QRSTUV
The Quantitative Roland Stephen Taylor Ubiquitous Volume

Songs: I Want To Be A Clone

Recording Info

I Want To Be A Clone has had 5 different recorded versions released over the years. The versions are:

  1. studio version recorded for the I Want To Be A Clone EP Project. It appeared on the following recordings:
  2. live version recorded and filmed at Castle Ashby, England on 26 August 1985. It appeared on the following audio and audio/visual recordings:
  3. cover version recorded by the band Dighayzoose as part of the Instant Cake Mix of Steeplechase and I Want To Be A Clone. It was recorded for the Steve Taylor Tribute album, Various Artists: I Predict A Clone.
  4. portion of a demo version that appeared in the cut Shark Sandwich, a track of a number of demo song portions. Shark Sandwich appeared on the following recordings:
  5. live cover of the Dighayzoose cover by Steve recorded at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA on 22 October 1994. It appeared on the following recordings:

Lyrics

I Want To Be A Clone

written by Steve Taylor
Copyright © 1982 Birdwing Music; Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co.; C.A. Music (ASCAP)

I'd gone through so much other stuff
That walking down the aisle was tough
But now I know it's not enough
I want to be a clone
I asked the Lord into my heart
They said that was the way to start
But now you've got to play the part
I want to be a clone

CHORUS

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

They told me that I'd fall away
Unless I followed what they say
Who needs the Bible anyway?
I want to be a clone
Their language it was new to me
But Christianese got through to me
Now I can speak it fluently
I want to be a clone

(CHORUS)

Send in the clones
Ah, I kind of wanted to tell my friends and people about it, you know
What?
You're still a babe
You have to grow
Give it twenty years or so
'Cause if you want to be one of his
Got to act like one of us

(CHORUS)

So now I see the whole design
My church is an assembly line
The parts are there
I'm feeling fine
I want to be a clone
I've learned enough to stay afloat
But not so much I rock the boat
I'm glad they shoved it down my throat
I want to be a clone

Everybody must get cloned

Notes and Interpretations

I Want To Be A Clone is a sarcastic song about churches where it doesn't matter what the Bible says, one is only a Christian if one dresses, talks, and acts like everyone else at that church.

They told me that I'd fall away
Unless I followed what they say
Who needs the Bible anyway?
I want to be a clone
Their language it was new to me
But Christianese got through to me
Now I can speak it fluently
I want to be a clone
'Cause if you want to be one of his
Got to act like one of us
I asked the Lord into my heart
They said that was the way to start
But now you've got to play the part
I want to be a clone

Steve said that the song was born out of the legendary men's room in the Old Science Hall at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Someone had started some graffiti titled A Musical Tribute To Asexual Reproduction. It had numerous song titles such as Send In The Clones, Behind Cloned Doors and A Clone Again. Over time it grew and folks kept coming back to see the latest additions or to add their own.

Steve was lucky that he didn't grow up in a church like this. As such, he says, "I can't be a cynic, because I don't have a good excuse."

Return to: Songs: Not Just The Lyrics
Return to: QRSTUV Main Page

Site author and maintainer: Andrew D. Taylor
Current page URL: http://www.renc.igs.net/~adt/qrstuv/songs/iwtbac/track02.html
Current page last modified: 18 July 2001