54 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A

Get Born Again Lyrics

Sat suffering
I knew him when
Fair-weather friend of mine
I try not to think
I merely blink

Hope to wish away the lies...

I...

Can you protect
Me when I'm wrecked
I'll pretend you're still alive

I....yeah

(Cantrell): All the crime, all the time, all the lies.

I choose the day
One damp and grey,
Thick fog would hide our smiles

Clear all your sins
Get born again
Just to eat a couple lies

I...

Lies... yeah

(Cantrell)

Can you protect
Me when I'm wrecked
I'll pretend you're still alive

I choose the day
One damp and grey,
Thick fog would hide our smiles

Sat suffering.....
(Cantrell)
Get born again....
(Cantrell)
Song Info
Submitted by
ice On May 31, 2001
54 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Add your thoughts...
Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

in the summer of 99 interview(on youtube) layne says its about religious hypocrisy

@Ciyaak Boy Layne also said it was personal, he didn’t want to discuss it.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

Okay so no one else sees religious themes in this song? The name of the song is Get Born Again, if you don't recognize that phrase it basically means get saved, ask Jesus to be your savior, etc. I was seeing this song as one of two possible meanings, of course I was hearing some words incorrectly too. One idea I had was that it's a song about people that go to church but honestly couldn't give less of a crap about Jesus. My line of thought there was that I was hearing "Just to eat a couple lies" as 'Just repeat a couple lies', which led me to think that the lies in question were things like "I'm sorry for my sins" that one would say when praying for repentance. Of course, the line "Hope to wish away the lies" doesn't agree with that meaning very well...

The other thought I had was that the song is your run-of-the-mill "me no like God" song. That one seems more logical now that there have been some misconceptions cleared up in the words, though I don't agree with the message of the song if that is the case. If you look at the song as having that meaning, most of it kind of pops out as obvious, such as the line "I'll pretend you're still alive" obviously referring to Jesus being resurrected.

Anyway, I've thought about the meaning of this song a lot. A lot of AiC's mentions of God seem ambiguous (other than maybe God Am) and could easily go either for God or against. Take Man in the Box for example (even though the only reference to God is contained in four lines shoved in the chorus out of nowhere). "Jesus Christ, Deny your maker, He who tries, Will be wasted." This line obviously states that there is no reason to run from God or try to defy him, because if you do you will always lose. That song is also one of their older ones though, so I don't know, maybe something happened to them along the way.

And for the record, I'm a Christian. If the lyrics mean what I think they mean, I don't really agree with them, but as I've said they are in some ways ambiguous, and I've seen pictures in which someone (I think Layne) was wearing a cross necklace at a concert.

He has stated that the song is about religious hypocrisy.

musicbank has got it, but so have you with the whole saviour thing too. Basically "Get Born Again" could easily mean a new beginning (i.e. "See The Light" [it's a Green Day song too, I know]).

" "Jesus Christ, Deny your maker, He who tries, Will be wasted." This line obviously states that there is no reason to run from God or try to defy him,"

That's not what it means. The line just highlights what psychopathic tyrants all these gods are. They force people into existence, and if those people realize how idiotic their god is, they then get tortured forever.

And really, there is nothing ambiguous about god in AiC's songs. They either don't believe in any, or have tons of problems with one if it did exist.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

you guys are killing me with the lyrics!

Sad suffering I knew him when Farewell the friend of mine Try not to think I merely blink

Hope you wish away the lies

Can you protect me when I'm wrecked I pretend you're still alive

Who will deny in time all the lies

I choose the day One damp and gray Thick fog can hide our smiles

Clear all your sins Get born again Just repeat a couple lies

Sad Suffering Get Born Again Sad Suffering Get Born Again

@Neapolitan2 Thank you finally. Yes it's "Sad suffering" and later on he says "Just repeat a couples lines" "LIES yeah" tongue in cheek subtly dropping the n on purpose.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

To feed your interpretations of this song to everyone who reads this is silly. The point of a song is to make you think, to interpret it in your own way and to make your own feelings about it. Who cares what he was thinking, what do you think? How does the song make you feel? Why do we all have to think like everyone else does? Why does there have to be a general concensous about what this song means? I doubt Layne would have wanted us to think what he thinks anyway, he was constantly questioning. I believe this is healthy, its a part of human nature. But he was one of the few who had the guts to sing about it, to write about raw emotions and feelings... It would have been easier for him to write a song that did not express these things, but he choose to do so. To make us think. So lets not argue about what the song really means and redundant little facts about his life. I think you should be writing about what this song means to you. It is more intersting to read about another opinion than about someone else calling another a dumbass. And... that is waht i have to say about that.

Opinions of a song have nothing to do with discussing it's original meaning. The author had something in mind when writing it, and that's what people are trying to figure out.

It's fine if you take the song a certain way, but that's not the point here. We want to know what Layne's intent was.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

This song is among my favorite of Alice in Chains. Although everyone can come up with their own interpretations, the meaning of the song is to denigrate evangelical Christianity. It seems like Layne was raised as a believer. "Get born again" is the phrase that refers to a person giving their life to Christ and this is most often done by a pastor saying: "just repeat after me..." ["just repeat a couple lies"] Layne did say that the song is about religious hypocrisy... "fair weather friends of mine" refers to lukewarm believers. Other lines in the song refer to Christ as well... "i knew HIM when," "can YOU protect," "clear all your sins, get born again, just repeat a couple lies"... Layne clearly does not buy into Christianity if he ever did at all... This song hits close to home for me because I was once a devout believer until I decided to explore the truth of Christianity and discovered that all those beliefs were unjustified.

@daniel4la Layne may have known a Believer, but he wasn’t raised among them. Layne was raised a Christian Scientist, not a Christian.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

The song is about the sham of religion. You can do whatever you want, kill whoever you want, and avoid any punishment by repeating a few lines afterwards.

It's basically pointing out the silliness of a system.

@raingray definitely can see where you are coming from ... I personally never really looked at it in that manner, but each to their own.

@raingray i dont think so

@raingray For me, this interpretation seems to match up the best.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

Someone really needs to revise these lyrics.....Its "Just repeat a couple lines" "Fairweather friend of mine"

@PaperFace He says "lies" 3 times before that line. Is it too hard to believe he's singling Just repeat a lines, and then the second time he says it he drops the N so he sings "Lies" it's clever and the truth. He sings, just repeat an couple lines, LIES, yeah" . And you're right about he fair-weather friends part.

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

There are some mistakes on the lyrics(as usual),these are the correct lyrics:

Sad suffering I knew him when Fairweather friends of mine Trying not to think I merely blink Hope to wish away the lines

I...

Can you protect Me when I'm wrecked I pretend you're still alive

I... Yeah...

I choose the day Warm, damp and gray Thick fog will hide our smiles

Clear all your sins Get born again Just repeat a couple lines

I... Lies...

Yeah

Can you protect Me when I'm wrecked I pretend you're still alive I choose the day Warm, damp and gray Thick fog will hide our smiles

Sad suffering Get born again Sad suffering Get born again Sad suffering Get born again Sad suffering Get born again Sad suffering Get born again Sad suffering Get born again

@Zlpempleh Closer to right, but why the fuck would he start off with , "wish away the lines" how doe that make sense. It's wish away the LIES, THE repeat a couple LINES, then he sings, LIES , Yeah. So it goes Lies, Lies, Lies, Lines, Lies, .

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

Ummm, no. This song is not about Demri, who died in in October of 96 of bacterial endocarditis a heart disease. She did not die from an overdose of any sort. Her drug use, however, did lead to complications with the disease.

Layne wrote Died about Demri, not this song.

You are right. In fact, in a radio interview that the band had done, Layne was asked specifically about the meaning about this song, and he said, "Religious hypocrisy..."

Cover art for Get Born Again lyrics by Alice in Chains

Well, this is interesting song. This is one of the best songs that Layne wrote. This fits right into Layne's fashion. It's a personal favorite of mine, maybe because I have the same view that I take Layne has.

Layne had grown up a Christian, but in his late teens he started to question his faith. Layne was very interested in how religions worked, he seemed they weren't really for the right reasons. He was intrigued by people sending money to churches and the people claiming to possess the power of Christ.

Now, it appears he had faith, he believed in God, but did not have the standard views that you find in most religions. This is where I also stand. It appears he thinks that, God is not the perfect power that people believe.

The song seems to be a slap in the face of 700-club crowd.

Sat suffering, - This is quite literal I knew him when, - Layne saying he was a believer in that past Fair-weather Friend of mine - Saying as things got worse in his life, God was no longer there to help him.

"Try not to think I merely blink Hope to wish away the lies" All of this is straight forward, well maybe. It's mocking church go'ers. People just going to church listening to the sermon, and hoping their lives will change.

"Can you protect Me when I'm wrecked I pretend you're still alive"
This is asking if one can be saved, if he starts following.

I choose the day - Saying he'll choose the day to get born again, for lack of a better term. One deepen grave - Referring to clearing sins, or burying the past. Thick fog to hide our smiles - Referring to masking the true feelings, the things you enjoy that are sinful

"Clear all your sins Get born again Just repeat a couple lines" This second part is a facetious question. Asking all I have to do is say this prayer and I'll be saved?

The ending repeating "Sat Suffering," and "Get Born Again," seems to refer back to the people selling faith. "Are you suffering? Well, GET BORN AGAIN!"

As for the bridge that appears throughout the song "oooh....denied all....and tied all the lies." It appears to be him saying that he did not follow any of the religions, and found HIS truth.

The song is pretty emotional. Layne only spoke once publicly about this song, and that was saying that it was a deeply personal, that he wished not to talk in detail about it.

It seems that Layne spent his adult life searching for his faith. This song seems to be about finding his faith, but not finding it by the “standard” means. It was his way of trying to help people.

I get from the song, Layne saying to search within yourself to find your faith, don’t buy someone else’s. It’s not a easy mindless story or line that someone wrote. Faith is yourself, your feeling, your lifestyle… Now, that is bound to be offensive to people who actively particpate in church services. But, I don’t think was really directed at every church member. It seems to be directed at a select number, the people that try to spread the word, with out spreading the faith (“come join our church and be saved”) and the people that follow them. Those are the people that come believing the chorus, “Clear all your sins Get born again Just repeat a couple lines” If you find your faith in the church and truly follow the teachings, then you have found faith/yourself, but not everyone finds their's that way.

Right on. You have some good points here.

 
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

Ask a question...