace And my punishment for wanting to learn Is a painful birth from which I may not return The bible tells me that I am unclean I am impure you cannot touch me and it has nothing to do with where I’ve been It is part of who I am, It is because I corrupt man I was asking for it just by being a woman He tells me my place With ever-lasting grace And my punishment for wanting to learn Is a painful birth from which I may not return The bible tells me I was made for and from man And I must do for him everything that I can I must surrender to his will, yeah I must submit I can’t make the household decisions coz I am unfit It tells me my place With ever-lasting grace
2.
Saved 04:02
Say that i need to be saved Say with me the devils got his way I want to know how when you are praying And when you are dooms-daying How you think you know that someone is listening to what you are saying So you think that you Can tell us how to live our lives Never questioning the source from which your moral code derives You think that suffering is part of some great plan that’s been devised I wonder, I wonder When we’ll be rid of your lies Say I need to hear the truth A sales-pitch of eternal life and eternal youth All these blessings you are bestowing Upon the one you say is all-knowing Are they really deserved if ‘He’ is sending me where you say I am going? So you think that you Can tell us how to live our lives Never questioning the source from which your moral code derives You think that suffering is part of some great plan that’s been devised I wonder, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder What will it take for you To start opening your eyes To start questioning the bullshit everyone around you buys You think it’s any of your business what goes on between my thighs? I wonder, I wonder, When we’ll be rid of your lies
3.
Gratitude 03:18
Life can be hard, things can get rough Stay on your guard and protect the good stuff Sometimes we all feel like we’ve had enough Don’t wanna spend my short time feeling down Or go through my days getting used to a frown So I will express my anger where credit is due But it wont take away from my gratitude There’s nowhere to hide when you live in a cage You feel young inside but on the outside you age Everyone lied when they told you there’s the next stage Coz one day my memories will all be gone Not a single one of all whom I love will go on I’m afraid of the end yeah I don’t want it all to But it won’t take away from my gratitude When the world is on fire, down come the rains Truth and desire, help us overcome our pains But when we take it higher only mystery remains And it’s almost too good to be real And while it’s hard to define the transcendence we feel I don’t believe in a great power to say thank you to But it won’t take away from my gratitude After the rain has washed everything away Here comes the rainbow to brighten up your day And contrast with the grey Confusion runs deep and it’s hard to know what’s right Sometimes you can’t sleep and you get lonely at night But you decide what you keep and the morning brings a new light I’d rather find out what’s real than deny The truth may be hard but it’s better than living a lie So before disaster strikes and everything I’ve built comes unglued I’ll be revelling and dancing in my gratitude
4.
One day the sun is going to die For us it means no more sunsets To the universe, just one less star in the sky Almost all who ever lived, have already died Countless stories of love and war and hope and pain Now lay silent side by side And yes I understand that my whole life is just a blink of an eye in the history of the earth, as with each moment that goes by but this moment that I’m with you It feels like time has stood still It feels somehow like it matters And that it always will In one billion years, the oceans will dry While somehow life may continue It will not be known to you and I To think we are so important, is an obvious crime We know that we are specks on a tiny dot Hurtling through space and time And yes I understand that my whole life is just a blink of an eye in the history of the earth, as with each moment that goes by but this moment that I’m with you It feels like time has stood still It feels somehow like it matters And that it always will
5.
I don’t believe in fairies I don’t believe in ghosts I don’t believe in vampires Hungry for our throats I don’t believe in demons Or witches that can fly I don’t believe in dragons I think they’re all a lie So when I’m in the dark I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid Of creations imaginations have made I don’t believe in Jesus I don’t believe in Zeus I I don’t believe in Allah I think they have no use I don’t believe in adam I don’t believe in eve I don’t believe in talking snakes I think it’s make believe So when I’m in the dark In a dark place, In a dark place I know it’s only me and what I face I don’t believe in heaven I don’t believe in hell I don’t believe that we are children Who need to fear to behave well I don’t believe in salvation I don’t believe in sin I don’t believe it will be easy But I believe that reason can win So when I’m in the dark I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid Of creations imaginations have made When I’m in the dark In a dark place, In a dark place I know it’s only me and what I face
6.
You’re standing in house with no walls You don’t wanna leave coz it feels like home You’re sitting in a house with no floor You can feel the mud seeping in But you just choose to ignore All the evidence that what you think isn’t real You don’t look because you don’t like the way it makes you feel You say you need the shelter to get through all your falls That’s why you choose to live in a house with no walls You’re wearing the emperors new clothes You think they’ll protect you from the world but how can you be sure You’re wearing anything at all? Even when the others tell you that your raincoat is worth more than All the evidence that what you think isn’t real You don’t look because you don’t like the way it makes you feel You say you need the shelter to get through all your falls That’s why you choose to live in a house with no walls Why don’t you build your shelter from the things we know All the out dated dogma why don’t you let it go You’re standing in house with no walls You don’t wanna leave coz it feels like home You’re sitting in a house with no floor You can feel the mud seeping in But you just choose to ignore All the evidence that what you think isn’t real You don’t look because you don’t like the way it makes you feel You say you need the shelter to get through all your falls That’s why you choose to live in a house with no walls
7.
Afterlife 03:27
Follow the guidebook for an afterlife Which one do I try which one do I try? I’d like to believe that i’ll never die But I can’t comply, no I can’t comply All the self appointed representatives of their own imaginings in the sky. They want to usher in the messianic age. They don’t mind if it’s brought on by nuclear rage They are so sure of their ability to outlive the utility of their bodies But just remember that was the last thought in the brain of every suicide bomber in every hijacked plane Follow the guidebook for an afterlife Which one do I try which one do I try? I’d like to believe that i’ll never die But I cant comply, no I can’t comply Thousands and thousands are humming that the second comings coming And environmental responsibility is succumbing To the suicidal longing for paradise Can’t we see it’s already before our eyes?! All that makes us who we are we find, cannot survive without a mind But you’re so afraid to die you’re willing to sacrifice Living through it all with the knowledge that you have only ONE LIFE Follow the guidebook for an afterlife Which one do I try which one do I try? I’d like to believe that i’ll never die But I cant comply, no I can’t comply From the day that you are born, you are going to die It’s not a pleasant thought at all but way that I deal with it Is to treasure each moment with my surroundings and those I love I spend my days, trying to engage with the world, To learn as much about everything as I can Using the body of knowledge which is our shared heritage to further understand The historical and evolutionary context of man. To hold revelation in a higher place is to spit in the face of those who chose to dedicate their lives to enrich our own Follow the guidebook for an afterlife Which one do I try which one do I try? I’d like to believe that i’ll never die But I cant comply, no I can’t comply
8.
Say that i need to be saved Say with me the devils got his way I want to know how when you are praying And when you are dooms-daying How you think you know that someone is listening to what you are saying So you think that you Can tell us how to live our lives Never questioning the source from which your moral code derives You think that suffering is part of some great plan that’s been devised I wonder, I wonder When we’ll be rid of your lies Say I need to hear the truth A sales-pitch of eternal life and eternal youth All these blessings you are bestowing Upon the one you say is all-knowing Are they really deserved if ‘He’ is sending me where you say I am going? So you think that you Can tell us how to live our lives Never questioning the source from which your moral code derives You think that suffering is part of some great plan that’s been devised I wonder, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder What will it take for you To start opening your eyes To start questioning the bullshit everyone around you buys You think it’s any of your business what goes on between my thighs? I wonder, I wonder, When we’ll be rid of your lies

about

Over the last few years I have become involved in the secular movement.
I feel quite impassioned by the fact that some laws are in place solely to appease the religious lobby. (eg: Marriage Inequality, Euthanasia, Abortion)

I feel as though many ethical discussions that our community needs to have are held back because of irrational and unscientific ideas.
I think that generally people are not taught how to think critically and logically, which is becoming an increasingly important skill in the increasingly dynamic society in which we live, where the decisions we make today can have deep consequences for our future.
The debate between religious and secular world-views is nothing new. I have written this album firstly as an expression of my honest response to these issues.

Also, I hope to bring this essential and interesting discussion into the public discourse. This is a topic which is not so readily delved into.
I don’t claim to have all the answers or that my world view is without flaws. I just want to encourage genuine skepticism, inquiry and discussion when it comes to important issues.

I believe that no opinions or beliefs are beyond criticism, no matter how sacred they may be.

I can handle having my views scrutinised and challenged. In fact, I welcome it.

credits

released November 14, 2011

Produced By Tom Nichols at Britannia Row Studios, London
Thanks to the amazing Bella Chipperfield on the keys.
Thanks to the rest of my band who won't be named for subject matter.
Thanks to Davide, Oded, Charlie and all the guys at Brit Row.
Thank you to my parents. They are two warm, loving and generous people, who have supported me in everything I do, including things they disagree with. They have taught me to speak out about what I think is right.
Thank you to my brother. My best friend who will sit up with me all night talking and arguing about the world. He helps me to be a more logical and rational person and is the most moral and upstanding human being I have ever met.

Thank you to my heros who have impacted me and helped me throughout my change in perspective and the writing of this album:

Christopher Hitchens
Sam Harris
Richard Dawkins
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Bill Maher
PZ Myers
AC Grayling
Ani Difranco
Alanis Morisette
Tim Minchin
Daniel Dennett
Matt Dilahunty
Lawrence Krauss
Wafa Sultan
Michael Shermer

You have inspired me and made me think and rethink again. Thank you for your humbling contributions to humanity.

Thank you to fellow Secularists
Progressive Atheists INC
The Atheist Foundation of Australia
Crispy Sea

Thank you to my friends and family for your support and for putting up with many heated discussions and rants over the years xx

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Shelley Segal Melbourne, Australia

An artist, an activist & an explicit story-teller, Shelley uses her music not only to express the way she sees the world, but to create the world that she wants to see.

“Thoughtful lyrics celebrating life, love, and reason” –Julia Burke

Desirous of all expressions, Shelley flirts with elements of Folk, Pop and Americana imparting a pure joy about music & it’s power.
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