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God Song Lyrics
And did those feet in ancient times
Trod on America's pastures of green?
And did that anthropocentric god
Wane with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen?
I don't think so, he's up there with the others laying low,
Vying with those, who you've traded your life to to bless your soul,
Have they told you how to think,
Cleansed your mind of sepsis and autonomy?
Or have you escaped from scrutiny,
And regaled yourself with depravity?
Now we all see, 'Religion is just synthetic frippery,
Unnecessary in our expanding global culture of efficiency'
Now we all fear this impasse we have built to our future (ever so near),
Ever so near, and oh so austere
Trod on America's pastures of green?
And did that anthropocentric god
Wane with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen?
Vying with those, who you've traded your life to to bless your soul,
Cleansed your mind of sepsis and autonomy?
Or have you escaped from scrutiny,
And regaled yourself with depravity?
Unnecessary in our expanding global culture of efficiency'
Ever so near, and oh so austere
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And did those feet in ancient times tread on America's pasture of green? And did that anthropocentric god wane with the thoughts and beliefs all unseen?
The inicial lyrics are a reference to a religious british poem, by William Blake: And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen?
Thats a very clever reference by G Graffin that shows all his knowledge and capacity as a songwritter.
Like blakes poem is a religious anthem, God Song should be an atheist.
Actually, I think it's a song about agnosticism. I mean, the way he sings "Uneccesary, In our expanding global cultural efficiency" is very sarcastic.
actually its quite literal.
actually its quite literal.
Like a lot of BR songs, it's about the struggle between thinking for yourself and believing what society pushes on you.
lol, how the fuck do you get "Buying windows, but you traded your life to bless his soul."? That doesn't even make sense. The line is "vying with those who you've traded your life to to bless your soul."
"And have they told you how to think, cleansed your mind of sepsis and autonomy, or have you escaped from scrutiny, and regaled yourself with depravity?"
Those lines are some of the best that Bad Religion has written in my opinion. The idea is that you either conform to religion and give up your autonomy or do not conform to religion and therefore lead a depraved life. These are the only two options for humanity that religious people see, they believe that it is impossible to lead a non-depraved life without God.
Agreed. Some of their best lyrics.
Agreed. Some of their best lyrics.
Also, the line is "religion is synthetic frippery". "Flippery" is not a word.
Also, the line is "religion is synthetic frippery". "Flippery" is not a word.
He is a fool who in his heart believes there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, they do no good. Psalm 14-1. It rather amuses me that the unbeliever can't see beyond the end of their "free thinking" nose. A society based in the morals of anything other than the one true God WILL always end up in chaos. For example lets look at some of those atheist societies. 1 Stalinist Russia 40 million executed by the State,2 Mao"s China 70 million killed by the State. The USA 150 million killed at...
He is a fool who in his heart believes there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, they do no good. Psalm 14-1. It rather amuses me that the unbeliever can't see beyond the end of their "free thinking" nose. A society based in the morals of anything other than the one true God WILL always end up in chaos. For example lets look at some of those atheist societies. 1 Stalinist Russia 40 million executed by the State,2 Mao"s China 70 million killed by the State. The USA 150 million killed at the alter of a "woman's right to choose". Lets take a venture into Eugenics also 150 thousand black men sterilized by the state. Yeah atheism is really moral. Bunch of toe the Bad Religion line Clone Tards.
This is my favorite BR song even after Along the Way (which is seemingly totally worth mentioning)
I think it's obvious what it's about. I just wanted to have a say though. Support, if you will.
Bad Religion songs that seem to speak about religion in blasphemous ways such as this one usually belie their true meaning .. NOT religion-bashing per se but conformity-bashing.
Consider "American Jesus" which if you take it at face value, the song blames Jesus for creating the KKK, nuclear bombs etc. The give-away lyric is "and I'm fearful that he's inside me". Bad Religion is comprised of a lapsed Catholic (Brett Gurewitz, I think) and several agnostic atheists, so it wouldn't make sense for Jesus to be inside them in a psychic/spiritual sense, right?
Same thing goes here. This song calls itself "god song" but it isn't about God. It's about government. Reference the song on Suffer "Voice of God Is Government".
Consider that the song references an English poem that references a popular superstition that Jesus visited England and bestowed his authority on the British monarchy. Where did America get its form of government? --- from Britain.
Here's the giveaway lyric: "anthropocentric god" - a god who places man at the center of its universe. Anthropocentric doesn't mean human-created, but human-centered. This god isn't Yahweh (hebrew Bible) or Jesus (new testament). Both of them may well have been created by man, but they certainly came up with a lot of rules that aren't well accommodating of human needs and realities, so neither Yahweh nor Jesus is an anthropocentric god.
In the second to last lyric, replace "religion" with "nationalism" or "patriotism" and you start to get the bigger picture.
In the final lyric, governement is described as a god and "austere" (stern, plain, forebidding) and an impasse to the future evolution of mankind.
Beautiful song! As poker cheater said, this really feels like the Atheist's anthem (and probably should be). The beginnig shows believing that God does not exist. As Jay Fiedler said, the next is the problems Atheists face in society where they are seen as deprave and immoral (not as much now, but still). And lastly, the Atheist belief that God is unecessary to the world.
ha. yea this is just a basic "in your face" to religion and its followers. its not deragatory or attacking; more than than just its just not neccissary; a distraction; leech; no need. to be disregarded...
dismantled.
which probly royally pisses off the believers
not quite the song as straight edge by NOFX but the next best thing :)
Spoken as a true Neo Darwinian atheist, If it weren't so dangerous. I mean that in the terms of No morality or basis of ethics, no free will. Even when atheists unknowingly follow God's laws their lives are fine. It's the result of powerful people using those ideas. Stalin 40 million executed, Mao Tse Tung approx 70 million. Little stuff like that.