Musical Memories of Catholic School

She can
I know she can
I know she can
She’s my Sister Anne

Such truth such beauty such purity
She wears a halo around her head
She’s got the Ten Commandments tattooed on her arm
If she died she’d rise up from the dead
She’s every man’s savior and mother too
If you do what she says she’ll save hell from you

She can
I know she can
I know she can
She’s my Sister Anne

Sister won’t you tell me where I went so wrong
I used to say my prayers baby all night long
Listened to the gospel ringing in my ears
C’mon Sister Anne save me from my fears

And you can
I know you can
I know you can
You’re my Sister Anne

Sister won’t you tell me where I went so wrong
I used to say my prayers baby all night long
I listened to the gospel ringing in my ears
C’mon Sister Anne save me from my fears

And you can
I know you can
I know you can
You’re my Sister Anne

After summer school nights she goes to see her man
She always does the best that she can
She never tries to tease she always aims to please
She wanna squeeze him tight and make him feel all right

She can
I know she can
I know she can
She’s my Sister Anne

I know she can she’s my Sister Anne (repeat)

And it's not really musical, but Cheech & Chong's "Sister Mary Elephant" --"Class....class....class...SHUUUUUUUUUTTTTT UUUUUUPPPPPPPP!"

But, by far the finest encapsulation in song re: Catholic school is "Catholic Boy" by CH3

CATHOLIC BOY
[MAGRANN]

FATHER FINN, DRESSED IN BLACK
SLIVERS FROM HIS RULER LODGED IN MY ASS
CATHOLIC BOY, CATHOLIC SCHOOL
LIVE AND DIE BY THE SAME TEN RULES

GENUFLECT, PASS THE PLATE
THE PRIEST HEARS YOUR PROBLEMS BUT HE CAN'T RELATE
CLEANSE YOUR SOUL, THEN YOU SIN
BACK TO CONFESSION THEN SIN AGAIN

CATHOLIC BOY

ON YOUR KNEES, NOW YOU STAND
FOLLOWING A PATH YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND
YOUNG AND DUMB, THEN YOU REBEL
START TO LOOK AROUND AND YOU QUESTION HELL

BLESS ME FATHER FOR I HAVE SINNED
DON'T ASK WHAT I'VE DONE, WHERE I'VE BEEN
IT'S TIME TO SWALLOW A BITTER TEAR
NOTHING MEANS NOTHING IF YOU'RE INSINCERE

It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a sin
It's a sin
Everything I've ever done ; Everything I ever do
Every place I've ever been ; Everywhere I'm going to
It's a sin

At school they taught me how to be so pure in thought and word and deed
They didn't quite succeed
For everything I long to do ; No matter when or where or who
Has one thing in common, too

It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a sin
It's a sin
Everything I've ever done ; Everything I ever do
Every place I've ever been ; Everywhere I'm going to
It's a sin

Father, forgive me, I tried not to do it
Turned over a new leaf, then tore right through it
Whatever you taught me, I didn't believe it
Father, you fought me, 'cause I didn't care
And I still don't understand

So I look back upon my life forever with a sense of shame
I've always been the one to blame
For everything I long to do no matter when or where or who
Has one thing in common, too

It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a sin
It's a sin
Everything I've ever done ; Everything I ever do
Every place I've ever been ; Everywhere I'm going to - it's a sin
It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a sin
It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a sin

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti vobis fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione,
verbo, opere et omissione, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa
(translation)
"I confess to almighty god, and to you my brothers, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought,
word, act and omission, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault"

That is all.

"Catholic Block" OTM.

And the best "Catholic Boy" is by Jim Carroll

but anyway:

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0518,fgross-,63579,22.html

http://villagevoice.com/music/0518,jaswa,63580,22.html

I forgot about the PSB's "It's A Sin." Brilliant. Coming from quite a different perspective, it fully accounts for the guilt factor.

I'm old enough to remember "guitar masses" for the young folk. Peppy folkish tunes about Choosing Life and Living In The Love o' the Lord. Made me appreciate those doomy traditional minor-chord hymmns.

I am not Catholic, but I went to Catholic gradeschool (all girls) and for some reason the Dominican nuns were all about Joe Wise and his records. "Peanut Butter and Jelly" was a huge hit in my 2nd gr class, and "It's a Color" (when I'm feelin' real loose, I color puce) was a source of major larfs for us as well.

I am sitting here in Chicago in the middle of a snowstorm, and I remembered this song about the wind that used to scare the shit out of me -- and here it is! http://www.mycatholicvoice.com/media/qTl7aG

Does anyone else remember Joe Wise? I begged my mom to buy me his records, and I still have them.

I had this one
http://www.tradebit.com/usr/mp3-album/pub/9002/484/484817/48481789.jpg
and another one but I can't find an image of it

Wrote this last year:

http://blog.rhapsody.com/2010/02/catholicrock.html

Put together a longer playlist, too, but I'll have to hunt around for the link. (And since I made it, I keep noticing other songs -- "Father Bruce" by the Great Society with Grace Slick, for instance -- that I somehow neglected to include.)

Okay, here's that playlist:

http://www.rhapsody.com/playlistcentral/playlistdetail?playlistId=ply.32242157

Left out "The Vatican Rag" by Tom Lehrer, too, wtf?

Would probably now also include "The Truth Will Set You Free" by Dion, the title track and "Teresa" off J. Geils' Sanctuary, something from early Springsteen (maybe "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" or "Adam Raised A Cain"), "Piss Factory" by Patti Smith, and "Magdalene" from the Portuguese goth-metal band Moonspell's Sin/Pecado album.

But what about Joe Wise? Doesn't anyone remember him?

No religious schools for me, that's probably why I still believe in God.
Best description of what means to be Catholic will always be Jim Carroll's words: "I was a Catholic boy/ Redeemed through pain/ Not through joy".