I Just Wanna Be God (Dragontown, 2001)

Dragontown, Alice’s 22nd studio album, was released in 2001.  It’s a continuation of the themes found on the previous LP, Brutal Planet – a Brutal Planet part two, so to speak. According to Alice, “Dragontown describes the worst town on Brutal Planet.”

The place and characters are metaphors of real-world problems and issues in this place called Dragontown (on this Brutal Planet). The players haven’t escaped. They aren’t dreaming. They are authentically telling their stories. They parallel reality.

“So, I said let’s keep writing this. Let’s go to Dragontown now, the worst part of Brutal Planet, and see who is there, and first of all, we haven’t let anybody off of Brutal Planet. On Welcome To My Nightmare, I woke everybody up, and on Alice Cooper Goes To Hell, I get out, and on From The Inside, everybody escapes. But Brutal Planet, everybody’s still there. In Dragontown, I haven’t let anybody up…” – Alice Cooper

Brutal Planet and Dragontown force the listener to acknowledge the darker side of humanity. The album exposes the enemy’s tools and speaks of his influence on this earth.

The songs on this record are hard-hitting and require the listener to question and think a little deeper about life’s meaning. The LP focuses on many aspects of what makes humanity “tick” – the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of this world.

This week, we look at “I Just Wanna Be God.” The song is self-explanatory, and honestly, it is relatively straightforward. There’s no deeper hidden meaning buried within any stanza or nugget. It’s merely the world’s state of affairs and outlook on life.

I’m in control; I got a bulletproof soul
And I’m full of self-esteem
I invented myself with no one’s help
I’m a prototype supreme
I sit on my private throne
And run my lifestyle all alone
Me, myself and I agree
We don’t need nobody else

I never learned to bow, bend or crawl
To any known authority
I really want to build my statue tall
That’s all

I’m just trying to be God
I only wanna be God
I just wanna be God
Why can’t I be God

I got no time to take advice
I want to gamble with my eternity with loaded dice
I don’t need a preacher in my face
When I’m the omnipresent ruler of the human race
Ain’t gonna spend my life being no one’s fool
I was born to rock, and I was born to rule
But if I’m wrong on judgment day
I’m royally screwed with hell to pay

Isn’t it interesting how things are playing out at this very moment? Nations are scrambling for power. Governments are using their citizens like pawns in a chess match. It seems any ounce of power drives humanity to the next level of all sorts of nefarious actions.

Remember, “Fridays With Alice” is apolitical from an earthly standpoint. We don’t adhere to any one ideology, doctrine, creed, or even a religious or denominational mindset. However, we do serve a Spiritual monarchy – a higher authority, where Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-27

The world is grasping at straws and a power structure built on a foundation of sand – a House of Cards. However, we, the church – the Body of Christ, we build our foundation on The Rock. Placing our trust, obedience, and faith in Him and His Word as we weather the storms of life.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is his body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.
    So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. – Colossians 1:15-23

 As we’ve discussed in previous weeks, humanity has placed the “cart before the horse.” God’s creation basks in self-fulfillment and personal glory yet wonders why misery and despair still exist. The above-listed verses shed light on that notion. Without Him, there is nothing. Without Him, we are nothing. All authority in Heaven and on Earth belongs to Him, and Him alone.

1 Why are the nations so angry?
    Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
    the rulers plot together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.
3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,
    “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury.
6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
    in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” – Psalms 2:1-6

As the nations rage, let us be ever mindful of where we, the Body of Christ, must stand – upon Him and His Word. Let us forever place Him before us and allow Him to lead. For it is He that goes before us, and He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Wrapping this up, it’s easy to see why humanity wants to play god. The ways of the flesh drive a narrative that is void of Him and His Word. Instant gratification is what we, in our flesh, crave, yet our soul and spirit long for more. God can and will meet ALL of our requirements. However, we must be willing to wait upon Him. It’s simple to say but challenging to do.

As the world continues to escalate into madness, who will we serve? Ourselves? Humanity? Or our Lord, Jesus Christ? There’s a proper order to this world. When that order is adhered to, unique and beautiful things transpire. We see His Miracles happen before our eyes, and the unexplained occur through and by Him and His magnificence.

In conclusion, we’ve talked extensively about The Last Temptation, Brutal Planet, and Dragontown during this journey. These LPs are absolutely brilliant! Humanity, sin, redemption, faith, God, Christ, and so much more are discussed and laid out within these records.

“I was one thing at one time, and I’m something new…I’m a new creature now. Don’t judge Alice by what he used to be. Praise God for what I am now…humans make really lousy gods, so we’ve got to let God be God, and us be what we are.” – Alice Cooper

Narcissistic tendencies keep us separated from God. They mislead us and bring us the precipice of destruction. Our Father, our Creator, and His Word give order and balance to our lives. He was made visible to us through Jesus Christ. May His life, death, and resurrection be held above all else. That we may know and remember the sequence of this life and what matters most.

That’s it for this week. See you next Friday.

Until then, keep walkin’ in Faith and Rockin’ with Alice!