Made Too Pretty

in the booklet instead of "how'd the pretty man get so ugly" it says "jesushow'dyougetsougly"

it's about humans seeing God in themselves (because we were made in his image) and thinking it's our own doing. the meaning of pretty could just as well be physical beauty as our actions. Good exists because God exists, not because we create it. Humans aren't original enough to come up with "good" by themselves.

"And if we are the body, how'd the pretty man get so ugly? How'd he get all these spaces between each limb?"

I feel certain he is talking about how as Christians we are the body of Christ, the "spaces" are the great division we've caused between ourselves with so many denominations and the contempt we hold for people who don't perhaps believe exactly as we do. ultimately there is only one gospel, and if we agree on that, then we are a part of His "body." the church. I think that's what this song is about as a whole. I agree with a lot of the other comments, but I think he is really just addressing the church as a whole; so it should be read as such, duality in the "I" and the "we" singularly referring to the whole of the body of Christ. again, my case is reinforced by the "jesushow'dyougetsougly" because WE ARE THE BODY, so people judge who Jesus is, by what they see in us. it's such a cool concept

"how'd A pretty man get so ugly?"

Instead of "...THE pretty man"

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this song, this is how I interpret the verses that I don't fully understand. "I think we were made too pretty" represents how we are made in God's image but "We're caught up in a stare we cannot break" because we only see ourselves and personally take credit for the good that we see.

I believe the line about "I think we've become too petty" is pointing out the obvious, that what we care about — ourselves and our own pride — is of little importance.

"We know nothing changes too slowly." I feel like this could be several things, it could be referencing how long it took for change to happen, specifically in the Old Testament(?), but also how in those times, and in the modern church, God can bring instant change, change that we cannot control nor anticipate, many times this change starts in the heart of one person and spreads.

"And someday I might come down, oh, I don't wanna come down." I believe this is about how selfish and prideful we are. Being — at the top — is referenced in the song Petty on the new album, which is clearly about pride. Also, their first album, Son I Loved You at Your Darkest, is where they first referenced this concept in the song Love Jealous One, Love, TJ screams "looking down from my tower to heaven" which is directly referencing the Tower of Babble.

And finally, "Yeah, show us that we don't see it" is a cry for help, that our selfish stare be broken. "We know nothing changes too slowly", I believe Cody is admitting that God can change us him(us) any time, and he desires this change more than anything.

Feel free to disagree with me or clarify anything ...

"you are something that your not." --> you are something that YOU'RE not.

"I think we were made too pretty. We're caught up in a stare we cannot break." We're too selfish and only think about ourselves.

"We know nothing changes too slowly."

I think that "we know nothing changes too slowly" might relate to our selfishness. For example, there's so many problems out there that society can help out with but many people think to themselves, "Oh it's not as bad as they say it is. I'll help when something bad actually happens." so we start thinking that nothing is ever as bad as people make it seem and it's happening so slowly in our minds that to us it never really happens so we keep making time for ourselves instead of making time to help others.

"Someday we might come down, but whose to really say?" There's still hope that one day we will realize what selfish people we've become but at the rate it's going, whose to really say that it'll ever happen.

"And if we are the body, how'd the pretty man get so ugly? How'd he get all these spaces between each limb?" If we were made after the image of God, how is it possible that we became the selfish sinners we are now. My guess for "all these spaces between each limb" is a reference to the human body to show that we're still human and not equal to God. (limbs make up part of the body)

"And if there is one thing bigger than my head, that's the distance I've been mislead." People who are self-centered are called big-headed. I'm not sure about the rest.

We don't want a God we don't see in ourselves don't see we're in need. We don't want a God we don't see in ourselves don't see we're in need.

I think we were made too pretty. We're caught up in a stare and we can't break. I think we were made too pretty. Yeah, show us that we don't see it. We don't see it.

We know nothing changes too slowly.

the one part is 'we don't want a god we don't see in ourselves don't see we're in need' it goes more along the lines of pride and how christians are the body of Christ but only care about themselves.

in the first verse it should be "gods" with a lowercase "g"

To me, part of the song is referencing the Church...

"If we are the body, how'd the pretty man get so ugly?"
-If Christ is perfect, then pretty could be an adjective to describe Him. Yet look at how modern Christianity and the Church reflect Christ. The church has become politicized, and missed the concept of love that Christ stood for. We are making Him ugly to the world.

"How'd He get all these spaces between each limb?" -Again, the Church. The Church is an a state of disunity. Denominations fight other denominations, and there is constant infighting. If we are the body, then the limbs would be spread apart, with distance between each limb (the Church). Instead of a unified body, as a body is supposed to be, the Church is distant and ignorant of its own mission.

I bought this CD, in the lyrics book, it instead of the line

"And if we are the body, how'd the pretty man get so ugly?"

it says

"if we are the body jesushow'dyougetsoulgy"

written exactly like that, even though he clearly says the first line in the song. I thought this was rather interesting.