Talk:Signs (Five Man Electrical Band song)

message: I have a vague recollection that these fellows were originally known as The Staccattos and they they were from Ottawa. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Grandma Roses (talk) 22:38, 8 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: You are correct, see main entry Five Man Electrical Band. --64.246.155.183 (talk) 17:38, 2 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Were they known by another name? 

message: The explanation currently provided is to far-reaching.  In fact, the verse was vague enough that it could be interpreted several ways.  
Specifically, the entry as it currently stands, reads
"The last set of verses, however, have him being accepted in a Christian church and worship service, despite not having any money to contribute to the collection or being "presentable", thus arriving at the main theme of the song: that everyone should be accepted, regardless of lifestyle, financial standing, etc., tolerance being a main facet of the Christian religion."
It is not the last set of verses ... it is the last verse (I will change it), which is ...
"And the sign said everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, 
I didn't have a penny to pay, so I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign 
It said, "Thank you Lord for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine." "
The verse says nothing about him being "presentable," so I am going to remove that.  
Finally, while the meaning of acceptance is clearly implied, the song is about signs.  All the previous signs were signs or badges professing exclusion and that exclusivity is negative, discriminatory ... His sign is positive and is about his personal relationship and appreciation of Lord.  So, why make a "sign" when the Lord doesn't need a sign written on paper?   Obviously this sign is for a human audience ... the members of the church who are collecting money in the name of the Lord. However, everyone knows that the money will be used by humans.  As such, it may imply that a personal relationship with a higher spirit is an individual thing, and that while the Christian church was at least accepting of his attendance, there may be an implied contract between the people who run the church and the attendees that the church needs money.  Would the Christian church be so accepting of him if he attended for 20 years and always put the same sign in the collection plate, even when he had money?  Probably not.  So, one interpretation of this last verse may be that while the Christian church at least accepted him and did not discriminate against him, there is an implication that their acceptance comes at a price ... $$$.  He didn't give them that, because he didn't have anything to give, but his sign to the humans who would be reading it might be a slam against that implied acceptance for pay.  
So, the last verse may be more controversial than what is described currently on the page. I will change the language a little, and if someone wants to argue the merits of my changes, then this would be the place to do that.  
Aaron hoffmeyer (talk) 22:38, 18 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Last Verse, Christian Church Acceptance 

message: Hey! Just wondering if is ok to add the genre of Glam Metal to the Tesla version?
Several sources refer to this genre in respect to this song. Such as Page 194 - Rock Band Name Origins: The Stories of 240 Groups and Performers https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Rock_Band_Name_Origins/Is57BwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
2. Page 197 of The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade
Thanks! AgentKozak (talk) 14:35, 3 May 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Adding the genre Glam Metal to the Tesla version