Fed to Death

There was a man from Allentown who fed his son to death. He calmly watched him gorge himself until his final breath. And there he stood, surprised and shocked above his tiny frame. He said, "I bear no blame for this. I only share his name!"

This part of the song is not a metaphor; it is a symbol. The title of the song is “Fed To Death.” The first image I get from that is the scene in Se7en where a gluttonous man is literally fed to death by the killer. But the deeper connotation is also one of gluttony in its modern guise: consumerism, and its damaging effects. Do we want too much? Do we have too much?

The “man from Allentown” is, by Bemis’s own admitting, unable to take responsibility for his actions. He assumes that a young child can assume responsibility for his own actions, volition, and faculties; obviously, that isn’t the case. Parents and dog owners are responsible for keeping their kids and dogs from eating too much: “No, you can’t have another slice.” (My wife has a great theory that kids are dogs, but that’s another story.)

Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, so it’s a relevant and timely way of showing how some people are incapable of taking responsibility for their actions. The father is to blame.

There was a man from Nazareth

That is, Jesus, the principle deity of Roman Catholicism, and the only deity of Protestant Christianity. Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teachings are laid out in the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible, otherwise known as the Gospels. Of course, these documents are probably historically dubious, but rest assured that the historical Jesus lived from around the year zero through to 33 A.D., whereupon he was crucified by the Roman Empire. Some Jews accepted Jesus as the Messiah, that is, the man who was supposed to liberate Israel from bondage. Those Jews became today’s Christians.

Max Bemis is Jewish, but his Judaism is not a particularly Orthodox one. I’m reminded of Regina Spektor’s quote, “If Judaism is a plate of food, I’m a picky eater.” He draws on themes from many religions in his songs.

The fools at war pervert.

Jesus was a pacifist and taught to follow peace, so the fact that numerous wars have been fought in his name is, indeed, perverse, and very ironic–we all know how Max feels about irony (“Go choke on your irony,” “I can’t define myself through irony,” etc.), and here he’s saying that Jesus’ teaching have been corrupted through their use in war. Recently, it was revealed that official Department of Defense memos had Bible quotes on their covers during the early Iraq War/”War Against Terror.”

They forged an image of his flesh

Jesus was a Palestinian Jew, but has been portrayed as being white, even with blonde hair and blue eyes, through the ages. Max talks about this in another song, “Died A Jew” (Jesus died a Jew/Pupils painted blue).

to brand on mugs and t-shirts.

Again, he’s dissing consumerism; something of utmost spiritual meaning to millions (billions, actually) is cheapened for use on coffee mugs and t-shirts. The ironic “Jesus Is My Homeboy” shirts come to mind.

They say one day he'll spring to life, to smile and clear your name.

Christians believe that all mankind is born with sin (original sin) because Adam, the first man, ate of the forbidden tree, but that Jesus died for their sins, and that to believe in Jesus is the path to Heaven. Jews are fuzzier on the concept of the afterlife, but believe that sin is not something we’re born with, but just something that happens: something that you must atone for by doing good works. (For more, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqj8JToKggI). There’s a story about Adam in the Jewish Zohar:

"No one departs from the world without first seeing Adam, who asks him why he is leaving the world and how he is exiting. [The one dying] replies, 'Woe to you! On account of you, I am leaving the world.' [Adam] responds, 'My son, I violated one command and was punished for it. Look at all your sins! Look how many of your Lord's commands you have violated!'"

The point is, no one’s going to die for your sins, because you’re to blame for your sins, and no one else is (as Patti Smith put it, “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” We are all the father with the gorged kid in this scenario. Jesus is just too easy for Max.

So nail yourself up on the cross and hang your head in shame forever.

That is, be ashamed that you thought you could just wish away your sin like that.

This is forever.

And you should stop treating life like it's a joke, because it's serious, it's all you've got. Now, whether he means, "This is the only life you get, forever," or "Life will last forever (i.e. eternally)," is up for debate. Please, debate!