Judas

Song MeaningJudas is from the Album "Songs of Faith and Devotion" released in 1993. Since first time heard the song, I understood the meaning and today still attached to my beliefs.

To understand this song you have to understand the social reality back in early 90's.The song was totally wrapped with religious metaphors. This song has nothing to do with religion or Christianity as many people think. You have to understand inside the song who is talking and to whom the words are addressed.

Judas is a humble confession of a terminal contagious illness person (HIV)asking for a cruel proof of pure love.

Now add to this person the blessing of being physically beautiful, and still looking good (like a bad apple, beautiful red outside and rotten inside). Then someone ambitiously interested approach, and with an illness confession try to find out how far the person will go "if you want my love". The person tell and confess how miserably and hard his life turned, or how bad the life for the other person also will be, and if still interested, and true love is behind this to the point of risking his health, then you will have my love .

Also you might be wondering what the metaphoric song tittle "Judas" has to do with this, simple... back to early 90's whoever were ill with hiv/aids avoid to tell their reality, and the bug was spread like a Judas kiss but in bed.

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General CommentThis song makes me laugh every time I hear it.

Martin is the Judas, luring a Vanilla into BDSM. His Vanilla-Luring Style is really quite cute.

"So walk on barefoot for me
Suffer some misery
If you want my love"

"You can fulfill
Your wildest ambitions
And I'm sure you will
Lose your inhibitions
So open yourself for me
Risk your health for me
If you want my love"

In other words, he's telling the little Vanilla that if he/she wants to be loved...then they must take the pain and torture.

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General CommentI don't think the song is so much about "proving your love". I think the speaker is making unreasonable demands for love. Like, "Suffer some misery" and "Risk your health for me...if you want my love".

I also think the lines: "The narrowest path / Is always the holiest" might suggest that limiting yourself and not expanding leads the subject to being "holy". The song appears more sinister than spiritually moving.

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General CommentI think this religious/romantic ambiguity is one of Martin's most distinguishable characteristics.

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General CommentI think that Martin is drawing a parallel between the love of a partner in a relationship and the love for a god/higher being. People are willing to give up all, do anything for, even die for their god, just as people are willing to do the same for someone that they truly love.It's also about proving how much you love someone. If you can do these things for a being that you've never seen, then you can do the same for your significant other.

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General Comment@Gotteskrieger: First off, I highly doubt that the song, "Judas" is anywhere near talking about God. I think it's more about a relationship, but I could be wrong. I just can see DM singing a fully religious song.

Second off, saying that anybody that doesn't care what happens after you die, is stubborn. So you know all of us? I'm Atheist and I can tell you I can honestly die happily without the "Lord". You're the stubborn one with that comment and don't think you have the right to call somebody stubborn because they haven't found the "Lord".

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General CommentIt's Martin responding to himself in "Somebody".

The clue is the heartbeat.

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My InterpretationAttempts to draw a distinction between religious and romantic topics with works by Martin Gore can be a misguided effort: he self-professedly writes songs in a way that blurs the line between the two themes (ie: 'World In My Eyes' according to Gore is a profession that sex and faith are one in the same, that "sex is not a bad thing").

Personally I interpret 'Judas' as an answer from God to Man's prayers, delivered in a way much like a conversation one would have with an unfaithful or troubled lover, someone He loves enough to console lovingly and criticize sarcastically; to offer salvation to, or a solution to his or her problems.

He accusingly and humorously mocks Man's modern ideas and adages:

"Is simplicity best"
Or simply the easiest?

He offers insight:

The narrowest path
Is always the holiest

He offers us the way to achieve His love, or the 'solution' to his lover's romantic problems:

So walk on barefoot for me - Set yourself aside; let go; live selflessly
Suffer some misery - Grow up; lose your naivete
If you want my love

He simplistically and truthfully speaks to ease mankind's constant anxieties and fears (this is a timeless verse in that it will always be applicable to us -- we will always have our mundane, forgettable daily anxieties, be them of dying alone, terrorism, climate change) with His divine insight. He tries to quell his lover's anxieties so she will relax:

Man will survive
The harshest conditions
And stay alive
Through difficult decisions

So that she will have the ability ("You have the ability" - Get Right With Me) to make a decision with a clarity of thought and a strong conviction and accept Him, to go out of her way to be worthy of His love:

So make up your mind for me
Walk the line for me
If you want my love

He criticizes His lover as hypocritical, conniving, unfaithful. He condemns all of mankind like a gilted lover would: You say one thing but do another, you do not keep the promises you make. You are dishonest, selfish, you doubt me.

Idle talk
And hollow promises
Cheating Judases
Doubting Thomases

If you want my love:

Don't just stand there and shout it
Do something about it

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General CommentI love this song. It's really beautiful in all of its aspects, be it the lyrics, the production, the vocals, the melody...

The final line being repeated over and over, "If you want my love", feels like a complete act of desperation. I always felt this song was a demonstration of neediness and lack of self-love, but that might be a reach. The speaker wants unfeasible and hyperbolic acts that could prove his loved one's love for him (like suffering or risking yourself, if you take it literally). But proving your love is not something that is necessary when you're secure about a relationship, which could show that the speaker is insecure. One doesn't need to constantly prove oneself to the other as a way of showing that he/she cares for him. It comes naturally. However, the speaker wants validation in the form of complete devotion.

That's just one interpretation though, I can see many lines meaning different things that could lead to whole other interpretations as we can find in here. And I love this.

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General CommentThis song is AWSOME. It's obvious this song is about proving your love. DM is great!

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