Chicago

On at least one level, this about the story of the New Testament -- and how Jesus saved mankind from an existence defined by sin (“I made a lot of mistakes”) and gave him a second start (“You came to take us. To recreate us.”). I think the refrain “All things go. All things go” has a double meaning and refers both to the temporary nature of the material world -- but also to how, when you are given a chance at a new beginning (of the kind described) the New Testament, you can’t take advantage of that opportunity without breaking radically with all aspects of your past. In other words, “all things [about your past life must] go.”

The other line that pretty clearly recalls the New Testament is the line -- “We sold our clothes to the state. I don’t mind. I don’t mind.” In the Bible, Jesus says “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” Caesar stands for the government or state (in some translations, it’s “Give to the Emperor that which is the Emperor’s). The state can have control over the material world -- including the clothes on our backs -- as long as it leaves the spiritual realm to God.

I don’t think one has to believe in the story of the New Testament or agree with the theology in it to find the lyrics valuable.. Rather, I think the song is first and foremost about redemption, about breaking with the past, and about focusing on the spiritual life rather than on materialism. It’s just drawing on specific themes from The New Testament to do this (i.e., the notion that redemption comes from a redeemer and of letting the state have control over the material realm).