God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) Lyrics
For if the children of Israel were to multiply
Why must any of the children die?
So he asked the Lord
And the Lord said:
Than the lowliest cactus flower
Or the humblest Yucca tree
He chases round this desert
'Cause he thinks that's where I'll be
That's why I love mankind
From the squalor and the filth and the misery
How we laugh up here in heaven at the prayers you offer me
That's why I love mankind
The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
They picked their four greatest priests
And they began to speak
They said, "Lord, a plague is on the world
Lord, no man is free
The temples that we built to you
Have tumbled into the sea
Lord, if you won't take care of us
Won't you please, please let us be?"
And the Lord said
And the Lord said
I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
You all must be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why I love mankind
You really need me
That's why I love mankind
Such a bitter song about religion that asks the universal question of God: Why?
I really love how he makes God a real entity, but at the same time criticizes his existence, or at least his influence on human kind.
Very, very cynical.
It's so extreme it's hard to tell if he's being facetious or not...
That's why I love Randy Newman.
This is not a bitter song, nor a criticism of God, but rather a critique of the unwavering devotion he gets, despite showing no particular devotion in return. The statement is more or less that man needs God to exist, regardless of if he really does.
Randy Newman writes his lyrics differently than most. He seems to pick a particular character or stereotype or in this case, he all mighty, and gets us thinking. God is good and God is great or is he?? Mr Newman has a way of almost poking and prodding the listener for a response and it gets me thinking. What's my feeling, view or opinion on this one? A truly original songwriter.
Newman at his best was diabolically clever. By singing from God’s perspective – and portraying him as having nothing but disregard and contempt for humanity – he sent a much stronger message than he ever could with a straight atheist broadside.