God Is In The Radio Lyrics
This song has layers.
-
The intro to the song (found at the end of the preceding track) uses clips from southern religious radio stations to indicate to the listener that this song is supposed to represent Christian rock music in the concept album that is Songs for the Deaf. Accordingly, "God is in the Radio" is a sort of secular hymn- but a very dark one.
-
It was very popular in the '60s and '70s for fundamentalists to claim that "the devil is in the radio" (or something along those lines). They would also falsely accuse musicians of hiding backmasked messages in their music. This song reverses that, saying that God is in the radio, not the devil, and it has a legitimate backmasked message in it during the bridge.
-
"The devil is paranoid" - the people who think rock has a satanic message are paranoid. Again, it's reversed- /they/'re the devil in this song. The music is 'God.'
-
"A trance is keeping him under... just repeating the slogan." The true message of God/Music is suppressed and censored by various people who have something to gain from misleading people. This can refer to both televangelists and greedy record labels, for whom Money is God. Look at a pop star like, say, Kesha, who claims to speak for the outcasts and weirdos but was obviously just manufactured by her label... it's that sort of thing this line is talking about, I think. She has power over thousands of people, but uses it to keep repeating the meaningless slogan.
-
"Come back another day and do no wrong." This basically means, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Another Biblical reference.
-
"I know you hear it, I hear it too, it's everywhere that I go." Once you realize just how much power the general media have over us- and how they could easily just feed us lies if they wanted to- you can't stop noticing it everywhere. It's like how, when you first here a song on the radio that's been autotuned very subtlely and identify it as autotuned, you start hearing it in other songs that have tried to hide it. Once you've started you can't stop.
This also can be interpreted as your individual self talking to your spiritual self.
This also can be interpreted as your individual self talking to your spiritual self.
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
What's he trying to say?
What's he trying to say?
correction: THOU
correction: THOU
“I’m right behind you, watching you. Look over your left shoulder, the bottom window. I’m in Eric’s Room You’re inside my hands.”
That's what the backmasked whispering sounds like to me.
no one has commented on this yet? this is one of their top songs if you ask me. its gotta be about how people these days seem praise the pop culture that is on the radio these and will listen to whatever they are told by the mainstream music stations. lines like "i know you hear it, i hear it too, its everywhere that i go" you cant seem to escape the "popular" song of a time. no matter what you'll hear it cuz its so over played. "you come back another day, and do no wrong" because some of these artists get that one hit song that may be good, and from there they just let go, and start mass producing garbage music just because they know they can get away with it and make money. definitely a great song musically and lyrically
"They say the devil is paranoid " is a great line, particularly if the backwards message is "looking over my shoulder", because traditionally, backwards masking on albums is said to be a "message from the devil", where as here- they build on his paranoia, making him say he is looking over his shoulder. its great.
I don't believe it's as straight forward as "Religious Radio", with intelligent artists it never is.
I think it's just influences from the media, and how we eat from their palms. They have us wrapped around their little fingers, in face... We believe everything they say.
Just like religious people do with their gods.
Tadah
What's funny is how explicit the message of this song is, and you guys still don't get it. Irony.
"A trance is keeping (you) under" "A narcotic from me to you Just a caught in the medium"
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
What's he trying to say?
What's he trying to say?
He's bragging about trancing his audience.
He's bragging about trancing his audience.
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
Maybe Josh Homme worships the devil.
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
At one point in the album the radio says "God told me so to my face...though cannot be saved."
What's he trying to say?
What's he trying to say?
THOU ... not though
THOU ... not though
Superficially, it could be about the frequent religious broadcasts on AM radio every Sunday Morning. Not only does the song's intro demonstrate this, but it basically consists almost exclusively of stereotypical Southern Preacher-type broadcasts and church songs. Although, going a little deeper, it could be a metaphor for the control the media seems to have over what goes on the radio (they're basically "God", choosing only to play the songs and bands they consider appropriate, and there's nothing we can do about it because our communication with these people is ultimately limited to what we hear on the radio). It could even be Queens Of The Stone Age venting a little over the fact that, at the time, they were probably getting less radio play than they would've liked.
But I also believe the song's intended to create a strong image in your mind. An image of a higher spiritual being (God) slowly tuning a giant shortwave radio. Hence its haunting-yet-grandiose sound. It's really a song that's probably more meant to be experienced than analyzed.
Amazing song..
Anyway; I think this song is about so-called 'Hive-mindedness'. How people are told what to do by society - down to what music you listen to.
"I thought I saw him on the video - the trance is keeping him under" Messages and such on TV, telling us what to buy, or do.
"Y'come back, another day, and do no wrong." The message society is trying to give you. Do it our way, full stop, kinda idea.
Couldn't this song mean, quite simply, the spiritual powers that be are lurking all around us? "In The Radio" could imply we're listening for them (we go to church), and although we think we can hear them (we think we understand how the universe operates), the reality is that they're listening to us, omnisciently and inconsequentially (nothing we do changes this or absolves us)?
Couldn't this song mean, quite simply, the spiritual powers that be are lurking all around us? "In The Radio" could imply we're listening for them (we go to church), and although we think we can hear them (we think we understand how the universe operates), the reality is that they're listening to us, omnisciently and inconsequentially (nothing we do changes this or absolves us)?
The chorus is driving home the idea that we all sin, not all of us repent, and many of us who do repent say we've learned from our mistakes when we go right out...
The chorus is driving home the idea that we all sin, not all of us repent, and many of us who do repent say we've learned from our mistakes when we go right out and repeat those sins. We suffer from the delusion that we've fooled god, that we are cleansed of our misgivings, when in fact even our tiniest flaws are glaring red flags in the yes of a god we can't begin to comprehend.
The notion of god could also be stretched to fit any authority figure, or even an equal (a mistreated friend or lover perhaps). I think the most significant concept of this song is that of sin.
here is what he is whispering boys and girls:
"Sad. I'm right behind you watching you, Look over your left shoulder with paranoia would you? I'm really hurting for it, Your inside of my hands, my hands"
you can find it on youtube played backwards and amplified, but the guy who made the vid is wrong on what he is saying. you have to just listen to it for yourself.
Phwoar! this song is damn good, like slacker said, both musically and lyrically, like the whole album. Someone told me the other day that if you listen to the end of this track backwards, there's actually a hidden message there..i haven't had a chance to give it a whirl yet, but if someone knows what it is, let me know!!