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No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they're starving or freezing or so very poor
No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God
When it's gotten real late
And their kid's not back from the party yet
No one laughs at God
When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they're mistaken
No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one's laughing at God
When there's a famine or fire or flood
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they've lost all they've got
And they don't know what for
No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they'll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughing at God in hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they're starving or freezing or so very poor
No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God
When it's gotten real late
And their kid's not back from the party yet
No one laughs at God
When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they're mistaken
No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one's laughing at God
When there's a famine or fire or flood
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they've lost all they've got
And they don't know what for
No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they'll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughing at God in hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God
Lyrics submitted by tinylittlewords
Track duration: 03:15
"Laughing With" as written by Regina Spektor
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As for the line where Regina says "we are laughing with God", I don't think it's all that deep as others are making it. Have you ever heard someone saying, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you."? It is a very sarcastic comment one makes when you really are laughing AT the person, but don't want them to know. It's an ironic statement when you say it to God, because though you think you are fooling God by saying, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you." God knows all, so you are only fooling yourself.
You seem to agree that she ended the discussion with that last sentence, implying that God does exist. The ongoing discussion is whether the song is theistic or not, your interpretation, like mine, is that it is.
As an atheist, I don't think of God, or stop "laughing at God", if things are bad. Quite the contrary, when things are bad, then I realize even more that there is no such thing as God (or if there is, he's an asshole).
By stating that "we're all laughing WITH God", it's safe to say the song says that we all will resort to God when things are bad and that the "truth" is that God does exist. Maybe without that sentence it would be more neutral.
As an atheist, I'd say that we're laughing alone. This song does not represent me.
FYI, the line of this song that kills me: "The last thing you'll see is a pair of hateful eyes". A reference to dehumanization and murder. What a horrible evocative image. Yet we're prone to seeing such needless dehumanization between theists and atheists on this very thread.
The song doesn't really say anything about whether or not God actually exists... It's irrelevant.
I love this song... Some of the lines give me chills.
*I'm not actually religious, I just think that's what the song is about.
The fact that people turn to God in bad times tells us infinitely more about human beings than it does about God…which leads me to believe that the song reinforces the position of many atheists and agnostics: that God is a fabrication of the human mind.
In all the examples Spektor cites, people are turning to God because they feel scared and powerless to stop something unfortunate from occurring. In times of trouble, it comforts the human mind to believe that someone or something is actually in control. Many people need this reassurance on a daily or weekly basis, while some only need it when faced with adversity. Whatever the case may be, our need for reassurance neither proves nor necessitates God’s existence.
Additionally, when Spektor sarcastically says “God can be SO hilarious” followed by a painfully forced “ha ha,” she’s obviously not talking about God himself being funny, but about the ridiculousness of our own, human interpretations of what God is (just look at the examples she cites).
In the end, this is a haunting and beautiful song about the frailty of human beings and our attempts to make sense of the absurd. But it is absolutely not an endorsement of theism.
This song speaks directly to the I'm not religious, but I am spiritual set. That is likely what Spektor considers herself. As such this song is probably targeted at her own frailty along with a general human frailty. Just because you don't like Christians doesn't mean every pop cultural product exists to further your malice.
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HAHA. We Christians don't believe in the 'magical man in the sky' either. We believe in God. One god. The only god. (And I would bet my life that YOU believe there may be ET life out there in the galaxy yet you don't believe there could be a god. SOOOO logical of you:) It's "wounded ex=Christians" who are the usual atheists; they were abused by parents or born with disease; challenges; etc. They are disgrungled and can't understand why God did not save them. God was VERY clear on homosexuality. The act is sinful. That is not hate on the part of God. It is what it is; those born with crosses must rise about them. Life is not fair. And although pastors should be preaching love and leaving the afterlife to God's judgment, they are not far off the mark; the bible contains few reference to homosexuality, and where it does the act is seen as unacceptable. Man with woman is the only constant through the Bible. And considering we've seen the spread of Aids mainly among homosexual men and drug abusers, I do believe God knew what He was talking about when it comes to partnering (and monogamy). So you can "laugh" at God and His teachings, but they are sound. And just because they are not easy (as talking is not easy with my gay friends and having to refrain from discussing gay rights and 'marriage'), we as Christians are STILL supposed to follow the teachings. God is not laughing when the sanctiy of marriage is violated; when the state passes laws that ridicule God's teachings; and when wayward, angry atheists mock Christianity and Christians. The song is about laughing WITH God, not at Him. But to an athesist as yourself who only stopped believing due to the hands of your born-again messed up parents, everything that comes out of your mouth is suspect (and dishonest to the core!)
Nothing personal, I am just pointing this out to make a point of what I really meant to write here: I think you misunderstood cattieloves´ comment and was a little to harsh on her.
What I like about this site is how respectful people tend to be with each other even if they totally disagree in point of views.
If you are really a Christian, please keep the standard high and be respectful.
No personal attacking here towards someone´s commentary ok? That is a very bad picture of a Christian... no atheists had that attitude here so far.
Hope you get it nicely.
I assume you are prone to accept we all make mistakes, like you probably do when assuming so many wrong things about people like on your commentary above.
We do make a lot of bad judgment and wrong assumptions. Thank God we are both Christians and understand the need of humbleness and forgiveness right?
Ps2: cattielove is obviously not an atheist. If she was, she´d never write God with capital letters. Only people who believe He is a person with a proper name do that. And her argument quoted and misunderstood by you is not defending anything you might think is wrong. It is just putting things from the perspective of these people - like yourself pointed out: very hurt people. And what do we offer for people who are hurting? Compassion. No more stones, thank you.
The only angry person in the commentaries here I´ve seen so far was you (and I´ve surely read more than 200). Not any atheist.
Please, think about it and reconsider your own prejudices in the topics you commented on. Your point of view and conclusions do not exhale the love and wisdom Jesus showed to sinner when he was on Earth. Not at all.
But we all make mistakes, don´t we?
Hope God laughs at that sometimes. We should...
Actually I am an atheist and this time I wrote God with capital G... sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, depends on the context. This time I just went with the lyrics.
The song is neither saying that "there are no atheists in a foxhole", nor is it saying that God does all this horrible stuff (and that we should either accept it or revolt against it), or anything of the sort. The idea is about how people use (and abuse) God to suit their own needs... "the crazies" for their own materialism or political agenda, the fearful as a scapegoat for accepting what's happening, the flippant for amusement or the subject of a joke... God is all of these things to all of these people, for whatever they need at that moment and to suit their own ego, but with respect for what "god" is in every moment and in everything (or, conversely, you can say that "god" is nothing/doesn't exist, but "god" is still enough a part of your consciousness that you can turn it into a joke, etc...).
Regina is obviously religious, but she's also a self-admitted humanist. I do think the song is less about god and more about how people perceive and *use* god. However, I think the last line is far less cynical than everyone's implying (in fact, I think it's the least cynical line of the whole song... the rest of the song is quite cynical, but not the last line). "We're all laughing with god" is, I think, more a call to accepting that we're all together, part of the same world/identity/whatever. So regardless of what god is to you, or regardless of however you manipulate a belief (or lack) in god to suit your own perspective and situation, we're all ALWAYS "with" god (or with each other... the crazies and the cocktail part comics and those in their desperate last moments are all together, part of this collective existence that, to her, is God (these events aren't happening *at* something or somehow isolated, but it's all, and we're all, WITH everything and everyone).