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

    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

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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.