The twilight of the gods

Finn left his northern home, when he was just eighteen
A student he would be, it was his only dream
One gift his mother gave, a book both old and black
You know what’s right she said, just never you turn back
Inside she wrote the words he read as words of truth
Remember your Creator in the days of youth
He saw his home grow small in the mirror of the car
The people left behind who knew that he’d go far

But he couldn’t see the sky in the grey and dirty town
The bright lights of the city were doomed to drag him down
It was there he met Suzanne, she was lovely, dark and sweet
They never were apart, with her he felt complete
She knew that he was gentle and loving, strong and kind
But a dark side to his soul would leave her far behind
Philosophy and science meant that God was dead
For so their tutor taught them, and this is what he said:

It’s the twilight of the gods, as Friedrich Nietzsche said
The strong will rule the weak, divinity is dead
Belief in God’s a drug, as Marx and Engels said
You are what you produce, humanity is dead
Survival of the fittest, is what Charles Darwin said
We’re all just selfish genes, and charity is dead
If God does not exist, as Dostoyevsky said
Then everything’s allowed, morality is dead

It was a revelation, and no matter how he fought
It wormed its way inside him and captured every thought
At first it opened doors and made him bold and free
He could hold his drink when others could barely see
But soon a cruel streak developed in his soul
An arrogance and pride began to take its toll
He deeply hurt Suzanne, refused to take the blame
Sunk down into a spiral of hopelessness and shame

Suzanne, she needed comfort and their tutor was on hand
Sophisticated, suave, and although she hadn’t planned
To get involved with him, it happened all the same
It didn’t really matter, ’cos life was just a game
One night they held a party and things were going well
Till Finn came on the scene; he looked as mean as hell
The tutor then discovered just what his teaching meant
The wind was knocked clean out of him, and down he went

It’s the twilight of the gods, as Friedrich Nietzsche said
The strong will rule the weak, divinity is dead
Belief in God’s a drug, as Marx and Engels said
You are what you produce, humanity is dead
Survival of the fittest, is what Charles Darwin said
We’re all just selfish genes, and charity is dead
If God does not exist, as Dostoyevsky said
Then everything’s allowed, morality is dead

Before anyone can move, Finn drags him to the stair
Suzanne she screams, “Please stop! Don’t hurt him. I’m so scared”
Some guys leap into action, but then they stand appalled
“Get back”, says Finn, “unless… you want to see him fall”
He held his rival’s head far out over the rail
“For God’s sake, Finn!” he screamed, his face was deathly pale
“But God does not exist, so nothing is a sin
But you’ll say anything just to save your skin”

Suzanne she was in tears as she pleaded for Finn to stop
“This is all so wrong; you’re not going to let him drop”
“But right and wrong are old; we’re younger than that now
We make the rules we want, there is no sacred cow”
“O Finn, it’s just a game, philosophy’s not real
Everything is not allowed”, she made her last appeal
“So maybe God exists” he said and slowly turned away
He stumbled down the stairs, and took the narrow way

It’s the twilight of the gods, as Friedrich Nietzsche said
The strong will rule the weak, divinity is dead
Belief in God’s a drug, as Marx and Engels said
You are what you produce, humanity is dead
Survival of the fittest, is what Charles Darwin said
We’re all just selfish genes, and charity is dead
If God does not exist, as Dostoyevsky said
Then everything’s allowed, morality is dead

© Alex J MacDonald 2017