With God on Our Side

This songs about how people blindly go to war thinking that its for a good reason (country and religion.) They don't even know what they're fighting for. Plus, everything thinks God is on their side.

guys, come on now, hello? i think we're forgetting that this song was written in the sixties, the point wasn't to be historically fair or even accurate, but to make a point of protestation about what was happening at the time the song was written. to call dylan ignorant is grossly irrational because dylan was not an objective historian, he was a FOLK SINGER IN THE SIXTIES!!!! with a gift for getting a story told and a point across and setting it to music. talk to some people who were in college in the sixties, it was a different time.

dylan's point about russia and germany is not a commentary on the facts surrounding world war II and the tragedies that occured, but about the nature of politics and the quick shifting of loyalties and how history is told from the perspective of the victors etc etc, if you're focusing in on that one detail you're not seeing the brilliant, ironic forest for the trees.

the 1964 live version with joan baez and dylan is the best by far.

this is the song that plays in my head everytime george w bush goes into one of his good vs evil diatribes to justify more murder.

i think god prefers an athiest

I will, if I may. You're totally missing the point. And, at this point, you already know that. Dylan doesn't even criticize the Germans What he does criticize is the double-standard that led the public opinion to change the way they feel about them once their leaders tell them to do so. Of course, forgetting whatever principals that might have led them to feel either way. You already know what we all mean, so stop tryin' to pick a cheap fight. It's very easy. It's not about Jews being victims, or Commies innocent, or Germans being the bad guys. It's all about how easily Americans buy the oficial version of the story, and how distracted they are about the obvious truth: War-Bad Killing-Bad Going to war to kill in the name of any God-Bad God-Good DJacques75-Good DJacques75 listening and enjoying a beautifull Dylan song-Good DJacques75 getting lost in the way of petty different versions of "the truth" and totally missing the point-Bad

Actually, just a minor correction. The Nazis were actually very intolerant christians. Hitler himself was a devout christian who led thousands to believe that Jews were evil based on the bible. However, the anti-semitism has always been present in Europe and probably always will be. Even before the middle ages, Jews were persecuted. So Hitler and his regime were simply a culmination of all the hatred over the centuries. It was horrible and sick and wrong, all done in the sake of christianity

I can't believe that anyone would get bogged down in the semantics of Holocaust death figures... A LOT OF PEOPLE DIED... the song attacks the contradictions and double standards set when the winners write the history books and when war is given false justification to placate the masses

DJacques, the reason he references the holocaust is because it was a GENOCIDE! 20 million died in russia however that was due to selfishness, not the attempted extermination of an entire race and RELIGION (in case you had forgotten the song is about religion). He is commenting on the Christian docterine of repentance and forgiving - the Nazis denounced Christianity and commit crimes against humanity but Germany was instantly forgiven by the pope post 1945. And that aside, as many have pointed out to you, the song was written in 1964, a time when the true facts about Soviet crimes were held by the Soviets and the Soviets alone. In the Soviet verse he is not talking about the Soviets crimes, he is talking about the American/fundemental Christian attitude that 'God hates communism'.

Oh and by the way DJacques,

"That Dylan (and, evidently, you) only see Jewish deaths as worthy of recognition says quite a bit about how the American media is stacked"

• I would prefer if you kept you small-minded anti-semitic views out of the discussion

Dylan is a genius, there's no disputing that. But this song really makes a lot of sense, and it's easy to see that it's always been controversial. But the point is that God is not to be used to defend or justify war.

Smile, be happy, thank God you're alive, suck it up, and love everyone.

:)

I don't see how anyone could be confused by this.

Humans have gotten used to the idea of gods, and the people who are in power convince the masses that the Easter Bunny (God, Zeus, Spaghetti Monster, call him whatever you want) would approve of the torture and murdering of millions of people all in the name of the greater good which is their religion.

In my opinion religion is the one flaw in the evolution of man, and it will be the death of us all.

Of course, advances in science could also wipe us out (and obviously have already to a certain extent), but I sincerely believe that "sheeple" blindly growing into who they are based on religion is much more harmful than people actually concerned with finding out what's really going on, and not just blindly accepting fairy tales as fact to explain life's mysteries.

trousers@verizon.net, let me know if I pissed you off or if I made any sense to anyone

If your god helps you get through your day, more power to you, but I believe that if you had never heard of "god" that something else in your life would help you day to day in the exact same way (perhaps helping those close to you for the sole reason of it being the RIGHT THING TO DO). And I truly believe the negative effects of religion far outweigh the good, on a global and historical scale at least.

I hate to be so anti religious, but I sincerely think the time has come for this nonsense to stop and for people to think for themselves. Stop Brainwashing Kids.

I think God prefers people not to invoke His name in accomplishing what is antithetical to life. Man oh man, I love the Jesus/Judas Iscariot verse. Buy Bootleg Vol. 6 (it's a live 1964 show in NYC). You get to hear Bob and Joan Baez sing an awesome rendition of this song.