On The Fritz

[Image: 'On The Fritz' Front Cover]

Sections:

Lyrics

He wished to right the wrongs
He sang religious songs
He kept the private he
Under the lock and key

Heat keeps rising in an age of passion
Shakes a conscience to the core
Stopgap, hand-slap, take a tongue-lashing
My poor soul can't take any more

On the fritz
On the fritz
There he sits
On the fritz

He kept his ego there
It was a sad affair, on the fritz
The inner circle knows
And so the story goes, on the fritz

Airborne rumors chip away the image
But you knew the stakes were high
First they got you thinking you're a prophet
Now they've got you living a lie

On the fritz
On the fritz
There he sits
On the fritz

So the crowds grew, and their praise did too
And a mailing list sent you money
So they love Jerry Lewis in France
Does that make him funny?

It's too late for apologies when trust has been betrayed
Now victims of your double life are naming names

He kept his ego there
It was a sad affair, on the fritz
The public's had enough
They've come to call your bluff, on the fritz

Small talk breeds where kingdoms come crashing
Rumor conquers where it wills
No one hears you, go ahead and cash in
If you don't die to yourself pride kills

On the fritz
On the fritz
There he sits
On the fritz

Recorded Appearances

Albums

Promos

Bootlegs

About The Song

From Crosswalk Syndicated Radio Interview, Crosswalk, Q2(?) 1985:

You take a song like "On The Fritz," which is about compromise, and in general the song is about this person who leads a double life between doing religious music and what their personal life is like. Being on the road--I mean, ask anyone who's in Christian music--we see that stuff all the time. We wish that we could cover it up and that the general public didn't know about certain performers in Christian music that are singing one thing and doing another, but eventually it comes out, you know.

So I think that a song like is first of all spelling out the truth, and saying that the root of the problem is actually pride. Over and over again the Bible talks about pride going before a fall--God exalts the humble. Different areas where pride ends up being the root of the problem. That's the one thing that always sneaks up and blindsides you, you know? You think you can get a grip on other areas that are more visible, but as soon as you think you've got them all under control, then spiritual prides comes up and says, "I've got it together," and that's when we're at our most vulnerable. So some of those songs aren't easy songs, but I didn't want them to be.

From Clone Club News Flash Winter 1986, Winter 1986:

["On The Fritz"] is about consequences; the story of a person whose private life is at odds with his public stance, and the compromise that comes about as a result of his pride.

From Now The Truth Can Be Told Liner Notes & Song-By-Song Essays, Now The Truth Can Be Told Insert Booklet, August 23rd, 1994:

If my songwriting output were mostly autobiographical, I would be a very messed-up cowboy indeed. But I suppose a convincing case could be made for many of these songs, intentionally or not, written partly as a way to mark off boundaries that, by the grace of God, I hope never to cross. Having married above my means and been blessed with an altogether lovely and Godly wife for nine years, I confess to having little tolerance or empathy for those involved in marital infidelity. But I'm afraid I know a lot about the ego that can fuel such sins, and I've yet to satisfactorily figure out how to "die to self" as Jesus taught us, while living and working center stage in a circus of self-promotion.

If it's starting to seem like "On The Fritz" describes the rule rather than the exception for Christians in the public eye, then I would like to thank exceptional men and women from Dr. Billy Graham and his wife Ruth to my own father and mother for their examples in living a lifetime faithful to one God and one spouse.