I think the general theme is a dig at the Christian god and the believers who devote their lives to him and ask for help but receive nothing. The whole song just sounds like the perspective of a devout, god-fearing person.
The chorus "God only knows how cold it's getting..." is about the belief that god is in control of everything and the people who are cold and starving are the result of that. They fear god though and don't want to curse him or his plans because then they will suffer even more.
I'm curious about the third stanza. It seems that the part about the "good-enough guys" is about people who put all their stock in their beliefs and are content with doing and believing what they are told. The rest of the stanza seems to be saying that god is jealous (demanding a recount) and greedy (pickpocket swatting at your rear). I'm not sure about the titular line.
I love the final part where he starts singing "He's got the whole world in his hands". It's just more about god's design, again from the perspective of a devout believer. The background music adds so much too. It starts soft but slowly grows louder and more driving until it collides with the optimistic (at least they're intended that way) lyrics to a children's song to make an amazingly dark finish.
I think the general theme is a dig at the Christian god and the believers who devote their lives to him and ask for help but receive nothing. The whole song just sounds like the perspective of a devout, god-fearing person.
The chorus "God only knows how cold it's getting..." is about the belief that god is in control of everything and the people who are cold and starving are the result of that. They fear god though and don't want to curse him or his plans because then they will suffer even more.
I'm curious about the third stanza. It seems that the part about the "good-enough guys" is about people who put all their stock in their beliefs and are content with doing and believing what they are told. The rest of the stanza seems to be saying that god is jealous (demanding a recount) and greedy (pickpocket swatting at your rear). I'm not sure about the titular line.
I love the final part where he starts singing "He's got the whole world in his hands". It's just more about god's design, again from the perspective of a devout believer. The background music adds so much too. It starts soft but slowly grows louder and more driving until it collides with the optimistic (at least they're intended that way) lyrics to a children's song to make an amazingly dark finish.