Brother Brigham Brother Young

December 6, 2009
By

corb lundRecently I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon with my brother and nephew.  This is the canyon in which many of your ancestors pulled out  the granite for the construction of the salt lake temple. As soon as we passed the granite facings on the side of the canyon my nephew played a song on his iPod by Corb Lund Brother Brigham Brother Young and it brought mental flashes into my mind of men working on the side of the mountain blasting granite out of it.    It made me think of the struggles that men and women had even back then with the faith in many ways very similar to our day. From what I have read Mr Lund isn’t LDS but has relatives that are. Im assuming one of his relatives is a historian buff? Its probably safe to presume this song will never be played in a chapel :) but I can’t help liking it!  You can listen to his song Here

Brother Brigham Brother Young

music and lyrics by Corb Lund

I have sinned so gravely Brother Brigham, Brother Young
I have sinned so gravely Brother Young
That only you can save me Brother Brigham, Brother Young
That only you can save me Brother Young

I have revealed the temples secrets Brother Brigham, Brother Young
The temple garments, oaths and secrets Brother Young
I have apostatized and doubted Brother Brigham, Brother Young
And borne my testimony falsely Brother Young

And I have loved a woman Brother Brigham, Brother Young
A woman in adultery Brother Young
I have also wed a negress Brother Brigham, Brother Young
My fifth wife has some color Brigham Young

I now see that you’re a prophet Brother Brigham, Brother Young
A living, breathing prophet Brother Young
And now I believe the revelations Brother Brigham, Brother Young
I now believe your revelations, every one

Even the ones beyond all reason Brother Brigham, Brother Young
Even the ones beyond all reason Brother Young
For you’re the Lord’s own earthly prophet Brother Brigham, Brother Young
And he’s simply testing in our faith o Brigham Young

My only hope for exaltation Brother Brigham, Brother Young
My only chance for exaltation Brother Young
Is to send me o’er the rim of the basin Brother Brigham, Brother Young
The rim of the Great Salt Lake Basin Brother Young

For water cannot save me Brother Brigham, Brother Young
Baptismal water cannot save me Brigham Young
My sins are just too deep a dye o Brother Brigham, Brother Young
My sins are just too deep a stain o Brother Young

So send Avenging Angels Brother Brigham, Brother Young
Won’t you send Destroying Danites Brother Young
To spill my blood upon the earth o Brother Brigham, Brother Young

So what do you think?

Do you find the song offensive?

Is it historicaly accurate of what may have happened to some of the saints in the salt lake valley?

Does it bare some similarites to what we have gone through in our day or not?


  • http://brettlwilliams.wordpress.com Brett

    He’s a black sheep of black sheep, and with a name like “Lund” he’s got some great LDS history in his family.

    Check out ‘Family Reunion’ and ‘No Roads Here’ for more Mormon references.

    Corb had one of the best punk bands of the 80′s and 90′s in western Canada, The Smalls.

    “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier” is my personal favorite of all of his albums.

  • James

    Thanks Brett

    “He’s a black sheep of black sheep. ” What makes you say that is it his punk stuff.
    I went to the lyrics of family reuninon those are very rough lyrics- I can see where his punk stuff could make him the black sheep.

  • Rico

    I read this through when it went up but I did not know what to say. Having had a few days to think about it I think I can say that I do not like it. I might like the song but have not listened to it, and I can sense that the tight rhythm is well worked out. The reason I don’t like it very much is that it seems to me that rather than having a member of his family that is a historian buff this has been written using the most basic stereotypes available to anyone about the Church. I guess it is this lack of complexity that I find a little uninspiring.

    I think James is right that people did have struggles with their faith, perhaps similar to us today, during brother brighams time. But this is not the song that expresses that.

  • hawkgrrrl

    My first reaction (the business person in me) was “Who is the target audience for this music?” (based on content of lyrics, not the music itself).

    In answer to the question about the accuracy of the portrayal of someone in BY’s time, I’m with Rico – it relies on stereotypes based on our modern sensibilities. The culture of honor which resulted in “Danites” is something we view as crazy vigilante stuff, but was much more a part of frontier thinking. Also, the first person in the song sounds like your run-of-the-mill “bad boy,” not someone who was a leader in the church at least for a time (which would have been necessary to be eligible for multiple wives under BY’s regime). Doesn’t seem like the character is consistent throughout. As far as believing the things BY said that were beyond all reason – I don’t think most members living in BY’s time felt that way. They were from a totally different era, living in an isolated place. It’s far more likely that most accepted his theories.

  • http://mormonheretic MH

    Yes, I have to say I don’t think this will be making the Billboard Top 100 songs.

  • http://brettlwilliams.wordpress.com Brett

    Oh, I just mean his parents were inactive and he’s never been baptized or anything like that. Mormon by history and relationships, not by belief.

    ‘There’s the Mormons and the drinkers and the Mormons who drink/Pay attention brother ’cause it’s different than you think/My ma says there’s some who don’t believe in neither/But I ain’t met ‘em yet and my pa ain’t neither’

    James, if you think those are rough lyrics, I’ve got whole areas of country to introduce you to.