Affluenza

 After the relative success of S(k)in Condition and 20+ listens, the next message to get the song conversion was Affluenza; a reflection on Amos 6 and the warning that affluence can be a distraction.

It was another good 5 hours with the refinement of the lyrics, working on each stanza to tighten up the pacing, the theology, and a lot more leonine rhymes to get a flow going through the lyrics. Once again it felt like time well spent not only touching back with the sermon message, but a creative experience playing around with the writing style and imagining the sung version. The first few versions produced by Suno were Ok, but it also gives a 1-minute snippet of what the latest and greatest model can do as a tempter to pay instead of relying on the free tier. It worked. Hopefully I can build out another dozen sermons in the month to make it a personalized play list for ~$17 (and yes, ironic that I just splashed money for such a self-centred project that discusses how our affluence can detract from the real goal. I'm a sinner too).

Lyrics to Affluenza: 

[Intro]
Let’s play a game...
Where do you think we are?

[Verse 1]
A whole generation that hasn't seen war,
With natural riches from mountain to shore.
We’re selling our surplus for all that is new,
With plenty for many and more for the few.
You'd bet on a city where modern winds blow,
But it’s near Samaria, a long time ago.

[Chorus]
A sickness of affluence, blinded by gold,
It’s Affluenza, the greed taking hold.
We’re building our kingdom on shifting white sand,
When gifts of salvation slip out of our hand.

[Verse 2]
Old Amos is standing in Jeroboam’s gate,
To warn of the cracks in the walls of the state.
We’re counting the silver and piling it deep,
While the promises made are the ones we don't keep.
We’re feasting on lambs and ignoring the stain,
While the heart of the country is down in the drain.

[Chorus]
A sickness of affluence, blinded by gold,
It’s Affluenza, the greed taking hold.
We’re building our kingdom on shifting white sand,
When gifts of salvation slip out of our hand.

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]
Now we’ve got the house and the big-screen display,
Watching the world as it's falling away.
We’re boasting of status and hoarding the gold,
While buying the story that we’ve already sold.
Our soul in a fever that’s burning for more,
Forgetting the King who is right at the door.

[Bridge]
You’re playing with baubles and toys in the sand,
Ignoring the Kingdom that’s right here at hand.
Why gain the whole world just to lose your own soul?
Let the light of His mercy return you to whole.

So take this condition, the greed and the stain,
And mould me to love with Your heart once again.

[Final Chorus]
A sickness of affluence, blinded by gold,
It’s Affluenza, the greed taking hold.
We’re building our kingdom on shifting white sand,
When gifts of salvation slip out of our hand.

[Outro]
Change my heart oh God …
Make it ever true …
Change my heart oh God …
May I be like You.