Lyrics for Belief as interpreted by boltau

Belief Lyrics
Is there anyone who
Ever remembers
Changing their mind from
The paint on a sign
Is there anyone who
Really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time

Oh everyone believes
In how they think it oughta be
Oh everyone believes
And they’re not going easy

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
You never can hit who you trying for
Some need the exhibition
Some have to know their trying
It’s the chemical weapon for the war
That’s raging on inside

Oh everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Oh everyone believes
No one’s going quietly

We’re never gonna win the world
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this is
If belief is what we’re fighting for
We’re never gonna win the world
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this is
If belief is what we’re fighting for

Is there anyone who
Can remember
Ever surrendering
With their life on the line

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can
Belief can
What puts a folded flag inside his mother’s hands?
Belief can
Belief can

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Parachutes
08-30-2006

Rated 0 
It's "We're never going to win the world."

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swimmingbird941
08-30-2006

Rated 0 
Are you the grammar police Parachutes? Anyways, here's how I hear it...



Is there anyone who
Ever remembers
Changing their mind from
the paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who
Really recalls
Ever breaking record off,
for something someone yelled real loud one time?

Oh everyone believes
In how they think it oughta be
Oh everyone believes
And they’re not going easy...

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
Some have to know they're trying
It’s the chemical weapon
for the war that’s raging on inside

Oh everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Oh everyone believes
And no one’s going quietly...

We’re never gonna win the war,
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this,
if belief is what we’re fighting for
We’re never gonna win the war
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this,
if belief is what we’re fighting for

Is there anyone
Who can remember,
Ever surrendered
With their life on the line?

We’re never gonna win the war,
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this,
if belief is what we’re fighting for
We’re never gonna win the war
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this,
if belief is what we’re fighting for

What dumps one-hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can...Belief can
What puts a folded flag inside his mother’s hand?
Belief can...Belief can

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yaywhoowee
09-12-2006

Rated 0 
this is controversial. controversial but true.

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dpknowles
09-13-2006

Rated 0 
it's about how blind faith (religion) drives people to do terrible things which impact on the innocent, in the name of what is essentially perpetuated myth and nonsense - religion!

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1 Reply
ksquared
09-13-2006

Rated 0 
i think its no doubt about the war going on right now, it's about bush and co. changing the minds of americans to support going into iraq. Which more than anything was a money-driven region. It's called hegemony, why make someone do something by forcing them to do it. It is much more nuanced, much more effective to subconsciously change their morals in a way that benefits you. The idea is "the best way to police people, is to make them police themselves." Such as exploiting the event of 9/11.

hence - "What puts a folded flag inside his mother’s hand? - BELIEF CAN"

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Billthecat0105
09-14-2006

Rated 0 
I definetly think it has undertones of the "war on terror/iraqi freedom campaign/global struggle against oppressors" or whatever they're calling it these days, but I think the main center point of the song is religion and how blind faith in something only leads to persecution and religious war etc..

I don't really get the "Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater" lyric and the one about changing your mind from the paint on a sign... so if anyone has any ideas that'd be nice...

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thatguy5
09-15-2006

Rated 0 
the paint on a sign lyrics: Is there anyone who
Ever remembers
Changing their mind from
The paint on a sign
Is there anyone who
Really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time

and he's just saying "does going out to rallies and protests yelling and screaming and waving signs with slogans or whatever actually change people's minds about things?"


the "belief is a beautiful armor
but makes for the heaviest sword" is john mayer saying that it's good to defend your beliefs (armor is for defense) but you can't attack others with your beliefs (swords for attacks) i.e. saying all muslims or christians or jews or gays or blacks or whites or whatever other group out there should die because your belief or holy book or diety says you should

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1 Reply
liluxo104
09-15-2006

Rated 0 
At first I thought this was about how so many people don't really know where there views and opinions come from on topics like politics and the war- if it was just "the paint on a sign". But, now I think it may be more about what thatguy5 said...what difference does it make to rally and scream your beliefs, who really changes their mind from seeing or hearing something like that? And if people do change their minds from that, blind faith is what can cause such pointless messes without real foundation for them. I'm just not sure which point of view works better with this song

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metallifool
09-17-2006

Rated 0 
I think this song transcends being a "liberal-minded" song. It's a song both sides need to hear. John is saying to everyone--left, right, and in between--that that their side's beliefs aren't going to change a thing. Protesting against or for the "war" (which I think goes beyond the current hostilities) will do nothing. It will just show that you "need the exhibition" or that you have to know you are doing something...yet "It’s the chemical weapon
for the war that’s raging on inside."

John is saying that beliefs cannot be what a political group, a nation, or even you or me takes to the plate with us. If we do that, then the consequences are bloody and tragic. What happens if we believe that no one will attack us on our own soil, and are indifferent? Children will turn into sand. What happens if we continue to take our beliefs to other nations? Thousands of sodiers die. There is no good way to make peace with beliefs. John is trying to communicate that beliefs have not worked for us...we need something else...

A great song by a thoughtful, masterful lyricist.

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boltau
09-17-2006

Rated 0 
I think everyone so far is right when about how it's about using religion or even just ideas for bad or negative purposes. Bush has very blatently done this. My favorite part is when he says "what puts a hundred thousand children in the sand/ belief can. what puts a folded flag inside his mother's hand/ belief can." i hope this song becomes a single. its a good song for anyone to here. he spent 3 years writing it and hopefully it will make people really think.

I'm not s a huge ben harper fan but i love his solo on this song too.

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MarchingGrobanite
09-18-2006

Rated 0 
I agree with thatguy.
It's not attacking religion or anyone in particular's beliefs. It's saying that our beliefs are a good thing for us to lean on, but we can't force them upon others. We can't force others to believe what we do.
Nobody believes the exact same thing, so if we all act upon every impulse of our feelings, the world will continue to be chaotic.

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whenshesmiles
09-20-2006

Rated 0 
i agree with metallifool. i don't think john is particularly attacking anyone with this song. i think it's a commentary of our culture in general: everyone complains but no one actually does anything about it. everyone has opinions on what they want to change, but they don't take steps to change it.

he's saying that nothing's going to change if we just go around and say what we believe. we have to take action, but no one is. (hence the lines "Is there anyone who /Can remember/Ever surrendering/With their life on the line"). no one is willing to really sacrifice for what they believe in.

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albouri3
09-21-2006

Rated 0 
I think he is talking about how we cannot impose our beliefs on other people or nations because when was the last time you changed your mind about something you beleived because someone else told you their own beliefs?
i also think he is refferring to the wars we wage to bring democracy or freedom but in reality we are just imposing our ideas of what freedom is.

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mikey_connect
09-23-2006

Rated 0 
I almost feel if this in a sense is anti free speech song. The song in it self is a conundrum because hes saying that belief is good and bad at the same time. He strongly states that that yet no one is persuaded by protests yet no one is willing to really sacrifice for what they believe in. I think hes pretty much saying that belief is a very strong feeling/emotion and that we should not just empose our beliefs onto another without seriously considering the repercussions for doing so. Its a beautiful armor but as it is a tool for defense it makes for the greatest offesnse that in some cases kills thus the heavest sword. what do you guys think about this part of the song I interpret it as such
what they said it was above:
We’re never gonna beat this is
If belief is what we’re fighting for

my interpretation:
We're never gonna beat the sickness
if its what were fighting for

tell me what you think and if you agree tell me what you think about it

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tbug3
09-24-2006

Rated 0 
have any of you thought deeply about the "war on terror"? this song, in my opinion, articulates the reason why the "war on terror" is almost impossible to win. if you think about it, the people who wish to harm the u.s. and its allies are those who are fighting not for a country but for a belief. mayer says "everyone believes in how it oughta be/ everyone believes and they're not going easy." - this is very true if you consider how difficult it has been to defeat our enemies, i.e. the "terrorists" who believe that suicide bombing is a beautiful act of sacrifice for their religion. he labels belief as both a beautiful armor - it shows faith and dedication (very positive qualities in a person) to believe wholeheartedly in an ideal - and as the heaviest sword - that it is the most dangerous weapon because one who is willing to kill for their beliefs is, first of all, not going to be "disarmed" of those beliefs, and, second of all, not going to be afraid of the consequences of acting out on those beliefs.

i also think the lyrics are: "we're never gonna win the world, we're never gonna stop the war" --- as long as each person has freedom of thought, an unquestionably wonderful aspect of humanity, there is always the risk that one will believe differently, vehemently and dangerously. if there will always be differences in extremist beliefs, there will always be a war to fight.

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tbug3
09-24-2006

Rated 0 
by the way, i love john mayer - his music is a breath of fresh air, especially when compared to the britney spears' (lip-sincing pop princesses) out there. and i really enjoy reading all the different possible interpretations of these songs - everyone on this site has really thoughtful ideas.

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albouri3
09-29-2006

Rated 0 
I agree with thug3 that mayer says" we are never win the world, we are never gonna stop the war"

Also he kind of gives away the focus of this song when he says "What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can"
"the children" are our young soldiers and "the sand" is the middle east.
I is clear to me that he is talking about the war on terror.
thug3 points out that "everyone believes in how it oughta be/ everyone believes and they're not going easy." - this is very true if you consider how difficult it has been to defeat our enemies, i.e. the "terrorists" who believe that suicide bombing is a beautiful act of sacrifice for their religion.
I would also add that when Mayer says"Is there anyone who, Can remember, Ever surrendering ,With their life on the line"
He wants to point out that we cannot win a fight against an enemy who think we are trying to change their beliefs system and replace it with what we call freedom. People fight harder when their life is on the line.

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quietone
10-04-2006

Rated 0 
In the beginning of the version I have, he says:
"This next song I'm about to play for you, it's a really tricky one and I didn't think it was going to be on the record, but I really really really fought. I don't think there was a harder fought song that had been put on a record before. It's a really tricky topic. Y'know, you write a song called 'belief', and you better be careful. It took me a lnog time to choose my words correctly unlike the rest of my life. And I ran into Ben Harper one night, actually the night I decided to finish this song. Very kinda senedipidous, asked him if he'd play on it, and he really kinda drove the song home for me, and um, with him on it, it is now officially now I feel the song is really really kinda gritty. And thanks to Ben Harper, this is a song 'belief'. Enjoy"


I'm not sure if that helps anyone's interpretation, just wanted to put that info out there.

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practice_for_war
10-10-2006

Rated 0 
Billthecat0105,

by "belief is the heaviest armor"
he's refering to how people will use what they believe in for protection. no matter what it is that you believe, christianity, islam, buddhism, nihilism, it determines your outlook on life and can be your protection during tough times. afterall, at the end of the day when everything has gone bad, you still have what you believe to be true.

the next part "but makes for the heaviest sword", he's talking about how people will do anything to defend what they believe in. a heavy sword is obviously a great weapon, so if you believe in something passionately, you'll defend it just as well, no matter what it takes.

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MarchingGrobanite
10-13-2006

Rated 0 
I agree with tbug3 also... The song can DEFINITELY be about the war on terror.
When people believe something strongly, they are not going to change their mind because someone tells them to. They won't "give up with their life on the line."

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mikebac
12-01-2006

Rated 0 
he describes how everyone has a different view of what they believe in, and how if we have wars over it, it's never going to solve anything. "we're never gonna beat this if belief is what we're fighting for" we can't fight over religion, there is so one correct answer, yet we all do, and the consequences are horrible. one of the most meaningful songs out right now.

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boltau
12-03-2006

Rated 0 
This song is even better live. This is probably my favorite song right now. It's so meaningful and well thought. He said this is about as far back he could stand from the issue of beliefs and write a song about it. THIS NEEDS TO BE A SINGLE NEXT AFTER GRAVITY.

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interpretthis
01-10-2007

Rated 0 
about the armor/sword part:

when he says "belief is a beautiful armor", he is saying that belief is good for protection/defense.

"but makes for the heaviest sword"...i would have to disagree with what a few people are saying about this line. a heavy sword is hard to wield, obviously because of its weight. you would have very little control when swinging a heavy sword. at the same time, the heavier a sword is, the more powerful and destructive it is. john is saying that using belief as an attack/offense is like wielding a heavy sword, difficult and destructive. it's "like punching underwater, you never can hit who you're trying for", meaning you have no control swinging the sword and will cause more destruction than you intended. innocent people may get hurt, etc. it's just plain impractical to use such a weapon.

sorry for the longwindedness.

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interpretthis
01-10-2007

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about the armor/sword part:

when he says "belief is a beautiful armor", he is saying that belief is good for protection/defense.

"but makes for the heaviest sword"...i would have to disagree with what a few people are saying about this line. a heavy sword is hard to wield, obviously because of its weight. you would have very little control when swinging a heavy sword. at the same time, the heavier a sword is, the more powerful and destructive it is. john is saying that using belief as an attack/offense is like wielding a heavy sword, difficult and destructive. it's "like punching underwater, you never can hit who you're trying for", meaning you have no control swinging the sword and will cause more destruction than you intended. innocent people may get hurt, etc. it's just plain impractical to use such a weapon.

sorry for the longwindedness.

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jasonporter16
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
i agree, i thought the lyrics were:

we're never gonna beat the sickness if it's what we're fighting for


but if these are the actual lyrics:

We’re never gonna beat this is

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