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Bad Religion – Skyscraper Lyrics 9 years ago
Well, it's obviously about the god of the old testament being "a spoiled little baby" that doesn't want to share wisdom and knowledge but it relates to modern society as well.

Literal part:
All the references to the first book of the old testament make it obvious that the literal story is the one of the Tower of Babel. As PiratePilate already pointed out, the first two lines are a literal quote from the Book of Genesis (Gen. 11:3 & Gen. 11:4). The story goes that people came together to build a tower for the people of the world to knock at heaven's door. If they could have finished it everything would have been possible. But the hypothetical god of the old testament is a jealous one and just "like a spoiled little baby" he or she rather destroyed the tower then to risk anyone gaining his or her wisdom and knowledge as it surely would have led to him or her not being worshipped anymore. The building process itself united people (-> "joining walls") - again, something that the "spoiled little baby" didn't want as it might have led to a similar project after all. So the tower was destroyed and chaos reigned, so the story goes, when people were divinely confused with different languages. The paradise of mankind that could have been drowned in babble of people.

But what modern people don't get ("that was hardly understood") is that it was not mankind's mistake to try to reach higher levels of wisdom and knowledge. An all-knowing "god" must have known that people would sooner or later aim for higher goals. Just like he or she must have known about Adam and Eve eating from the apple. So rather than applauding his or her creation to aim higher and evolve from the divine potential (-> the old testament mentions god creating man after his [or her] own image) this "god" tries to keep mankind down. And this story everyone constantly misunderstands is not even any good because it delivers the wrong message.

Relationship to modern society:
Just like in that ancient story we still have the people up there with power and wealth and the people below them who have to follow. But would we really need those leaders in Utopia? Well, if everyone had everything they needed to lead a comfortable life then there'd be no need for weapon manufacturers anymore, warlords would cease to exist. Even the ever growing gap between rich and poor might not exist anymore but since wealth is power and some people are just greedy and not willing to share ("just like a spoiled little baby") so they rather destroy or sabotage projects that might actually lead to a better world. Does anyone really believe that all those investment companies actually want a fairer world? Because that'd mean that their share might shrink. A healthy planet for our children? Big corporations give a shit and rather make money in the here and now.

The greed is not a problem of the masses, its problem of leaders - they just want everyone to believe its everyone else's problem. Just like a "god" that doesn't want to share wisdom, knowledge and enlightenment.

submissions
Bad Religion – Skyscraper Lyrics 9 years ago
@[angelbrain:9361] You're basically ignoring every critical aspect against the old testament, the mention of the spoiled little child, etc …

submissions
Rammstein – Seemann Lyrics 10 years ago
@[rechtenFleck:8400] Well, if you want to find that within these lyrics, please go ahead. But bear in mind that Rammstein is politically pretty far on the left side and antifascist. So I guess … no.

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System of a Down – Soldier Side Lyrics 11 years ago
I think the line "bishop tells the king his lies" is crucial for understanding this song and it's about the misuse of religion and faith to manipulate kings and leaders so they will send their men in a war that is not theirs. A war that has no sense for reasons that are untrue.

So here he is "lying on the bottom of the [his] grave" waiting for the promised salvation after he went to war just to realize that no one ever cared for him to return and that all the things they were told were just lies. "God is wearing black" as a symbol of grief: mankind and especially the clerics misused free will he gave them and now he has to watch his own creation killing and destroying each other. And at the same time there are people in black who claim to speak the truth yet all they want is power so they play god themselves by judging over the lives of others.

To me this is quite obviously an accusation of the misuse of something very private (faith) in a way to manipulate people and to gain power, an accusation of the arrogance and the immorality of clerics and churches (of all kind).

God (if there's one) must feel ashamed and utterly disappointed.

submissions
Serj Tankian – Left of Center Lyrics 15 years ago
There are some mistakes in that lyric, that's what he's actually singing:


Are we a fantasy
Swimming in theocracy
We are far from holy
The wholeness of one
Repeat after me

We lost the key of sight
Now blind we fear in flight
We are far from love
But silence is golden
Please observe

Fighting your empire
Defending your vamparies
Far away, we‘re going too far

Bombing your ignorance
Defeating your insolence
Far away, we‘re going too far
We‘re going too far

If today I die
And cannot deny
The life that I lived
For what I say now befit
Myself in time

No time to die or kill
No structures of a pyramid
No trained horses to arise
Surmise my position
My words define

Fighting your empire
Defending your vampires
Far away, we‘re going too far

Bombing your ignorance
Defeating your insolance
Far away, we‘re going too far
We‘re going too far

We go forward
We go backward

Living
Dying

We‘re dying
We‘re living
We‘re living
We‘re dying
We‘re crying
We‘re seing
We‘re seeing
We‘re living
We‘re breathing

Dying
Seeing

Fighting your empire
Defending your vampires
Far away we‘re going too far

Bombing your ignorance
Deafeating your insolence
Far away, we‘re going too far
We‘re going too far.

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