A Song and A Band to Know – “Apple Pie” by Flannel Graph

Having a subscription to Spotify has completely changed the way I listen to music. Obviously, I haven’t bought a CD in a long time and I can stream music from my smartphone, iPad, and/or any internet-connected desktop. In a broader way, it’s allowed me to diversify what I listen to. No longer do I listen to the same album over and over again – like I did with whatever exciting new CD (or cassette tape before that) I bought. Instead, I do much more exploring of genres I like rather than just playing bands or singers with whom I am already familiar.

A still very “Indy” duo I found recently via Spotify is Flannel Graph. According to the rather limited info about them on the web (no Wikipedia page yet – I just checked) it’s a young woman singer and young guy guitar player both of whom are from a small town in Montana. By far their most popular song on Spotify is “Five Foot Three” with about 197,500 plays so far. It’s a cute song about how the singer is “small, but mighty” with a video worth watching.

It seems that while Flannel Graph are not explicitly a Christian band (as this word doesn’t seem to appear anywhere on their home page), biblical stories inform a number of their songs. Their first full album is entitled “Ribs of Adam” and it contains a few songs with clear connections to the Bible. This focus is even more apparent on their 2013 EP “Five Foot Three” which includes a thoughtful reimagining of Psalm 23 entitled Saints Out of Sailors.

The song to know, which I find simultaneously clever, creative and moving, is Apple Pie – a modern adaptation of the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke’s gospel. The lyrics are poetic and the pairing with the playful, folksy melody is inspired.

Apple Pie

by Flannel Graph

I told my dad I didn’t love him anymore
And I grabbed all the cash

And I ran and slammed the door

And I spent it like

Yea, I spent it like a movie star

Yea, I spent it right

I spent it right in all bars

And I was so hungry

So thirsty

The ladies, they adored me

And the men all wished to be me

They burned with all their jealousy

I had everything that a man like me should buy

And I lived like a King in America with Apple Pie

But my heart was small

And my world was smaller than before

And my fence was tall

To keep out the people who were wanting more

I knew a girl

Oh, Katie was her name

She was quite the whirlwind

And she wanted to state my claim

And she said

Oh baby

Oh maybe

You and me could get married

And we’ll settle down and bury all the warrants in our history

But all the party lights went out

And I was left alone

And the amount of money that I had

Was the amount of love I was shown

And I had nothing

Oh nothing

Yea, I had nothing

Yea, I had nothing

No

But I had something

Oh, I had something

Oh something

Oh, I had something

Oh, I had something

Oh, I had something

Oh, I had something

Somebody

So I gathered up all of my pride

And I hitchhiked to a town where my dignity had died

And he was waiting

Yea, he was waiting

And he ran and kissed me

I love the last line. That’s the heart of the parable, right?

In the spirit of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, I’m planning on playing this for my students when we talk about grace, forgiveness, mercy – especially during the upcoming season of Lent. Perhaps you might as well?