A Pre-emptive strike against my mates attack on Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

My mate is currently writing an attack on Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, but is really slow and I can't be bothered waiting for him to finish so that I can write this. He really doesn't like That Shalt Always Kill, saying that the lyrics are superficial and condescending. He's wrong.

I was gonna post all the lyrics but it's really long and most of it won't be discussed. So watch the video.

Thou Shalt Always Kill does seem superficial and condescending initially. Who is this guy to tell me what to think? The fact that I agree largely with what he says is irrelevant - he is trying to shape society in the same way that Moses shaped Christian society, and with the same authority.

This is a simplistic reading. There are some obvious clues. Firstly, this is a personal list; "Thou shalt not go into the wood with your boyfriend's best friend, take drugs, and cheat on him"; "Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just 'cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you're never gonna fucking talk to." It is pretty plain to see that these relate to Pip personally; by including these it becomes clear that these are not commandments for the wider population, rather just things he thinks.

The more important message comes right at the end, with the couplet, "Thou Shalt think for yourself/ And thou shalt always...thou shalt always...kill." Both these lines essentially say the same thing, in different ways. "Thou shalt think for yourself" is the ultimate message of the song, showing the Pip is fully aware that his word is not to be taken as gospel, but rather we should look more closely at the world, ignoring what others may think - their opinion is of no greater value than your own - and form a set of opinions or morals individual to each person. The lyrics to the song are just Pips opinions, and he is aware of this.

"Thou shalt always kill" has the same effect. It's a subtle trick; he sucks you in with comments on Steven Fry and the NME with which the majority of his audience would agree, then he twists the most famous of the Ten Commandments "Thou Shalt Not Kill" into a distorted opposite. It's not simply "thou shalt kill": the 'always' makes it into a horrifying never-ending bloodbath. He's checking that you're listening and not merely going along with his spiel. In fact, one review I've read even refers to it hilariously as 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' - way to miss the point there, reviewer. 

Lastly, it's also a song about religion. It hardly needs to be said that the song is a riff on the Ten Commandments, but the theme of self-awareness outlined above is turned against the domineering nature of Christianity (specifically, but religion in general is also relevant). Religious imagery is used in a modern context, "Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash etc. in vain," (interestingly he only uses musicians that share an initial with the big J-Dog, and also Desmond Dekker who sang 'Israelites'. And Syd Barrett (?)) and "Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets (Lostprophets)." There is a conflict in interpretation here, by using "in vain" is he elevating Johnny Cash et al to alongside Jesus, or is he bringing Jesus down alongside Johnny Cash? I'm more inclined to go with the latter, tying in as it does with the Jesus Christ Superstar image of recent decades. Bringing religion into the mix is another facet of the 'think for yourself' motto - they have no more worth than a set of values that you work out for yourself.