I don’t celebrate Easter. The only thing I liked about Greek Easter was the food: we always had roast leg of lamb. In a made up word: Yumbo.

At this time of year, I think, not of Jesus, but of Suman Naresh one of my favorite law professors. He surely doesn’t remember me, but he was an unforgettable Anglo-Indian lawyer who taught Intellectual Property. On the week before Easter, he informed the class that something about American culture perturbed him: Our attempts to secularize religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter. He found it weird and wanted to discuss it, so we did. I find it irksome but I’m an atheist, so what can you expect?

That brings me to this listicle. Easter tells the origin story of Christianity. It involves sacrifice, resurrection, and blood. Lots of blood. Don’t try and pin me down on the details, I’m a blogger not a biblical scholar or a fairy tale expert. That’s what I think the Easter origin story is, a bloody fairy tale. It is, however, a helluva origin story.

The post title is a nod to Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film, There Will Be Blood. Dr. A and I had a Siskel & Ebert style argument after seeing the movie. I thought it overlong but liked it, which makes me the Gene of this argument. Dr. A hated, hated, hated the movie, which is pure Roger.

The list consists of songs with blood, bleed, and bleeding in the title with two bloody songs thrown in for good measure. The songs are arranged in chronological order. Chronology is my jam, after all. The bleeding songs appear as lagniappe so I can squeeze all the blood out of the proverbial turnip. What an odd phrase: Why a turnip? Discuss amongst yourselves.

The featured image is Michael C. Hall as Dexter. Dexter was a blood spatter expert, and the picture shows him posing with bloody imagery. As you may recall, I have personal experience with bleeding: I lost over half of my blood during my extended illness in 2024. Bloody hell.

I give you the There Will Be Blood Songs Dozen:

We begin on a jocular note but high blood pressure isn’t anything to clown around about.

A song from 1969 that everyone reading this should know. If you don’t, you can lean on me.

A title out of the British vernacular with a keyboard intro to die for. Please don’t take that literally. Resurrection isn’t really a thing, neither are Supertramps.

Neil Sedaka died last month at the age of 86. Consider this a mini-tribute to a mighty singer songwriter.

Next up, a song that just missed making my Genesis Dozen. It’s about mundane reactions to violent events. It’s not about President Pennywise thinking war is a video game but it could be, if the song weren’t 50 years old. Let’s watch the news, boy.

I’m not big on U2’s 21st Century output but they were a great band in the 1980’s. This protest song about a bloody event during The Troubles is one of their best tunes.

Next, a song with a bloody title from an album with a painful title; that didn’t make me bleed but it hurt a bit. I fear that it made me shed a few tears as well.

Give Blood is a powerful song that kicks off Pete Townshend’s classic 1985 album White City. It features Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on lead guitar. He’s bloody good, mate.

I’ve been on a Smithereens mini-bender lately. This solemn song made my Smithereens Dozen. You got that bloody right.

My 13th Ward homies get all spiritual and shit with this percussion heavy song written by Cyril Neville and drummer Mean Willie Green.  In Willie’s case mean applies to his drumming, I’ve met him and he’s a bloody nice guy.

What’s not to love about a song with Peter Gabriel and Sinead O’Connor singing together? It’s positively Edenic.

Finally, a bloody lovely song written by Lindsey Buckingham.

That concludes the There Will Be Blood Songs Dozen proper. Let’s dish out some bleeding improper lagniappe.

We continue with Bessie Smith. Say no more.

Bleeding and the blues go together like peas and carrots or chicken and dumplings. Mmm, dumplings.

Finally, a magisterial medley from Elton John at the peak of his bleeding powers.