The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
How can this be?
Why is he the chosen one?
Saint gone astray
With a scepter and a gun
Learn to believe
In the mighty and the strong
Come bleed the beast
Follow me it won't be long
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Straight is the path
Leading to your salvation
Slaying the weak
Ethnic elimination
Any day we'll all be
Swept away
You'll be saved
As long as you obey
Lies
Tools of the devil inside
Written in holy disguise
Meant to deceive and divide
Us all
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Blurring the lines
Between virtue and sin
They can't tell
Where god ends
And mankind begins
They know no other
Life but this
From the cradle
They are claimed
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Hundreds of believers
Lured into a doomsday cult
All would perish
In the name of god
Self-proclaimed messiah
Led his servants
To their death
Eighty murdered
In the name of God
Forty sons and daughters
Un-consenting plural wives
Perversions
In the name of God
Underground religion
Turning toward
The mainstream light
Blind devotion
In the name of God
Justifying violence
Citing from the holy book
Teaching hatred
In the name of God
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Religious beliefs
Fanatic obsession
Does following faith
Lead us to violence?
Unyielding crusade
Divine revelation
Does following faith
Lead us to violence?
Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the lord
He is trampling out the vintage
Where the grapes of wrath are stored
He hath loosed the fateful lightning
Of his terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah.
Why is he the chosen one?
Saint gone astray
With a scepter and a gun
Learn to believe
In the mighty and the strong
Come bleed the beast
Follow me it won't be long
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Straight is the path
Leading to your salvation
Slaying the weak
Ethnic elimination
Any day we'll all be
Swept away
You'll be saved
As long as you obey
Lies
Tools of the devil inside
Written in holy disguise
Meant to deceive and divide
Us all
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Blurring the lines
Between virtue and sin
They can't tell
Where god ends
And mankind begins
They know no other
Life but this
From the cradle
They are claimed
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Hundreds of believers
Lured into a doomsday cult
All would perish
In the name of god
Self-proclaimed messiah
Led his servants
To their death
Eighty murdered
In the name of God
Forty sons and daughters
Un-consenting plural wives
Perversions
In the name of God
Underground religion
Turning toward
The mainstream light
Blind devotion
In the name of God
Justifying violence
Citing from the holy book
Teaching hatred
In the name of God
Listen when the prophet
Speaks to you
Killing in the name of God
Passion
Twisting faith into violence
In the name of God
Religious beliefs
Fanatic obsession
Does following faith
Lead us to violence?
Unyielding crusade
Divine revelation
Does following faith
Lead us to violence?
Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the lord
He is trampling out the vintage
Where the grapes of wrath are stored
He hath loosed the fateful lightning
Of his terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah.
Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by Octavarium64
In the Name of God Lyrics as written by John Petrucci John Myung
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I really don't believe that this song targets Islam in particular. I think that the message to be taken from this truly great song is that mankind has no right to manipulate religion. I don't think any one religion is guilty here but possibly all orginized religions have had their vices. I am Catholic and I so I will be the first to point out the references to the crusades. littered about also are references to Islam and cults, as thunderbolt, YtseJam and enchiridion all point out. It criticizes those who "Blur the lines between virtue and sin", or those who twist religion for their own personal gain. This song is not an attack on God, but rather an attack on those who start wars, claiming to be carrying out His will (twisting faith into voilence in the name of God)
@JeffGodofBiscuits yes that's correct its not about religion being bad its about what you said, people manipulating it and turning it into a bad thing. I try to tell people this stuff all the time and they just don't listen, it is not Christianity's fault or any single Christians fault that some loser a long time ago was killing int he name of god, especially when god dosent endorse such a thing.
Just to correct Thunderbolt, this lyric was written by John Petrucci and not James Labrie.
About all the hypocrites who use fighting "for their God" as an excuse to do whatever they want. Amazing song...
This is my favorite song off of ToT by far. Best part is when the choir kicks in at the end and sings "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in the backround.
As for the meaning of this song, I feel it is about religious radicals who take it too far. Not just islam but all religions. All of the above have seemed to cover this idea pretty well.
Alright, pigbenis666, apparently an atheist...
You're saying that no God could have created us so that we evolve near close to a mathematical equation, and that no God could have created aliens that we aren't even sure exist?
Sounds like a pretty shitty thesis to me. Sure, your points may be against Christianity. But not the existence of a God.
You can only disprove the existence of a God that accords to the rules of a certain religion. (e.g. Christianity) Otherwise, can you really disprove the existence of there being a God? I don't think so. Not that easily.
I agree with webdog230, it's obviously a song about radical cults, people claiming they're the Messiah but just using people and leading them astray. I don't think it's about the Book of Revelations, and I'm pretty sure it's not debating the existence of God!
I'm not sure which cults he's talking about specifically, I did read it somewhere but I can't find it! The one thing I do know is it's not about the Jonestown Massacre as some people are hypothesising, it's a good shout but over 900 people killed themselves in that, not just 80.
Not all of them killed themselves! Most of them were forced to drink poison.
According to an interview, James LaBrie wrote this with three specific religious leaders in mind. But who?
As for "unconsenting plural wives", Joseph Smith is a possibility, although I don't know if they were unconsenting or how many there were. For more information, read "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer. It's about fundamental Mormonism. Mohammed is also possible; he took plural wives, but not forty.
I also suspect Jim Jones is one of them. He's the guy who led hundreds of people to their deaths in Guyana in 1978, ordering them all to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid when the US government investigated whether he was holding people against their wills.
At first I thought that this song was a vieled diatribe against the radical and violent clergies in conteporary Islam. The three religious leaders would be Koresh (who, I think, did take multiple, very young, wives), Jim Jones, and the Heaven's Gate guy. These are, at least, the three faces that they put up on the projection screen at their concert in Denver (this was their encore... it rocked).
this is a dam good song!!!!!!! it rules!!!
I don't like the song....I don't like how they sound in this song...but the lyrics are fair...And you cannot prove there to be a God and you cannot disprove any God............Personally I don't believe in a God but that doesn't mean I have to insult people who do believe in there being a God...
~Vampy