CHARLATANS OUT THERE ARE TURNING SERVICE INTO GOLD
CHARLATANS OUT THERE TURNING SERVICE INTO GOLD
The idea for this song came to me while I was doing morning prayer and scripture reading shortly after I moved into my new handicap HUD apartment in Medford, Wisconsin. I heard the the first thirty seconds or so of the pop song “Gold” released by John Coburn Stewart in 1979, then I heard the phrase,
“People now beware,
There are charlatans 
out there,
Turning service into gold.
“
I did not begin working on the song 
until Saturday morning, (first weekend or second in September 2026) when after morning prayer, more lines to the new song suddenly flooded into my mind. Thirty seconds: that is about as much of the tune that I heard before I was given the lyrics for “CHARLATANS OUT THERE ARE TURNING SERVICE INTO GOLD.”
Thus, the music for the new song is similar, but not actually the full background tune of Stewart’s “GOLD” song. That is, the background music is a looped section of Stewart’s “GOLD” song and not the song in its entirety.
I am going to start recording two audio options from now on. First, a dynamically enhanced version and second, another “straight” song version.
Some friends want the austere “straight audio” of my songs or orations while others prefer an enhanced version. Please listen to the style of your preference or try both! Some friends rave over the dynamic version and others are very vocal about their dislike of my dynamically enhanced versions.
I also noticed a compression effect in my Audacity recordings I haven’t noticed before. When I sing this song live with a Karaoke background my singing isn’t “squished” so the words are spread out more “live” and there are longer audible spacing sequences between stanzas. Both the live and recorded versions are good but they sound different. And I prefer the dynamically enhanced sound to the straight song audio. Personal preference, I guess. What I did discover, later, is that the enhanced dynamic version sounds great on my computer but terrible on my phone. On my phone the straight audio recording comes out loud and clear rather than muffled.
September 30th arrived before I was comfortable enough with singing the song for an audio session for posting at my blog! It took me longer than usual to get the song down. I am accustomed to sing a’ capella!
“CHARLATANS OUT THERE ARE TURNING SERVICE INTO GOLD”
For a more impactive listening experience follow along with the lyrics below as you listen to the audio. Listening with headphones for the dynamically enhanced version may embellish the sound even more!
Charlatans Out There Turning Service Into Gold: DYNAMICALLY ENHANCED Audio:
Charlatans Out There Turning Service Into Gold: Straight Audio:
LIVE PERFORMANCE TRACK:
LYRICS CHARLATANS OUT THERE ARE TURNING SERVICE INTO GOLD:
People now beware,
There are charlatans out there,
Turning service into gold. (x2)
They don’t always wear
An expensive tailored suit.
Charlatans may wear any kinda clothes,
From discount dollar st…ores
Or loud t-shirts
With designer denim j…eans.
Grifting charlatans don’t wear
A specific kinda hair.
It may be long; it may be short.
They may even sport
A flood…light shining scalp,
With draping chest long locks
Of wavy salt and pepper be…ard.
People now beware,
There are charlatans out there,
Turning service into gold.
Greedy charlatans may be pinch-penny poor.
Others rake in over $200 dollars an hour.
And then there a…re
Famous preacher movie st…ars,
buying, buying, buying …big fancy jets and luxury cars,
And multi-million dollar mansions,
Who thunder Malachi three ten,
Over and over, from their stately pod…iums.
People now beware,
There are charlatans out there,
Turning service into gold.
Charlatans may strum cherry burst guitars
Or never even sing a lick,
While slamming thick KJV’s
Across thousand dollar diamond pul…pits.
Or they bang their holy book
On smoked-tinted-glass coffee tables –
All from the warm cozy comfort
Of their own livin’ r…oo…ms.
They may out-sing fallen angels
Or power quote The Word of God
Like famous orators of old.
Their sermons may be hell-fire hot,
But their hearts are icy c…o…l…d.
Their hearts are icy c…o…l…d.
People now beware,
There are charlatans out there,
Turning service into gold.
Stay close to Jesus Christ.
Read your Bible every day.
Learn to follow the Spirit.
Pray, pray for the gifting of discernment.
Pray lots more than you ever have be…fore.
Pray for power, protection, provision and wisdom,
For all your brothers and your sisters.
They are certainly out there.
And they surely need your prayer!
True followers of Jesus,
You will know them for…
Their Phileo love for their Master
And their bold Agape love
Toward their brothers and their sisters.
You will know them, too,
Cuz they carry holy fire
That wellsprings up
From deep, deep, deep in their bellies.
God’s anointing blankets every word
And empowers every song.
People now beware,
There are charlatans out there,
Turning service into g…o…l…d. (x3)
Turning service into gold (x3).
Turning service into GOLD!
The Karaoke version I purchased from Amazon of John Stewart’s Song “Gold.” This is a “free limited copyright use” of the song for my Christian teaching blog. Free in the sense that there is no cost for viewing and listening to my blogs.
A wayneoconner.com production.