The opening track on the band’s 1994 album Boingo, Insanity is a scathing attack on the religious right in America, directly calling out ‘family values’ and politicians of the time like Dan Quayle.
I'm so sorry; please, forgive me
Who do I pray to straighten out this problem?
Straighten out this problem; straighten out my mind
Straighten out this crooked tongue....
My mind has wandered from the straight and narrow
My mind has wandered from the flock, you see
My mind has wandered; the man just said so
My mind has wandered; I heard it on TV
And the flock has wandered away from me
All around the world, now
Like a big, bright cherry cloud
Traveling from home to home
TV sets and telephones
Here it comes, just like a storm
Bathe in it and be reborn
Time to let the world know
Welcome madness, say hello....
Like a wave we cannot see
Washing over you and me
Hiding here and hiding there
Madness hiding everywhere
Such a curiosity
Here it comes to set us free
Plenty left for you and me
Say hello, insanity
I am the virus; are you the cure?
I am morally— I'm morally impure
I am a disease and I am unclean
I am not part of God's well-oiled machine
Christian nation, assimilate me
Take me in your arms and set me free
I am part of a degenerate elite
Dragging our society into the street
Into the abyss and to the sewer, don't you see?
The man just told me, he told me on TV
Do you think you're better than me?
Do you want to kill me or befriend me?
And the alcoholic bastard waved his finger at me
His voice was filled with evangelical glee
Sipping down his gin and tonics
While preaching about the evils of narcotics
And the evils of sex and the wages of sin
While he mentally fondles his next of kin
My mind has wandered from the flock, you see
And the flock has wandered away from me
And he waved his hypnotizing finger at me!
Let's imitate reality—insanity
Let's strive for mediocrity—insanity
Let's make believe we're all the same—now, that's the thing
Let's sanitize our little brains—insanity
I'd love to take you home with me and tuck you into bed
I'd love to see what makes you tick inside your pretty head
I'd love to hear you laugh tonight; I'd love to hear you weep
I'd love to listen to you while you're screaming in your sleep
Christian sons, Christian daughters
Lead me along like a lamb to the slaughter
Purify my brain and hose down my soul
White perfection; perfection is my goal
Do you think you're better than me?
Do you want to kill me or befriend me?
Christian nation, make us all right
Put us through the filter, and make us pure and white
My mind has wandered from the flock, you see
And the flock has wandered away from me
Let's talk of family values while we sit and watch the slaughter
Hypothetical abortions on imaginary daughters
The white folks think they're at the top; ask any proud white male
A million years of evolution, we get Danny Quayle
All around the world, now
Like a big, bright cherry cloud
Traveling from home to home
TV sets and telephones
Here it comes, just like a storm
Bathe in it and be reborn
Time to let the world know
Welcome madness, say hello
Let's imitate reality—insanity
Let's strive for mediocrity—insanity
Let's make believe we're all the same—now, that's the thing
Let's sanitize our little brains—insanity
I'd love to take you home with me; I'd love to tuck you in
I wish I could protect you from the wages of our sin
I'd love to hear you scream tonight; I'd love to hear you cry
Protect you from the madness that is raining from the sky
Let's imitate reality—insanity
Let's strive for mediocrity—insanity
Let's make believe we're all the same—now, that's the thing
Let's sanitize our little brains—insanity
I'd love to take you home with me and tuck you into bed
I'd love to see what makes you tick inside your pretty head
I wish that I could keep you in a precious Chinese box
On Sundays, I would pray for you so it would never stop
I'd love to hear you laugh tonight; I'd love to hear you weep
I'd love to listen to you while you're screaming in your sleep
I'd love to soothe you with my voice and take you hand in mine
I'd love to take you past the stars and out of reach of time
I'd love to see inside your mind, to tear it all apart
To cut you open with a knife and find your sacred heart
I'd love to take you satin dolls and tear them all to shreds
I'd love to mess your pretty hair; I'd love to see you dead!
Insanity was written by Danny Elfman.
Insanity was produced by John Avila & Steve Bartek & Danny Elfman.
Oingo Boingo released Insanity on Tue May 17 1994.