God bless here's a man of conviction
With evidence enough to convict him so he stands by the
Side of the victim has strength enough to forgive him

Hopefully nobody saw him hopefully nobody saw him
The means justified by the ending sinner and saint for defending
The bastard by him that is bleeding throws salt in the wounds of the needy the blood from the
Cut that is seething he gasps for the air we are breathing

Hopefully nobody saw him, hopefully nobody saw him
The means justified by the ending, sinner and saint for defending
Our hero is gone
God bless here's a man of conviction
With evidence enough to convict him so he stands by the
Side of the victim has strength enough to forgive him
The bastard by him that is bleeding, throws salt in the wounds of the needy the blood from
The cut that is seething, the gasps for the air we are breathing

Hopefully nobody saw him, hopefully nobody saw him
The means justified by the ending sinner and saint for defending


Lyrics submitted by saturnine

Man of Conviction Lyrics as written by Robert Pope Matthew Patrick Pryor

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Man of Conviction song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    nothing? this song seems very personal, like someone the band knew personally was an innocent victim.. any other thoughts?

    BrandNewJerseyon April 29, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is probably my favorite on The Get Up Kid's latest album Guilt Show. However, I am having trouble understanding the true meaning of this song. It definitly needs more input from people who listen to the album/song. This whole album seems to be about government and history which is pretty cool in my mind. Like the quote from this song "Needs to be justified by the ending " can be going against Machiavelli's reasonings in The Prince, where the means don't have to justify the ending. Interesting.

    Wishful Thinkeron May 11, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Is it possible to clean up these lyrics a bit? They are kinda off in accuracy.

    Wishful Thinkeron May 11, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    having relistened to the song a few times i think it could also be political like the rest of the album.

    BrandNewJerseyon June 25, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is definately about Bush and how he went to war on a lie (God blessed is a man of conviction, where theres evidence enough to convict him) its sayin his able to keep saying he did something for the right cause even though everyone knows it was wrong. "He's a sinner or saint for defending" is about invading Iraq may have been a good thing in that it got rid of Saddam or wotever, but he went on a lie. Please feel free to correct me.

    beergoggles69on October 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the lyrics are definitely off, should be

    God bless here's a man of conviction With evidence enough to convict him so he stands by the side of the victim has strength enough to forgive him

    and it isn't "needs to be justified by the ending," it's "The means justified by the ending"

    TehSenseion February 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The meaning of this song is simple. Its direct purpose is to emphasize the subjetivity of good and evil and further explain that we are all men and women of conviction, it just depends on the discretion of others. One of the most important lines that was miswritten is "He's a sinner AND saint for defending" Obviously if we are all sinners and saints there is need need for a the hero archetype. This song is the first step on an album that is completely representative of the mystics journey.

    liploanon June 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yeah. it should be "means justified by the ending"

    My favorite TGUK song under two minutes. :]

    Holdyr.ashtraytighton October 13, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.