I recently heard a Dua Lipa pop song. (You know this artist, right?) Looked up the lyrics. Wasn’t sure if what I heard was right. It was. Third line is: “G…dammit.”

Seriously.

Surprised? Don’t be.

I have Apple Music as a service. I can download virtually anything with no added fees. When it comes to music, I find songs more frequently have an “E” alongside the title.

That stands for “explicit lyrics.”

What a mild way to say it. “Explicit.” Not foul. Not dirty. Not offensive. Use those descriptors and you might well offend the buyer. There is no indecency standard any more.

It’s been that way for a long time in movies and on television. Cable opened the door wide as it is not broadcast publicly by advertising. When you pay for something, you get what you pay for. And this can often include highly offensive content.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize how saturated my mind became with values found in popular music of my younger days. I’ll just name two songs from the 70s that were played repeatedly on Top 40 radio stations while teens and young couples were dating. Often “sitting” in their cars together.

The first was the lovely, melodic “Make It with You” by the group Bread. The second, was “Go All the Way” by a group called the Raspberries. People weren’t just listening to their lyrics.

They were singing them! What goes into the mind, stays in the mind.

In today’s media, all bets are off on lyric protection. The songs I mentioned are tame compared to lyrics of music found today. Broadcast radio still has some safeguards. But any music service to which you might subscribe follows the same pattern as cable television, Netflix, and the like.

You pay for it? It’s your problem.

I don’t hear a lot of talk about this from the pulpits of America. Would I expect diatribes against the many cultural offenses? No. Rather a frequent reminder of Scriptural admonitions to guard our hearts and minds.

You can find plenty of these. (Proverbs 4:23; Psalm 119:9-11,37; Colossians 3:1-2)

One pastor who appears to take his “prophetic” role seriously recently weighed in on the latest Taylor Swift album. You can download her sizable new release faster than getting your Chick Fil A sandwich at the drive through. And people have…in record setting numbers.

Here’s what the pastor, Shane Pruitt, was concerned about, as all the Swifties mindlessly absorbed a diet of Taylor’s 31-song double album, titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” It released April 19th.

He chose one song in particular from the woman who has self-identified as a “Christian” on some media sites. It’s titled, “But Daddy I Love Him.” Swift sings out,

“I just learned these people only raise you / To cage you / Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best / Clutchin’ their pearls, sighing, ‘What a mess.’ / Just learned these people try and save you / ‘Cause they hate you.”

Pastor Pruitt was a bit more incensed by the words in another Swift song titled “Guilty as Sin.” He quotes Taylor’s lyrics:

What if I roll the stone away?
They’re gonna crucify me anyway
What if the way you hold me is actually what’s holy?
If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me
They don’t know how you’ve haunted me so stunningly
I choose you and me religiously

You can read more of what Shane Pruitt had to say here.

The massive influence of Taylor Swift on her followers will have millions quoting her lyrics in the days ahead. But more than that, the impact of her messaging on the souls of young people may do damage beyond what we can conceive.

As to what is in Taylor’s heart regarding Jesus, only the Lord Himself knows. While physically present with us on earth, Jesus did say this to His disciples:

“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” (Matthew 15:11, NLT)

Recording artists, actors and actresses, radio personalities, and journalists bear responsibility for their words. Once in the great marketplace of their audience, retractions are few and far between.

To clarify, I am not anti-Taylor Swift. I only cast this important word of caution before downloading material that sends the wrong messages into our lives. To protect our souls from the damage that the Evil One sends our way, we must absorb other messaging.

And teach our children well to do the same.

We often think a journey to the worldly abyss takes time.

And it can.

But by putting yourself directly in the path of the deceiver you will discover…how swiftly we fall.