"Burn Baby Burn" is a song by The Residents, featured on their 1998 concept album Wormwood: Curious Stories From The Bible.
"Burn Baby Burn" retells the events of Judges 11:31-40, in which Jephthah the Gileadite must sacrifice his daughter to God after a deal made with the deity goes awry.
Bible Verse[]
Jephthah (Judges 11:31-40)
"Whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."
Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands.
He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."
"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."
"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry.
After two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
From this comes the Israelite tradition that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Lyrics[]
I'm gonna die with no tears in my eyes 'cause God digs my Daddy! I'm gonna die with no tears in my eyes 'cause God digs my Daddy! God digs my Daddy! God digs my Daddy!
His enemies died when he lifted his knife and said Please let me win and I'll send you a life So soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy
I'm ready to die but it seems to be odd That bleeding is better than breathing to God
But soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy God digs my Daddy!
Soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy God digs my Daddy!
Soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy Soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy Soon I will be burning for my, Soon I will be burning for my Daddy
Releases[]
- Wormwood: Curious Stories From The Bible (1998) [Version 1]
- Wormwood Live (1999) [Version 2]
- Roadworms: The Berlin Sessions (2000) [Version 3]
- Icky Flix DVD (2001) [Version 1] [Version 4]
- Live! ...On The Outskirts (2002) [Version 5]
- Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town (2003) [Version 5]
- The Residents Play Wormwood (2005)[Version 2]
- The Way We Were (2005) [Version 6]
- Icky Flix Live (2009) [Version 5]
- Brava (2010) [Version 7]
- 80 Aching Orphans (2017) [Version 1]
- Loss Of The Lizard Lady (2018) [Version 4]
- Icky Flix (The Original Soundtrack Recording) [Version 4]
- Wormwood Box [Version 1] [Version 8] [Version 9] [Version 3] [Version 2] [Version 7] [Version 6]
Versions[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1998 Studio Version (2:59)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 1999 Live Version (5:17)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 2000 Studio Version (3:40)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 2001 Studio Version (3:19)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 2001 Live Version, March 30th (3:49)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 2005 Live Version (4:28)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 2001 Live Version, October 28th (3:46)
- ↑ 1998 'Anything' demo (2:39)
- ↑ 1998 Live Version (5:12)