From the album, "The Missing Years" (1991), "The Sins of Memphisto" is one heck of a verbal workout by John Prine, a brilliant man with a pen and a guitar.
The word "Memphisto" came about as the result of an incorrect blending of the names "Memphis, Egypt" (ancient city which was constructed to house such things as a pyramid or a sphinx) and Mephistopholes (the devil)
My favorite interpretation of this song is that Memphisto (the devil) represents one's inner demons or issues that are driving that person to distraction. The intent is to become the spectator of this phenomenon rather than the participator. Paradoxically however, "nothing can stop" the sins of Memphisto.
The expression, "Exactly Odo Quasi Modo" is a play on words that Prine conjured up in his mind years before writing this song. He was finally able to interject it here (This is Prine's own explanation). In English, it could be loosely translated into some sort of hip lingo like "No shit, Sherlock" i.e. there he is crying while he looks in the mirror at what he's become killing the thing he loved.
Images were found on the Internet via Google.
John Prine is a songwriting/guitar-picking genius. When put on the spot and told to come up with another cut for "The Missing Years" album, he did this song in no time. How awesome is that!!
NOTE: The image in the first frame was taken from an internet blog site. It turns out to be an original drawing from the person's blog. I had no idea. Thank you!
Lyrics:
From the bells of St. Mary
To the Count of Monte Cristo
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
The sins of Memphisto
Sally used to play with her hula hoops
Now she tells her problems to therapy groups
Grampa's on the front lawn staring at a rake
Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake
I'm sitting on the front steps drinking orange crush
Wondering it it's possible for me to still blush
Uh huh....Oh yeah
The hands on his watch spin slowly around
With his mind on a bus that goes all over town
Looking at the babies and the factories
And listening to the music of Mister Squeeze
As if by magic or remote control
He finds a piece of a puzzle
That he missed in his soul
Uh huh...oh yeah
Adam and Eve and Lucy and Ricky
Bit the big apple and got a little sticky
Esmeralda and the Hunchback of Notre Dame
They humped each other like they had no shame
They paused as they posed for a Polaroid photo
She whispered in his ear "Exactly Odo Quasi Modo"
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