Self-Made Mani

Day 22 is Inspired by a Song.  I picked "Self-Made Trap" by the 77s, my favorite band of all time. I could gush for hours—days, maybe—about Mike Roe's genius, the double-edged sharpness of his word play, and his versatile voice. But this is not a blog devoted to the 77s. (I do feel it only does them justice to point out that their music pulled me through a couple of the darkest times of my life and renewed my hope and faith in God in really miserable circumstances.)

The song I chose is "Self-Made Trap" from the Pray Naked album, about all the ways we refuse to give up our sin and the guilt we experience rather than allowing God to free us from our crap. I struggle with this in a million ways every day, and this song helps me to see the truth and feel comforted, as well, remembering that my experience is common to the human race.

So, on to the nails! I chose as my base color Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Grey Area partly for the pun on the fact that there are no grey areas when it comes to sin, and partly because the greyish-brownish-purplish color, while beautiful, is also sort of dreary and well represents the theme. I stamped my pinky with a netting pattern for "tight nets, I weave all I can get", painted lips (kinda wonky ones) and stamped a key on my ring finger and freehanded steel stripes on my middle for "I grip the bars, swallow up the key", stamped barbed wire in silver on my index for "It's like serving time when there's none left", and lastly, for the last line "The die is cast, the word is no", I painted dice—notice that the two dice on each thumb add up to seven!

Here are the lyrics straight off the 77s' website:

Self-Made Trap

from the album "Pray Naked" (Mike Roe/Mark Harmon) i'll beat the rap for a self-made trap get all tied up in endless crap quicksand, i planned pitfalls, i dig 'em all self-made rope and self-made binds i'm all wrapped up in a sour grape vine a human web, i've spun every thread tight nets, i weave all i can get a rats maze wouldn't faze brick walls, i'm enthralled self-made traps, self-made snares handicaps and wheelchairs drown myself in rain, freeze myself in snow help comes fast, pride goes slow could be free if i choose born to win, dying to lose self-made twine, hand-made chains i'm all bound up and self-contained jail cells, i build well lions dens, i got a yen land mines, i design avalanche, i wouldn't blanch self-made traps, self-made snares handicaps and wheelchairs drown myself in rain, freeze myself in snow help comes fast, pride goes slow could be free if i choose born to win, dying to lose the warden comes to set me free i grip the bars, swallow up the key it's like serving time when there's none left on a fast train nowhere but we're not there yet the scenery moves the train stands still dungeon dark, i'll quench every spark a hangman's noose, never leave 'em loose self-made traps, self-made locks combinations i forgot for guards and gates i await i'm a natural born inmate could be free if i choose born to win, dyin' to lose lust came fast, love left slow the die is cast, the word is no © 1992 Fools Of The World, LTD. (ASCAP)