Music on Monday: Bill Mallonee

I have been listening to Bill Mallonee for over 15 years now. When I bought my first album by the Vigilantes of Love, The Killing Floor back in 1992 I was hooked. No other singer has captured my attention and held it for so long. he is the kind of singer that has become a friend of sorts. His lyrics confuse, frustrate, and anger. But more often than not that take me places I have never been. There are songs I have listened to a thousand a thousand times and still do not tire of and some still give me chills. He has been compared to Dylan, which I suppose is the gold-standard of singer-songwriters. But the comparison rings true. He does not have the typical smooth voice of singer-songwriters. His vocal intenisty gives much of his work a prophetic feel. Also he is like Dylan in the way he uses metaphor upon metaphor...I happen to think he may even do this better than Dylan. Blasphemy, I know. But there I said it and I feel all the better for it.

Bill is one of those guys who writes with his heart on his sleave. If the song likes he is ticked off about his own deficiencies then you can assume he felt is or is his feeling it.

His signature song is certainly Double Cure which had been played live for years and then debuted on the album, V.O.L. He says about this song, "a song about understanding how close God is when He seems the farthest away." The song begins to the tune of "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name." The phrase "Double Cure" was taken from a verse of the hymn "Rock of Ages." It is a reference to being cleansed from both sin's guilt and power...

Double Cure Run Time: 5:09
Written by Bill Mallonee for Fingerprint Records and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1996

yeah today i'm sick of all i amtoday is my setback
first i swear i love youthen i stab you in the back
i wanna drink out of that fountainon a hill called double curei
wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

so tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they keep beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my front lawn
bet you all have got a story
you're just aching to tell
haven't we thrown our coinage
down the wishing well
so go and call your neighbor
proceed with all due haste
go grab your wife and sweet family
see there is no time to waste
we're gonna drink out of that fountainon a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to this poory
es and i will one day see that face
over yonder shore

Following are a few videos