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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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"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"
People have been known to turn to religion in dire times, even if they never had before. When a slimy tycoon is on their deathbed, they send their money to the charities, a last minute repent for their sins to rack up the heaven points. No one is laughing at God when they're on their knees in prayer.
In a situation like the ones Regina sings of, when you say "Oh my God", are you saying it because something's funny or just so awfully sad?
"But God can be funny"
To an atheist, polytheist, or somebody that believes in an entity besides God, listening to people worshipping and praying for Him is, yeah, funny. Though when I say "funny", I don't mean as in the "ha ha" kind, and even then not always. Hearing "God this, God that", is the jarring kind of funny, usually.
"At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke,"
Well, then he's funny to everybody. Whatever religion (or lack thereof) you are.
And what do say when you laugh? What do you say when you're in shock? "Oh my God."
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.