Article Written

by Duncan Burden

Freemasonry has been a part of society for centuries, and society has directly influenced the development of Freemasonry. Whether Freemasons appreciate the cultural influence of society, and if society appreciates Freemasonry, could be hotly debated, but the influence of both on each other is evident. Possibly the most evident examples to see how something has influenced a social group is to see how it is represented in its art.

We have already looked at how Freemasonry has been used in Films, yet perhaps what may not be so well known is where Freemasonry has appeared in popular Music. Here the term ‘popular’ music is not simply referring to ‘Pop’ music, but to whatever music style had been popular to society at the time.

For example, with Freemasonry being over 300 years old, its place in music is equally as old. So when ‘Opera’ was the popular style at the time, Freemasonry can be found in the lyrics, just as it can be found later in ‘Swing’, then on into ‘Rap’, ‘Punk.’ Here are, what I would consider, the Top Ten Songs referring to Freemasonry.

1) ‘Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon’

This song was penned by Irving Berlin (Israel Isidore Beilin). It was composed in 1910, and holds the lyrics. ‘Mum’s the word when we meet, Be a Mason, don’t repeat.’ ‘Mums the word’ is a relatively common phrase, meaning ‘I won’t talk about what I know’. The closing part of the phrase, ‘when we meet’, seems obvious in its meaning within the context song. Yet to a Masonic ear it is not simply the following line of ‘Be a Mason’ that would raise the attention of a Freemason. This is because, besides the famous ‘Funny’ handshakes, the other part a Mason is taught to keep secret is the ‘Word’ that is meant to accompany each hand grip. They are even told directly not to ‘repeat’ that word, except when in a Masonic ‘meeting’. It is unlikely that Berlin was casual with these references as he was a Freemason himself, attending the Munn Lodge no. 190.

2)‘Mr Robinson’s Quango’

This 1995 song is from the English rock band ‘Blur’ and contains the lyrics ‘He’s self-professed saviour of the dim right wing , He got respiratory problems and a mason’s ring.’ This is the first song on the list that uses a reference to Freemasonry as a tool to express a political/social view point. The appeal of the band was primarily to the working class young of England, using their songs to relate to the ordinary persons daily life. The reference to a man described as ‘self-professed saviour of the dim right wing’, instantly not only expresses their opinion that the right wing of politics is not their view point, but also of a certain type of character who professes as being right wing, but not because they really understand the view point but because they think it is socially superior to do so. They convey it as a falseness of character, which is highlighted with the ‘respiratory problems’ implying he can’t even look after his health let alone advice on politics, and wears a masonic ring to show, or feel, that he is special, or superior, in society. Although Freemasonry conveys equality and politics are banned as points of discussions within Masonic Lodges, this artist’s social representation of Freemasonry still exists.

3)‘Fill Your Boots’

This song comes in on the list as another brilliant linguistic use of referring to Freemasonry to convey a common social expectation. This time it appears in the lyrics of the Punk band ‘Leatherface.’ The song was released in 1990 with the lines ‘Here comes the Judge, you can see the Freemason in his eyes.’ The sentiment is similar to that of Blur’s ‘Mr Robinson’s Quango’, but Leatherface’s lyrics give a slightly different edge and draws the common ideology of Masons being in places of established authority. A Judge is meant to be impartial, but the statement that Judge ‘enters’ with ‘Freemason in his eyes’ implies that a decision is already concluded.  It cannot be denied that some Brethren do join Freemasonry in the sense of thinking it has social prestige, and gives that individual a sense of importance, but such characters can equally be found on any committee, from a Bowls Club to a School committee – but in art, the opinion of Freemasonry is still a useful tool to convey that sort identity.

4)‘The Generous Freemason’

This entry is not actually a single song, but an entire opera based on a Freemason. It is actually the first ever specifically Masonic opera, devised by a William Rufus Chetwood and was first performed in 1731.  In reality it is really a mini three song opera, relating to enchanting characters such as Squire Noodle and his servant Doodle. The story line is a mix of classical tragedy and comical, in a farcical sense. The reference to Freemasonry though is different to the modern degrading of the Fraternity.

Freemasonry, during the early 1730’s, was still viewed by part of the populace as a dubious secret society, but a larger part of society held more acknowledge for the fraternities aims for encouraging morality. As such, the opera uses the motif of a simple character, dedicated to morality, to the point that he is rather socially inept. In one sense, the opera is still rather degrading to a certain type of character in Freemasonry, another character found in general society, the individual who follows blindly, a nice character but one doesn’t really see the whole.

5)‘No Games’

No Games is a Rap song from ‘Gangster’, released in 2003. The actual name of the Rapper is Rick Ross, but whose birth name is William Leonard Roberts II. Possibly, out of all the songs on the list, this has the most specific Masonic source reference with the lines ‘Do the knowledge to the master builder blowing a spiff, the new millennium Hiram Abiff.’ Whether Ross was ever a Freemason is highly questionable due to his very publicly known illegal activities, and, even though many think Freemasonry is a coven for dishonesty, it would be hard to accept that any Lodge would accept the behaviour of this individual.

What can’t be denied is Ross’s achievement in creating his own success and commercial empire, whether done legally or not. This success, and the drive to achieve it, seems to be the meaning behind his ‘Spiff-smoking-master-builder; Hiram Abiff.’ Hiram Abiff is THE primary character of Masonic legends, and clearly defined in Freemasonry as being the Master Builder at the construction of King Solomon’s temple. It is supposed that Ross is attempting to emulate that although it took dedication of such a master of stone to build the temple, he could master his own grand edifice whilst smoking such drugs.

6)‘Jump Around’

Jump Around is the first Hip Hop entry to the Masonic song list. The song was released by the group ‘House of Pain’ in 1992. The song managed to reach number 3 in the American charts, and, although only reaching number 8 in the UK, many DJ’s of this genre regard the song as a classic. The song has a distinctive fanfare introduction which is actually sampled from Bob and Earl’s song ‘Harlem Shuffle’ from 1963. The Masonic reference comes in the lines of ‘Do you know about the Masons, about their nation?’ and the words ‘To the 33^rd degree, you know that’s me.’

It is difficult to feel assured what the intentions of the words actually are. At first glance the phrase ‘Do you know about the Masons, about their nation?’, could be referring to the commonly held conspiracy that Freemasons rule the world, but it could be a simple comment of asking to you know Freemasonry and its ideals of a peaceful world? This question could also relate to the second term, as the words ‘To the 33^rd degree, you know that’s me’ could be the artist saying ‘I believe in that 100%’ (as 33^rd degree is the highest degree in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and is awarded to a dedicated Mason). As such, is the artist agreeing completely to peace, or world domination?

7)‘Great Britain’

The second Hip Hop tune to grace the list is this extremely controversial song from the artist.  Scor Zay Zee, released in 2004. The BBC was condemned for broadcasting this song, which lyrically draws a comparison of the Queen to the late Saddam Hussein. In addition, it points an accusation that the Royal Family orchestrated the death of Princess Diana. In the narrative of referring to the Queen the song states; ‘The Queen wears stolen diamonds, Great Britain. Her Husband’s a Freemason, Great Britain.’ What can be said that is incorrect is that her husband, Prince Philip is not a Freemason, but her second cousin is, namely Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, the present Grand Master of Freemasonry for the United Grand Lodge of England.

8)‘Raise the Roof’

To offer yet another different style of music, Freemasonry can even be found in Folk music. The song ‘Raise the Roof’ can be found on the ‘Celtic Connection’ label, with an Irish folk sound. The song lyrics include ‘We’ll play the Mason’s Apron ‘till the Sun comes up’. The reference to ‘playing the Mason’s Apron’ is not an actual attempt to play on the famous distinguishing feature of Masonic regalia, but actually is referring to an even older folk tune literally called ‘The Mason’s Apron’. This older, traditional, tune is normally played on a tin whistle, and is more than likely from an Irish origin. So this addition to the list is of double significance.

9)‘Rock Me Amadeus’

This song became a number both in America and the UK. It was released by the Austrian musician Falco in 1985, and was the first German language song ever to reach the number one status. The song is frequently, but wrongly, attributed to the film ‘Amadeus’, which was a modern-styled biography of the composer ‘Mozart’, which was released in 1984. Actually it was Falco and his producers that had the inspirational idea of being aware that the film was in production and worked on a song that would possibly gain popularity due to the release of the movie.

The plan was a success, although to reach a wider audience, an English speaking section was added to the song, which narrated various chronological dates relating to the composer. It is rather difficult now to get this version as a recording, as most of Falco albums still only contain the original German rendition. The actual Masonic reference is that the lyrics state that; ‘1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart becomes a Freemason’.

10)‘The Magic Flute’

Just like ‘The Generous Freemason’, this title doesn’t refer to a specific song, but an entire opera, yet unlike any of the afore mentioned entries this doesn’t actually have any literal reference to Freemasonry, but is possibly the most inspired work of music dedicated to Freemasonry ever. It also holds a link to the previous song of Falco’s ‘Rock Me Amadeus’, as after the lyrics of that song state the date of Mozart’s initiation of Freemasonry, it follows with saying; ‘1791, Mozart composes ‘The Magic Flute’. On December 5 of that same year, Mozart dies. (on some remixes, says ‘Mozart kicks the bucket!’). It is the only piece of Mozart music that Falco refers to, and has long been considered a Masonic opera.

Many have assumed that the story of the opera was where the reference existed, but it appears that the link is more through the musical score itself. Freemasonry is describe solely as ‘a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’. During the time of Mozart, allegorical art was a focal method of artistic expression. To discover the allegorical value to a piece of art was meant to be a private secret between the artist and the audience, a very defined treasure. One thing notable about Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ is his continuous repetition of three – a number extremely evident in Masonic ritual. Can you find the allegorical secret of ‘The Magic Flute’?

 

~Article written by Duncan Burden

Duncan Burden enjoys researching history. Although he often writes on Masonic issues, since he has been a Freemason for most of his adult life and is a member of various Masonic bodies, such as the Royal and Select Master Masons, and Operative Masons, he takes pleasure in writing on all historic, mysterious, and exciting topics.

He was born on the Norfolk Coast, and now lives in Hertfordshire, England.

READ MORE from Duncan

 

 

.