I'm running out of fingers to count the things I've done wrong.
I'm dangling from the towers I've built to save my life.
Could it be I've been the one to kiss you to a tree?

Do you remember, when I was younger, what you used to say?
'If you raise them up, raise them up in me, they will not turn away.'
Could it be I've been the one who almost went astray?

I'm not the grateful bastard son, I'm the rich and spoiled one.


Lyrics submitted by mimicry

The Bastard Son And The Spoiled One song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    can someone tell me what "could it be ive been the one to kiss you to a tree" means? yeah. im a little lost on that lyric.

    m a r y eon June 16, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    y'know, like Judas 'n' Jesus ... forsaking Christ

    mimicryon August 02, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    its like how Jesus was crucified to the cross (tree) and our sins kissed him there

    hoss9009on October 10, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ok, Basically, Judas kissed Jesus and then he betrayed him causing him to be crucified by means of a cross, which was obviously made out of a tree.

    imnotSxExon March 09, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yea, thats right. So he's saying that he's a sinner, just like all of us. And Jesus died on the cross(tree) so save us. I think he's sayin that he resembles Judas or he relates to him.

    TheMineralRecordon April 09, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song (imo) is saying that he thought he was a Christian and living his life that way (the grateful bastard son eventually came back and begged for forgiveness), but in reality he's "played" the Christian all his life and now he realizes he hasn't lived life the way he should or lead others to Christ ("If you raise them up. . ."), so he's the rich and spoiled son.

    tigris010on April 20, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    if your going to relate it to the bible then its supposed to be the story of the Prodigal Son. hes ungrateful and leaves and then comes back and the other son is good and kind and appreciates his father. personally, i think its about a father son relationship. tips her hat

    ohpioneeron April 24, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    actually, i think that the grateful bastard son was the son who stayed with his father, because he was grateful for what he had but when his brother (the rich spoiled one) returned he was bitter and would not welome him. the prodigal is called the rich spoiled son because he did not appreciate what he had so he made his father give him half of his riches and he abandoned his family, but came back poor and broken.....

    XmeansimcoolXon April 28, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think they could be both the same son just at different stages. the "grateful" bastard son would be the one who left and came back shamed. If you recall, the older son couldn't believe what his father was doing. The son who should have been disowned by his father for what he did would be the most grateful when he is welcomed back in such a way. Like how he who is forgiven of the greater debt is more grateful. The rich and spoiled one was that same son before he returned broken to his father. Either that, or the one who didn't leave. He wasn't nice and kind- he was angry that his father was rewarding his brother when he had done so many things for daddy, and why didn't he get even a small goat to celebrate with his friends? The older brother would be the rich, ungrateful, and spoiled one.

    shadowfallson May 07, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "I'm dangling from the towers I built to save my life" that has to be one of the most fantastic lines of all time. The part about "kissing you to the tree" is as you have mentioned a judas refererance. What he's saying(less poetically) Is could it be I've played the role of Judas, betraying jesus to die on a tree by a kiss. That symbol of betrayal through a kiss is just bitterly ironical. To think we would betray the God of the world, our creator and saviour through a physical symbol of love is so sickening. It's a brilliant play.

    The grateful bastard son is the child who doesn't belong to the father but is accepted anyways. So in that idea we as christians are bastard sons of God, because he took us from the world of sin(which we were born into) and brought us to himself. We all should be grateful bastard sons, not supposed to be there but grateful for the love and acceptance we get.

    The song says he's not the grateful bastard son, but the rich and spoiled one... that means he's the son that has been there all along... (Through, perhaps, church or christian upbringing) and yet despite always being a 'child of God'(i know... that's not technically possible... but yeah) he doesn't do anything about it.

    It's about getting comfortable with your faith, and realizing your faith is weak. Great song.

    Syrosson June 10, 2004   Link

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