The Absence of God

Part of my rant can be seen in my reply to XianSnake above, but my interpretation of this song, regardless of what she meant when writing it, is that the absence of god DOES bring me comfort. For years I felt bad because I couldn't figure out what religion felt right to me and even with church involvement and religious friends, I could never swallow Christianity or religion in general. Then I started reading and journaling and discovered that there ARE no gods.

But back to the song... to me it reads as some have said above, like an exploration of lifestyles without the presence of religion. Freedom to act in a way that seems sensible to the individual, and freedom to explore other people's beliefs without guilt - "we could be daytime drunks if we wanted to, but we'd never get anything done"; "Rob says..."; "Morgan says..."

"And I say there's trouble, when everything is fine" means that when things are static and unchanging, we are not growing as a people. She feels the need to "destroy" things, to shake them up.

All in all I think this song is about everyone's search for truth and meaning in life, and how they are reflected in society.

this song means so many things "The absence of God will bring you comfort, baby " I believe Jenny is saying that people are living for themselves. People are comforted by the fact that they arent living to impress anybody but themselves.

"And we'd still be ruled by our dueling perspectives And I'm not my perspective Or the lies I'll tell you every time "

Jenny could be saying to a person is defined by their perspective, but she lies about her perspective so the way she is seen is inaccurate.

Also, obviously from the titel, she is saying there is an absence of god. "And Mike I'll teach you how to swim If you turn the bad in me into good again " she is asking mike to help her become a good person as opposed to asking god.

so much to say about this song. i love it.

Anyone know the meaning behind "you're not happy but you're funny, and i'm tripping over my joy?" I can relate to it personally...one of my best friends is depressed but has the greatest sense of humor I've ever encountered, and has made me about the happiest person in the world. But I'm puzzled as to what it means in relation to the song.

And I say there's trouble When everything is fine The need to destroy things Creeps up on me every time ...so true

amazing...that's all I can say

on light inspection, I would say that this song explains that without the idea of some omnipotent, objective being watching our actions here on earth, we don't feel guilty for the stupid, mean, and wasteful things we do. it's the same idea behind the concept that if our actions aren't remembered, they are meaningless. this is the atheist's one saving grace. while the religeous person has the advantage of 'knowing' that they have life after death, and an absolute scale of good and evil, the atheist has the wondeful advantage of 'knowing' that none of their actions mean shit, and as long as none of it bites them in the ass before they die, they are ok.

And Morgan says, maybe love won't let you down All of your failures are training grounds And just as your back's turned you'll be surprised she says As your solitude subsides

I love that line. it gives me chills everytime i hear it. Every failure i've made i've learned from it and as i look back on it, it wasn't such a big deal after all.

coming from a recovering drug addicts perspective, she says, "I am not my body, or how I choose to destroy it," I think she's basically saying that only you are truly responsible for what you do. Nobody can make excuses and blame anyone else, because in the end all you have is you. You can think your way out of anything, and this song chronicles the thought processes of someone who realizes this.

I love when she's singing about Rob, who seems lonely yet hopeful about love. The whole song is just very well-written and beautiful.

Does anyone know what religion they are?