A few years ago I picked up this beautiful Rosewood (newer models are walnut front) 7 String Ibanez B2B bass for a great deal and because it was the newest version back then they didn't offer it with gold hardware which I had noticed that they had in the first year it came out. Anyway, still a thing of beauty and sounds and plays great. I have only technically played it once with a band and that was jamming at my brother Noel's with the old Brock Bottoms gang. I do own 4, 5 and 6-string basses but just like in Spinal Tap "this one has 7!" which the way I have it tuned is basically 6 guitar strings (of course a couple of octaves lower) along with that big, beautiful, beafy B string on the bottom end!
So, having a 7 string bass I thought perhaps I should write some songs based on using all 7 strings and thought up a few ideas for a single instrument, multiple basses and bass with other instruments along with maybe even a few vocals thrown in for good measure here and there. You can see the rough shell of my concept for an album or collection of songs on my website under 7 String Things and I did start with a rough demo of one song which is still in progress.
I would like this one concept song to be a major part of the total package and it will probably be quite long once finished but broken into many smaller parts kind of like a symphony or "rock opera". Have a look at the first draft of the lyrics for The 7 Revelations. Naturally since this was just after Covid hit hard many people were probably thinking that this was "The End of Days" or many other things that people would call it. At least this story has a happy ending. Enjoy!
The 7 Revelations (Edited) Karl Rigelhof Apr. 12/20
1. Seven Stars, Golden Lamp Stands, Spirits of God and Thunders
He holds the seven stars in his right hand
And walks among the seven golden lamp stands
He has the seven spirits of God and seven stars
(And) when the seven thunders had sounded we could not hear
2. Seven Seals
He was seated on the throne
With a scroll in his right hand
Which was written within and on the back
And sealed with seven seals
Then the Lamb breaks/broke the Seven Seals
a) The 1st seal
A white horse and its rider
With a bow appear
He is given a crown
And he went out to conquer
b) The 2nd seal
A red horse and its rider
Are given a great sword
He takes peace from the earth
(So/as/and) men (should) slay one another
c)The 3rd seal
A rider on a black horse
(Holds) (the) balance(s) in his hand
He brings famine
Oil and wine are not harmed
d) The 4th seal
A pale horse appears
Its rider’s name was Death
And Hades followed him
Both were given power
Over a fourth of the earth
e) The 5th seal
The souls of those
Who had been slain
For the word of God
Cry out for vengeance
f) The 6th seal
There was a great earthquake
Thousands are sealed
Out of every tribe
Of the sons of Israel
A great multitude of people
From every nation
Came to worship God
g) The 7th seal
There was silence in heaven
For half an hour
Seven angels are then given
Seven trumpets to blow
3. Seven Angels Sound Seven Trumpets
The first angel blew his trumpet
And hail and fire followed
A third of the earth was burnt
And a third of the trees and grass
The second angel blew his trumpet
And a third of the sea became blood
A third of the living creatures in the sea died
And a third of the ships were destroyed
The third angel blew his trumpet
And a great star fell from heaven
A third of the waters became Wormwood
Many men died of the bitter water
The fourth angel blew his trumpet
And a third of the sun, moon and stars
Had a third of their light (was} darkened
And for a third of the day was kept from shining
The fifth angel blew his trumpet
Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth
They were told not to harm the grass or any green growth
But only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon his/their forehead(s)
They were allowed to torture them for five months
The sixth angel blew his trumpet
The four angels who were bound
At the great river (of) (Euphrates) are released
An army of 200 million men
Kill a third of mankind
The seven thunders are sounded
John eats a little scroll, tasting sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach
I heard a voice from heaven say
Do not write (it) (down) (what it/they say(s))
Two witnesses have the power to prophesy
For a thousand days
They will then be killed
And their bodies will lie in the street
For three and a half days
Then they will come back to life
The seventh angel blew his trumpet
And the Ark of the Covenant
Was seen in God’s temple in heaven
A woman clothed with the sun
With the moon under her feet
On her head a crown of twelve stars
And she is with child
Satan is thrown down to earth
The beast of the sea arrives
The beast of the earth appears
This second beast forces people
To worship the first beast
(Thousands with his Father’s Name on their forehead)
(Are seen by John on Mount Zion)
(As) the trumpet call (to be)/is sounded by the seventh angel
The mystery of God
As he announced to his servants the prophets
Should be fulfilled
4. Seven Bowls of Wrath: Seven Angels with Seven Plagues
And out of the temple came seven angels
With seven bowls filled with the seven plagues
The first angel poured his bowl on the earth
And fowl and evil sores came upon the men
Who bore the mark of the beast
And worshiped his image
The second angel poured his bowl into the sea
And it became like the blood of dead man
And every living thing died
That was in the sea
The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers
And fountains of water
And they became blood
The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun
And it scorched
Men with fire
The fifth angel poured his bowl
On the throne of the beast
And its kingdom was in darkness
The sixth angel poured his bowl
On the great river (of) (Euphrates)
And its water(s) dried up
The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air
There were flashes of lightning, peals of thunder
Hailstorms and a great earthquake
Such had never been seen
Since men were on the earth
And the great city
Split into three parts
5. The Whore of Babylon
I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast
Which was full of blasphemous names
And it had seven heads and ten horns
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet
And bedecked with gold, jewels and pearls
Holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations
And the impurities of her fornication
And on her forehead was written
A name of mystery
Babylon the great
Mother of harlots
And of earth’s abominations
And I saw the woman
Drunk with the blood of saints
And the blood of martyrs of Jesus
6. Seven heads, hills and kings
This calls for a mind of wisdom
The seven heads
Are on seven hills
And the woman is seated
There among the seven kings
7. A New Heaven, a New Earth and a New Jerusalem
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth
For the first had passed away
And there was no longer any sea
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem
Coming down out of heaven from God
Prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying
God now dwells among the people
He will wipe every tear from their eyes
There will be no more death, mourning or crying or pain
For the old order of things has passed away
Seated on the throne he said
I am making everything new
I am the Alpha and the Omega
The Beginning and the End
All thirst I will quench
From the spring of the water of life
Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb
And (he) showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem
Coming down out of heaven from God
It shone with the glory of God
And its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel
Like a jasper, clear as crystal
It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates
On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel
There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west
The wall of the city had twelve foundations
And on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb
The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide
The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass
The foundations were decorated with every kind of precious stone
The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald
The fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl
The ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth and the twelfth amethyst
The twelve gates were each made of a single pearl
The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass
The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple
And the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it
For the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it
On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there
The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it
Nothing impure will ever enter it
Nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life