This Is The Law Of The Plague Lyrics & Chords By Diamanda Galás

(Excerpts from the Hebrew Old Testament, books of Leviticus and Psalms, chapters 15 and 22, 58, and 59, with text by Diamanda Galas.)

When any man hath an issue out of his flesh,
because of his issue, he is unclean.
Every bed whereon he lieth is unclean,
and everything whereon he sitteth, unclean,
and whosoever toucheth his bed shall be unclean,
and he that sitteth whereon he sat shall be unclean,
and he that toucheth the flesh of the unclean
becomes unclean,
and he that be spat on by him, unclean
becomes unclean.

Strong bulls of Baasha do beset me round.
They gape upon me with their mouths
as a ravening and a roaring lion,
but thou, O Lord, shall bring them down.
Thou shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction.
Greedy and deceitful men shall be exposed as vermin
and their days as iniquity,

and whosoever toucheth any thing under him
shall be unclean,
and he that beareth any of those things
shall be unclean,
and what saddle soever he rideth upon is unclean,
and the vessel of earth that he toucheth, unclean.

Deliver me from mine enemies.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
and save me from,
save me from bloody men,
for lo, they lie in wait for my soul.
The wicked are gathered against me,
not for my transgressions, not for my sin, O Lord.
They run and prepare themselves without my help,
without my fault.
Awake to help me and behold:
Swords are in their lips, for who, say they, doth hear,
but thou, O Lord, shall laugh at them.
The God of my mercy shall let me see my desire
upon mine enemies,

and at evening, let them make a noise like a dog.
and go around about the city.
Let them walk up and down for meat
and grudge if they be not satisfied.
Break out the great teeth of the young lions,
break out the great teeth of the young lions,
and when they laugh at the trial of the innocent,
let them be cut as in pieces,

and if any man's seed of copulation go out from him,
he is unclean.
Every garment, every skin whereon is the seed, unclean,
and the woman with whom this man shall lie
will be unclean,
and whosoever toucheth her will be unclean.
This is the law of the plague:
to teach when it is clean and unclean.

The Devil is an impotent man.
He says it nice and plays himself off as the friend.
He tries to make you uncertain
so your hands shake,
and then he tells you you're insane
when you call him by his rightful name:
impotent homophobe and coward,
so you will miss when you aim at this evil man
who cannot get it up
except
in the TV public operating room
of another man's misfortune,

and the priest shall look upon the plague
for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot,
and the priest shall shut up he that hath the plague.
He shall carry them forth to a place unclean.
He shall separate them in their uncleanness.
This is the law of the plague:
to teach when it is clean and when it is unclean.