Singled Out: Bill Abernathy's Cry Wolf

12-03-2018

Singer songwriter Bill Abernathy recently released his new album "Crossing Willow Creek" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song "Cry Wolf". Here is the story:

Cry Wolf is a song that came about as I was lying in a chair, recovering from Achilles surgery, eating pain pills, and watching a combination of the "news" and posts on social media at the same time. I was amazed at how fast poorly researched opinions from pundits were immediately posted and reposted directly onto multiple social media pages as if they were fact. I feel the analogy to the Cry Wolf fable is quite applicable. How many times can we Cry Wolf and expect someone to actually pay attention?

Verse one is a statement about how easily distracted we are. As soon as a new tweet from someone pops up, the news/opinion shows have "breaking news". Many times, this "breaking news" is followed up with interviews from politicians who cannot resist getting some free air time to discuss the tweet, while getting paid to represent the folks that elected them. I'm pretty sure discussion of tweets is not in their job description. I am thinking they may need to focus on making sure folks have a chance at building the American dream. My little aside comment on this verse is "Your tax dollars at work"

Verse 2 comments on the status of the super churches that seem to be popping up every were. I find it interesting that many (not all) of these places of worship/business only open their doors when there are tithers coming in. I feel the same about churches and government buildings we pay for. Open for business then locking the doors at the end of the business day, with homeless and other's needing help get shut out. This just seems wrong to me on many levels. My favorite line in this verse is, "Keep sending me your money mark it 501C3. A deduction for you and Zero taxes for me...Hallelujah"

The bridge is a comment to my extremely active and poorly researched social media friends. "You post their howls in your media feeds, to get a few likes follows and tweets. Like sheep you follow these programmed elites, but they are the wolves and we the raw meat, and it's a feeding frenzy" I like the analogy of the sheep and the wolves. A fun concept to play around with.

Verse 3 really calls in my love of science fiction. I saw a shirt the other day that said, "Please let me live in a world where Orwell's 1984 is still fiction." As we watch history being destroyed by tearing down statues, burning flags, and removing unpopular wars from history books, I cannot help but paraphrase," George said it right in 1984. He who controls the present has full control of the past, so we can relive it complicit with our alternate facts"

Makes one think... Who is really Crying Wolf?

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!