Final track of Madonna's 1989 album, Like A Prayer. Half-spoken, half-sung, sort of a dance remix of the classic Catholic Act of Contrition (see the first writeup of this node).
It begins with a whisper: "for thou art the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever Amen. Hail Mary full of grace..." before launching into drums and guitar and voices not unlike the choir in the album's title track.
The rest:
(Spoken:) O my God, I am most heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment, but most of all because I have offended Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life, and to avoid the temptations of evil.
(Sung/Chanted:) O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because my God I have offended Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
(hesitating) I reserve, I reserve... I reserve...
I reserve... I resolve... I have a reservation.
I have a reservation.
(Bitchy scream:) What do you mean it's not in the computer?
Needless to say, this cracked me up the first time I heard it, probably some time in the early 1990s, and I wrote it up mostly for that giggle. Is there standard "I am not even remotely a Catholic" disclaimer? I feel like one might be in order here: I was raised nontheist, but with a very basic literacy in world religions, but I wonder how this piece would resonate if I were more fluent in the original ritual speech it riffs on/parodies.
Last updated 10 April 2012. Go go gadget insomnia-fueled node audit!