Jesus Christ

. I was very surprised to find meaningful lyrics to this song because the band is young. Usually young singers don’t write wise things. The guitar starts with a gentle melody. Then the lyrics begin. The narrator, Jesse Lacey opens himself up as he sings to Jesus. In the first stanza, Lacey speaks adoringly of a pretty face that could bring salvation to him. You then get a little glimpse of how he feels about himself when he says, “If they don’t put me away It’ll be a miracle,” The second stanza explores the isolation and loneliness Lacey feels. He asks Jesus if it is hard sleeping alone every night, being disconnected from other people and the moments they bring. The singer then makes a statement that he will die alone and that even in the afterlife he will be lonely. The mindset here is obviously very depressing and solemn. This person is struggling with what he views as the tragedy of life. This seems to come from a sense of worthlessness and a poor self-image. In the next stanza, Lacey asks Jesus for help. He is afraid of being alone and feels that his life will not change any time soon. But then he begins to sing with confidence and honest curiosity. He claims he is not afraid of death but “of what comes after”. He is asking one of the most common questions in history. All people want to believe in a higher power, a continuity of existence. But for most it is a battle between faith and their confidence in themselves. In the next stanza, Lacey’s mind begins to drift to the dark thoughts that hold him back. He sounds like he is feeling guilty about his life, maybe he feels undeserving. The line, “Because my bright is the slight to hold back all my dark” is evidence that he thinks the bad in him will far overpower the good. The next line, “This ship went down in sight of land” produces the image and feeling of underachieving. The goal was within reach but not obtained. Maybe Lacey is almost good enough, but not quite there. “And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?” I think this is one of the most beautiful lines in the song. Thomas was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. When Jesus was crucified Thomas doubted his ability to rise again. He told the other disciples that he would not believe Jesus was alive until he saw the holes in his hands and his side from the nails and spear. So in this line, Lacey feels like he will not be worthy of getting into heaven and that Doubting Thomas, the guardian of the gates, will not grant him passage. He has not done nearly as much as Jesus. The last stanza brings the self-pity to a climax. Lacey imagines the rapture and Jesus coming back to save man. But he is worried that the mistakes he’s made are too big and the only way he can be forgiven is for Jesus to be crucified again. He warns Jesus not to trust him. The final lines talk about the cross and nails and also how people produce sin and hate in with industrial efficiency. Lacey ends by stating that we all sleep in a machine. We are all dreamers living in our human reality. The song stops for a few seconds then the familiar guitar melody concludes. The moral of this song is to accept life and forgive yourself. Guilt festers and destroys a person from the inside out. Do not hold yourself to immeasurable standards. You also have to let love in. Often when people are in need of something most, they push it out.