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God's Song Lyrics
Artist: Randy Newman
Album: Sail Away
Cain slew Abel Seth knew not why
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:
"Man means nothing he means less to me
than the lowiliest 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
I recoil in horror from the foulness of thee
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 Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree
The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
They picked their four greatest priests
And they began to speak
They said "Lord the 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 burn down your cities--how blind you must be
I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
You must all be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why i love mankind
You really need me
That's why i love mankind"
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Comments/Interpretations
Spot on ... some of Randy Newman's darkest and most disturbing lyrics ... and that's saying a lot!
Disturbing? I'd say comforting!
Were there a "God", they'd find us ridiculous.
wow that a good song i ever
heard.
lekker
This song one my debate in theology. And got me a standing ovation.
Man toils / the Net spoils.
holy shit. this freaks me out. im a strong believer in christ. randy is one messed up person. what the heck happened to little toy story singer
Wow, seriously scary. Gotta love that Randy Newman.
Newman is a typical anti-theistic, leftist who knows nothing of religion and theology.
People get struck by disasters and they thank god and say it's part of his plan. What nonsense. REalist, you can at least take comfort in Newman assigning a voice (thus an existence) to god and having him say he loves mankind - though his expression of love is idle, toying, and almost contemptuous. This song is pretty much on target, saying religion is a mass delusion built on psychological need.
What happened to the Toy Story singer? Well, this song came out in 1972, and Toy Story was released in 1995.
I'd say he got soft in his old age, if anything.
Hi Realist, now that we evolved a little and know that the sun does not rotate around the earth and that the earth is not a flat disc, lets hope that we will also overcome religion some day. Check George Carlin on you-tube on "religion is bullshit" that opened my eyes.
Yeah, take that. You tell'em perflourpolyether, get your religious stance from a drugged up comedian, that should tell'em, speaks volumes. Biggest grin I've had all day, thanks. ;-D
Pretty much a stand up good song. Spot on in accuracy.
religion is bunk! I dare any "god" to show itself! I dare all gods to strike me dead! PFFFFFFFFFFFFT!!!
see.......
Well said Zinger..
You see, they simply strung up the wrong GUY!! Jesus, though (perhaps) NOT the "son of God", at least had some HUMANITY! But his "Father"? Too chicken to come down and face the music HE made...so cowardly that he had to send his SON to suffer FOR him...Do you ever wonder that Jesus said, "Father, why have you forsaken me?"...Randy Newman, as ALWAYS, got it spot on...and WASN,T afraid to step up to the plate and SAY so!! Bravo!! And if all of the suffering in the world, past and present (think HAITI)is Gods WILL...well, pardon me, but I think that I,ll shop around for a little more compassionate "God"...
that was a great song r0ck on
There's an expression in Brazil - "God writes straight with crooked lines." I think that's the idea Randy is working with here.
Most priests stir up the same ideas when they say something like, "Your child died because God wanted another angel in heaven."
That's total bunk, and conpletely out of harmony with the Bible. You can see why Randy Newman, and so many other people (religious or not) express disappointment with God. God has been totally misrepresented.
@DocHatteras
"God has been totally misrepresented." By whom?
Isn't your god supposed to be omniscient, omnipotent etc, etc?
If he can't have his priests get it right, what hope is there?
I realy like this song
Escuchen la vercion de Etta James, es buenisima.
Blah Blah Blah!
The world would be a better place if every single one of you would just SHUT UP!
ON X-MAS DAY, TUNE INTO
"THE A.L.O.H.A. NETWORK" ON 'YOUTUBE".
I HAVE A LITTLE "GIFT" FOR THE WORLD!
hahahaha you really make me laugh... however, there's no point in explaining things to you.. and mr. Newman got things all wrong xD lolz
I'm pretty sure just about everyone completely missed the point of the song. It was part of his satire "Sail Away" album, its completely tongue in cheek, and if it's making fun of anyone it would be the people who see or want to see God this way so they have something to blame their problems on
We're going to sing this song in a church next month. I'm quite nervous about that...
We know god loves us, he gave us malaria and mosquitoes to transmit it. Also the plague, with rats and fleas to help spread it.
If that aint love, what is?
The truth is religions have little to do with the existence of a creator being. Even if that being is just performing a science experiment for school. There does seem to be a logical structure to the chaos of all that is. We only understand about 4% of the KNOWN matter in the universe. So that could be an infinitely smaller number if and when we discover new types of matter we wont understand.
"im a strong believer in christ" -- then you're a fool.
"randy is one messed up person" -- What, for telling the truth?
"Newman is a typical anti-theistic, leftist who knows nothing of religion and theology. " -- you're a typical right wing sack of authoritarian, ignorant, dumb-as-rocks garbage. Knowing the history of religion and theology is all the more reason to recognize it as bunkum that is the result of human fears and the exploitation of them.
"I'm pretty sure just about everyone completely missed the point of the song" -- pot/kettle/black. "if it's making fun of anyone it would be the people who see or want to see God this way so they have something to blame their problems on" -- you wish. Indeed this song mocks, and the target of that mockery is quite explicit: the notion of a God that loves mankind. Don't forget that "Sail Away" is about the slave trade, something that was often justified by appeal to the bible, which continues to be a source of bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia.
@Chairman
"Blah Blah Blah!
The world would be a better place if every single one of you would just SHUT UP!"
You are seriously mentally ill; I urge you to seek help before you end up like the Columbine kids.
@Hitmouse
"Isn't your god supposed to be omniscient, omnipotent etc, etc?"
Indeed, the stupidity and intellectual dishonesty of believers like DocHatteras is staggering. Their God created the world and is all knowing and all powerful, but can't find a good PR agent! Of course it is quite revealing that, for all information about God, the Christians direct one to a book written thousands of years ago by ignorant nomads and by Roman propagandists faced with Judean rebels, any actual evidence being lacking.
@Harnhold
"get your religious stance from a drugged up comedian"
Carlin only PLAYED at being "drugged up", fool. Yours is a classic ad hominem fallacy -- attack Carlin's personal attributes rather than address what he actually said, to which you have no answer.
This song is just the complete opposite of how God feels about mankind. Jesus said in Luke 12:24-28,
"Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them: how much more are YOU better than the fowls?
And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If you then are unable to do that thing which is least, why take you thought for the rest?
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?"
God wouldn't say that "Man means nothing he means less to me than the lowiliest cactus flower or the humblest yucca tree."
Reply to baseballplayer (7/5/09): Maybe Randy Newman wrote this song to help you feel - just a little bit - how Jesus of Nazareth might have felt about humanity.
Believers aren't thinkers...this song is for thinkers.
I agree with Chairman, people talk so much crap. The main lesson taught to us through the ages, humbleness, wasn't learned, everyone here is a god on its own. Yeah if God exists and he is all knowing, if he kills someone there must be a reason then, now you little god says Why does he kills? I don't like him then, so I'm the new god! Oh little people with big egos. "We know now that earth goes around the sun so we must overcome religion". Oh my God! we barely know the moon next to us....
this same sentiment, and you really have to understand the very last line of the song to get it, was expressed by Rumi 900 years ago. it certainly isn't, as some who comment think, an atheistic song. it is beyond the simplistic believer/non-believer split.
its nice
"get your religious stance from a drugged up comedian"
I take my Truth where ever I find it, and that's certainly NOT yhe Holy Babble!
That's the dumbest song I ever heard.
Obama was right,,you don't read your Bibles..
If we did read them ,we wouldn't have obama.
COOL FINE
No one will ever convince me that what I now have in me is something simple people pretend or "want" so much that we make it real in our own minds. It is so much bigger and more knowing and forgiving and peaceful and powerful than all efforts of humans could ever make it. Good grief. If you haven't asked Him to come inside of you and live, you really do just sound quite ignorant. Don't you all realize He never wanted robots? A planet full of bad choices and evil have brought about horrible things. God can bring us through them, but wants no robots. He won't force it. Belittle God all you want. Denying Him, rant at Him, ignore Him. This does not mean He doesn't exist.
good
My take, and let's face it no one really knows, is that God probably exists but we haven't the foggiest idea what it is. And we never will - at least in this life. But it certainly isn't the fairy tales that Newman is mocking here. Great song from one of the most underrated song writers there is.
I hope Mr. Newman wears his Depends undergarment on judgement day!!!!
Really??? Wearing his depends on judgement day?! At least there is actual evidence that depends exist. I, for one will be more than elated when the day comes that the majority of humans have enough common sense and understanding TO ACTUALLY comprehend that believing in imaginary friends is NOT the same as them actually existing. As the saying goes -and YES THIS IS DIRECTED AT THE ABSURD THEISTS... "I'm fairly certain that if I were to slap the stupid out of you there'd be NOTHING left!"
Well done Randy.
Every single comment seems off and most are extremely hostile. Haha, I'm a Christian and I don't see anything offensive about it. At the end of the day it's all about how you view the song. People see the world different, we just need to accept people for who they are. Again, just my humble opinion.
Dude above me is the shit.
Tracy Nelsons' version of this tune rocks like crazy. Love this song! I sing it in the shower all the time.