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.
1. Spit sacrilege
Blasphemous breath remains accurate
Context of text lost its core concepts
Who speaks our truth?
Convicts or prophets?
Must maintain logic
Who murdered Gnostics?
Fevered mind's slip
Vision off axis
Knowledge kept backwards
Through iris refracted
Light formed of darkness
Sacrifice offered
Throat slit on author
For teaching these paupers
Falsehoods fostered force us to react
Blind faith forms fanatical combat
Speech figured deep as the learned adapt
Papal armies poised for attack, well in fact...
Your precious books written by hands of human
This Christian Jihad will bleed the poor man
Beliefs and ideas can't stand congruent
Morality myths kept the common mind ruined.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
2. Manipulated mental
Misguided myths
You pray to crossed sticks and nails through each wrist
Discard that true gift
Truth still elusive
Illusions used to strip strength from last human
Past omen's looming
Awake the dead
Misread basic meaning, best left unsaid
What sanity?
Sift though soul hold to thread
Did missionaries wield swords or break bread?
Your holy books only increase bloodshed
Those holy books only increase bloodshed
From first moments they moved to subdue populous
Pagan beliefs interweave to form doctrine
Ironic when you speak of heresy
These priests can't even see their own diseased fraternity
So fuck that sour wine and stale wafer
Your pale portrait of a hippie could never be my savior.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
Bridge:
The role of religion in the domination and the destruction
Of African civilization,
Is so shameful...
No matter how you look at it, the picture is negative
Because all of them did more harm than good
All of them made their God.... Ungodly.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
Blasphemous breath remains accurate
Context of text lost its core concepts
Who speaks our truth?
Convicts or prophets?
Must maintain logic
Who murdered Gnostics?
Fevered mind's slip
Vision off axis
Knowledge kept backwards
Through iris refracted
Light formed of darkness
Sacrifice offered
Throat slit on author
For teaching these paupers
Falsehoods fostered force us to react
Blind faith forms fanatical combat
Speech figured deep as the learned adapt
Papal armies poised for attack, well in fact...
Your precious books written by hands of human
This Christian Jihad will bleed the poor man
Beliefs and ideas can't stand congruent
Morality myths kept the common mind ruined.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
2. Manipulated mental
Misguided myths
You pray to crossed sticks and nails through each wrist
Discard that true gift
Truth still elusive
Illusions used to strip strength from last human
Past omen's looming
Awake the dead
Misread basic meaning, best left unsaid
What sanity?
Sift though soul hold to thread
Did missionaries wield swords or break bread?
Your holy books only increase bloodshed
Those holy books only increase bloodshed
From first moments they moved to subdue populous
Pagan beliefs interweave to form doctrine
Ironic when you speak of heresy
These priests can't even see their own diseased fraternity
So fuck that sour wine and stale wafer
Your pale portrait of a hippie could never be my savior.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
Bridge:
The role of religion in the domination and the destruction
Of African civilization,
Is so shameful...
No matter how you look at it, the picture is negative
Because all of them did more harm than good
All of them made their God.... Ungodly.
chorus:
Opiate masses
Knowledge kept backwards
Religion organized gave rise to ill factors:
Genocide from Genesis to last chapter
Concealed the fact the man Jesus was Black(er)
Lyrics submitted by sokorny
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