Lyrics for Dear God as interpreted by Motor27

Dear God Lyrics
Dear God,
Hope you got the letter and
I pray you can make it better down here.
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer
But all the people that you made in your image,
See them starving on their feet
'Cause they don't get enough to eat
From God
I can't believe in you.
Dear God,
Sorry to disturb you, but
I feel that I should be heard loud and clear.
We all need a big reduction in the amount of tears
And all the people that you made in your image,
See them fighting in the street
'Cause they can't make opinions meet
About God,
I can't believe in you.
Did you make disease, and the diamond blue?
Did you make mankind after we made you?
And the devil too?!
Dear God,
Don't know if you noticed, but...
Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book,
Us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look,
And all the people that you made in your image,
Still believing that junk is true
Well I know it ain't, and so do you
Dear God,
I can't believe in...
I don't believe in...
I won't believe in heaven and hell.
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well.
No pearly gates, no thorny crown.
You're always letting us humans down.
The wars you bring, the babes you drown.
Those lost at sea and never found,
And it's the same the whole world 'round.
The hurt I see helps to compound
That Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Is just somebody's unholy hoax
And if you're up there you'd perceive
That my heart's here upon my sleeve.
If there's one thing I don't believe in.....
It's you.....
Dear God.

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kaisute
06-09-2002

Rated 0 
This whole song is great, pretty self explanitory as to what it means.

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Plastic_hero
07-23-2002

Rated 0 
yah :)

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Nilgun
08-04-2002

Rated -1 
No it isn't....it's ironic. The song is about the songwriters struggle with his faith. It's ironic. He says he doesn't believe in God but the song is being sung to God, therefore he must believe in God. It examines the conflict and questions that exist when you believe in something not based on fact or proof such as God and how God could let such horrible things happen.

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Oooska
08-27-2002

Rated -1 
Nilgun, I believe you're looking to much into the song being "sung to God".

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bandaid
09-03-2002

Rated 0 
he could just be singing it to "God" so that he deosnt really have to directly name anyone who he may be actually singing it to.. but hey i could be wrong..

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dag88
09-17-2002

Rated -1 
Nilgun is right. It's a letter addressed to God. He can't write a letter to someone he doesn't believe in. He believes God is something totally different than religion has percieved him to be and is wondering why God can't solve the problem. Maybe he is incapable.

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1 Reply
kenf62
03-13-2003

Rated 0 
I'm not sure whether Andy Partridge believes in God. However, XTC did another song after this called "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead;" the main character in it bears a strong resemblance to Jesus. Who knows? Maybe Andy justs wants us all to think about this stuff more.

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diogo
03-17-2003

Rated +1 
I think that he does WANT to believe in god, thats why he adressess the letter do Him, but he just can't believe in God, because of such things the song tells us about. That's why he says "I can't believe in you". It's not irony, its just a state of disbelief.

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xslicexpaperxwristx
03-24-2003

Rated 0 
shooty's groove does a really good cover of this song

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BloodLust
04-05-2003

Rated 0 
He just saying that this god he must have believed in at one point had let him down. and they he my not belive in the bible god or the god that humans have created but he believes in something.

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green_highlighter
04-23-2003

Rated 0 
I agree with diogo, its not the he thinks god isnt real, its just hard for him to believe that he is, because he looks at the state the world is in. Although he wants to have faith, he just can't.

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l0ki86
05-02-2004

Rated 0 
I once saw Andy in an interview and he stated the band was atheist or atleast he was, listen to Smartest Monkeys he talks about Adam and Even not happening but anyways. I agree its not clear if the kid in the song does/does not beleive in god, but its easy to see he doubts god. Since Andy is atheist could this not be why he became an atheist, andy as young child. Either way i love the song, and its very true. It is why i became atheist. Not the song but the reasons he pints out, why i could see the kid being atheist.

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Pilk
05-31-2004

Rated 0 
i think it's about having believed in god, but after thinking about it all instead of just accepting it blindly, he couldn't believe anymore.

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EnidCaulfield
06-05-2004

Rated +5 
Andy is a militant atheist. It's amazing how people see what they want want to, no matter how clear the message is. The idea that he must believe in god because it's addressed to god is just silly. It's a lyrical device...take a literature course. For those who refuse to see the song for what it is and how it was meant, here is a quote from Andy about the song:

"it [Dear God] failed in part, because it wasn't as caustic as I would've liked it to be. It should've been a nail in throat of the public, but instead some took it as a declaration of faith when I wanted to make it clear that I don't believe in God - and that even if there is a He or a She they have nothing to do with organized religion."

Just watch the video for Dear God. Andy is attacking the massive twisted tree (religion) that people are desperately clinging to, which is exactly what he is doing in the lyrics. I really don't see how he could be any clearer.

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1 Reply
6th_sadistic_sniper
09-28-2004

Rated 0 
Yeah, exactly. He doesn't believe in god and never has. The line "did you mankind after we made you" explains that pretty clearly.

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padrepavlov
11-23-2004

Rated 0 
I think if anyone wants to get a handle on what Andy 'believes in', they should listen to Season Cycle. He seems much more in awe of and impressed by the wonders of our natural world than in any man-made concept of a 'greater being'.... but then as an intelligent guy how could he see things any other way?

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MarcelDwayne
12-14-2004

Rated 0 
i think that most of u are missing the beautiful truth in this song.

Dear god, is meant to be Dear nothing. this poem isnt meant for any "god" or religion it is just him speaking to the random of our universe. Speaking to the nothing which has created us.

for if god doesnt "hear us" then we are speaking to nothing. we invented god as a larger imaginary friend, which most humans are too weak to live without.

to anyone who has come to this songs meaning, and is an atheist or maybe looking into atheism. i sincerely recommend TOOL!! they convey the atheist philosophy so well that actual Phd. proffesors refer to maynards lyrics as substantial philosophical ideas of our time.

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UglinessMan
01-10-2005

Rated 0 
Once again, another thread has fell victim to the old "right" and "wrong" trap. The form says "what does this song mean to you?" not "what is the only way this song could possibly be interpreted?" The songwriter has explained his meaning behind the song, that much has been made clear by a few of the contributors here. That doesn't make alternate theories "wrong", it's about our personal interps. Here's what the song is saying to me:

Dear God, I know you're up there, or out there, or there somewhere. Things I see and experience all the time indicate that there's something there, some "higher power", but every religion I've encountered has turned you into a cartoon character, an invisible man in the sky with the face of Ted Nugent and the powers of Santa Claus. I can't believe in you, at least not the version of you that I've been spoon-fed. These silly humans handed me this book and said that you wrote it, but so many things that the book claims you said just don't sound like what you'd really say. Heck some of the things this book claims you said flat out contradict other things it claims you also said. If I'm supposed to believe that you just made me, the world, everything, from dust, or from nothingness, doesn't that mean I have to believe that you also created hate and disease and discontent? It would all be so easy if you'd just come down and give us some plain answers instead of wrapping everything in mystery and myth. I don't know what I believe, but I'm starting to figure out what I don't believe.

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1 Reply
fakegiggle
02-08-2005

Rated 0 
The 'dear god' constantly portrayed in the lyrics is a satire.

Great song.

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zenwizard
02-27-2005

Rated -1 
To Me, this song is very sad. It is sad because of the letter writer's ignorance. He thinks of God as some kind of cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button and have all our problems solved. The letter writer acts like a spoiled kid and thinks God should fix mankind's screwups just like his mommy and daddy fixed all his. He looks 100% at what God doesn't do and dismisses the things that God does do. For instance, the gift of freewill.

I love this song. But TO ME it is sad because of this. But that is why I like it, I guess.

BTW - Tool are not aetheists, they are just anti Christian.

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fatcatx2l
03-16-2005

Rated 0 
Well, I'm guessing the reason the kid is singing at the beginning is because he's acting like a kid.

This was a good song to me, even if I am a mormon, the song is still well written, lyrics and all.

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zeppelinfreak
03-16-2005

Rated 0 
This is a great song...I identify with it a lot...I went through a tough point with religion...this song embodies exactly what I was thinking. Genius.

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jrprentice11
03-29-2005

Rated 0 
I agree with zenwizard''s view of the song.

We never read the Bible, we never pray, we don''t believe in the amazing grace Christ gives, but
when something bad happens, let''s call the Almighty
in to the defense stand...surely he owes us an explanation as to why things don''t always go our way

What about personal responsibility?What about God''s use of tragedy to bring mercy and enlightenment?

I in no way minimize the pain and suffering of the world. It is very real. But there is hope, and there is strength, if we''ve got the guts to try, as Rich Mullins would say....

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boytoye
07-24-2005

Rated 0 
a few religious backers, which is fine.

I have a problem with zenwizard's point:
"The letter writer acts like a spoiled kid and thinks God should fix mankind's screwups just like his mommy and daddy fixed all his."

I think it's a little much to chalk up someone's disappointment with hunger and war as 'whining'. Why would God make in inferior product that had to cope with such suffering?

If that's not a legit complaint, then nothing is.

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corinthian1_1_19
09-02-2005

Rated -1 
Isn't it interesting that Andy accuses God of not giving His people enough food? The funny part is that the Bible is referred to as spiritual food. So whose fault is it that we're not getting fed?

Then he questions God... something that Job did and God finally asked Job where he (Job) was when he created everything.

Andy claims that the Bible isn't true and that God also knows it's not true. So this is just one big self-defeating song because he's writing to a God who isn't there about, among other things, how the Bible isn't true, which is just ONE of the evidences that there is a God that we can know personally.

Finally, whether someone does or doesn't believe the Bible won't change the factual objective absolute truth that God is real and the Bible is His Word. I could name the five essential doctrines, but I'll just direct y'all to wwx.carm. o r g .

But I do want to address the issue of suffering. It only came about after Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden. The only way to relieve ourselves of suffering is then to repent of the sins we commit against God and ourselves.

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