God gave me the sunshine,
Then showed me my lifeline
I was told it was all mine,
Then I got laid on a ley line
What a day, what a day,
And your Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

UK and entropy,
I feel like its ****inâ?? (beeped out) me
Wanna feed off the energy,
Love living like a deity
What a day, one day,
And your Jesus really died for me
www.musicloversgroup.com
I guess Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And thatâ??s the way itâ??s gonna be

All weâ??ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Praying for the rapture,
â??Cause itâ??s stranger getting stranger
And everythingâ??s contagious
Itâ??s the modern middle ages
All day every day
And if Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And thatâ??s the way itâ??s gonna be

All weâ??ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
Bodies in the bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And thatâ??s the way itâ??s gonna be

All weâ??ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
So God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Jesus didnâ??t die for you, what do you want?
(I want perfection)
Jesus didnâ??t die for you, what are you on?
Oh Lord
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh
(Jesus really died for you)
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh



Lyrics submitted by HmGirly

Track duration: 04:05

"Bodies" as written by Richard Mould, Scott Ralph, Robbie Williams, Danny Spencer, Kelvin Andrews, Don / Black

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, FARRELL MUSIC LIMITED

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Bodies song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:What is the rapture? I could only velocirapture!
    Flag Floyddeadon January 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"UK and entropy" seems kinda random. It makes some bit of sense when he metions energy later. But why the UK?

    What's a ley lie? Shouldn't it be 'lay line? if they are lying down waiting in line, to get laid.
    Flag Floyddeadon January 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:@Iva Thort,
    I Agree.
    Flag Walloudaon August 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:First, let me say that this pop song is definitely "art" in many senses of the word. Like all art, we've all wondered what Robbie has meant by this song and art does just that - makes you think. Obviously, we all in this discussion have found the song struck a chord in us.

    Here's my two-cents worth on it.

    First, anyone who knows Robbie Williams' biography knows he suffered through addiction to alcohol and drugs earlier in this life and had been through rehab. That's usually only the first step to getting clean and sober and picking up the pieces of one's life.

    I believe this song really is close to Robbie's heart as an artist and speaks of his experiences with becoming clean and sober and dealing with his own demons--which led him into addiction. Ultimately, you have to face yourself and your defects of character in order to be free of the addictions in the end. If one doesn't, the risk of relapsing back into addiction and ending up at rock bottom (or worse, dead) is very high.

    In 12 Step programs like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, one first admits their powerlessness over the drug or alcohol and that life has become unmanageable. In the second step, one comes to believe in a Power greater than oneself that can lead the addict to sanity. In the third step, the addicted person turns their will and their life over to the care of God as he understands Him.

    Robbie was born Roman Catholic. But he's admitted he has found it wanting. He's even stated he's an atheist. But to return from the insanity of addiction and its destructiveness, he has to come to believe in a Power greater than himself. He's caught, in essence, on the horns of dilemma. Catholicism hasn't led him to happiness. Perhaps he investigated other religions. Many find succor in Buddhism with its philosophy of peace and enlightenment and in other philosophies like New Age spiritualism.

    In verse one, Robbie refers to the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God and New Age Spiritualism ("Then I got laid on a ley line") and sex (Robbie has always struck me as pretty earthy, meaning he enjoys sex a lot!). He also sings, "And *your* Jesus really died for me / Then Jesus really tried for me" He uses the third person - your. Jesus is not *his* God. This refers to his early life, his dissatisfaction with the Catholic form of Christianity, his looking for other answers - possibly in New Age spiritual practices. He makes it clear - He really tried for Robbie but didn't get him (he's not in the Christian fold).

    "UK in entropy / I feel like it's f***ing me / I wanna feed off the energy / Love livin' like a deity / what a day, one day" Again he repeats the statement "And your Jesus really died for me / I guess Jesus really tried for me." He continues his disconnection to Christianity. The "really tried for me" line sometimes strikes me as a flippant response to Christian proselytizing.

    Entropy is the process of heat-death, which ultimately the Universe will experience assuming it is a closed energy system. It's a synonym for decay. Many younger Britons see Britain being pulled into the Middle East conflict by the U.S. as a "sucker deal". They also see Britain as ossified, decaying, not with the times, and unwilling to revitalize itself. It tries but fails. This too could be a reference to a book as noted by a previous commenter.

    Robbie has probably investigated Buddhism, hence the reference to the bodhi tree. However, he refers to "Bodies in the bodhi tree" which is a disturbing image. He refers to the fear many have that the next major world war will be over religion. Wars have always been fought over resources, this isn't anything new in human history. The "war for oil" is just the latest conflict (Iraq). The fear remains, though, that the next conflict will be over religion. When one has three major sects of monotheism with two claiming they are the real truth, the conflict is inevitable.

    I think Robbie was also trying to convey how meaningless he found life (how else would an addict see life?). All these bodies in motion, doing things, living, and ending up ultimately in the cemetary. And for what? Bodies making chemistry can be a reference to sex and our own biological processes.

    If the latter, then it's a tip of the hat to science and how it views humanity. We're just bodies making and responding to chemical signals (hormones). Some believe love is nothing more than a biochemical process ensuring that we mate and perpetuate nad offspring survive. I believe the lyrics now point to his realization of how futile life was. It's a point of existential crisis (as is most of the song).

    "Bodies in the cemet'ry / And that's the way it's gonna be" - Robbie's realized his mortality. And he's looking for more meaning that just to eat, excrete and reproduce.

    The part of the chorus where he says, "All we ever wanted / Is to look good naked / Hope that someone could take it / God save me rejection / From my reflection / I want perfection" is powerful. Again it superficially acknowledges the inherent drive to reproduce that all humans have -- it's a powerful force in the human personality (see Freud). It also speaks of the desire to find someone with whom we can be intimate with (a mate). Naked implies someone who sees you naked - as you really are without pretense as well as physical attractiveness.

    However, how many times do we look in the mirror and see nothing but our flaws - physical or of character? All too often we rationalize our wrong-doing in life and find it hard to look ourselves in the eye in that mirror. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you know who you are. Many times addicts are riddled with self-loathing.

    In the verse where he's "prayin' for the rapture / 'cause it's strange getting stranger / And everything's contagious / It's the modern middle ages" Again, I think this refers to the coming conflict between the three major sects of monotheism. Everything here refers to attitudes and diseases. The world just saw an outbreak of Influenza A(H1N1). There are other pervasive diseases like HIV out there (and as an addict, whose behavior was out of control, I would wager Robbie had a scare about that, "Did I do anything really stupid when I was f***ed up?!"; blackouts [short-term memory loss] are not uncommon for addicts and alcoholics).

    The repetitions of the chorus, I believe, are representative of what's going on in Robbie's mind. Over and over these thoughts pop up. The futility and meaninglessness of life in the face of death, going through the motions of life, one day after another. What's it all mean? Caught between the beliefs he was raised with, and rejecting it ultimately but always coming back to it because of its pervasiveness in society. The rejection is ultimate but so is the doubt - which what the final bit of the song is about.

    A choir sings to Robbie, "Jesus really died for you" and he asks, "What do you want?" The message is repeated, and he asks, "What are you on?" The last are expressions of frustration - a desire for Christians to stop proselytizing to him. He's made his decision and Jesus isn't it. He doesn't reveal what is -- as though it's really our business anyway.

    With references to Buddhism and New Age, Robbie found his Higher Power. He may be a Buddhist, or New Ager, or atheist. Really, it's none of your business. But what he believes works for him. It has helped him to deal with the addictions and the self-destructiveness that they really are a manifestation of. In 12 Step Programs, the addict is never cured. He has to confront himself daily as well as his desire to take the drug or drink. He's done what the Third Step requires, "Turned [his] will and his life over the to the care of God as [he] understands Him." (The key phrase in that step is "as you understand Him." Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous don't require you to join a church or believe in a particular deity. All God needs to be is a Power greater than the addict Who could restore him to sanity.)

    I'm sure Robbie has been influenced by the KLF and The Manual on how to write a top 40 hit. They teach that you come up with a catchy phrase (a hook). And the song has several of them. Robbie has always been a somewhat thoughtful songwriter (as many are). He wanted to make a statement for his "comeback" and he did. But as I look at him, as much as anyone in the public can, I see him handling his recovery well and getting his life back together. And I think this song reflects a big part of the journey he's on and describes the existential crisis he experienced as part of his recovery.
    Flag Barclay316on May 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:Hi, Christiaan33. The lyric sung by the choir really is "Jesus really died for you."
    Flag Barclay316on May 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Jesus didn't die for you, what do you want?
    (I want perfection)
    Jesus didn't die for you, what are you on?
    Oh Lord
    (Jesus didn't die for you) Ohh
    (Jesus didn't die for you)
    (Jesus didn't die for you) Ohhhhhhh

    That makes alot more sense, especially when you look at the videoclip you can see him (robbie) waving his finger as to imply a no, no, no when the backgroundchoir sings this.
    Flag Christiaan33on April 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Even Robbie Williams himself has admitted that he doesn't even know what this song means or what it's about. Just bland pop garbage that he probably didn't even write. No point in finding a meaning into something that is meaningless.
    Flag Mordhauson January 13, 2010   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:Jesus DID die for YOU! You're not reading this as a coincidence, He loves YOU enough to DIE for you! He did die, but lives on :-] if you have any questions, just hit me up on here or email me
    Flag Ninjawarrior777on December 10, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I think this song says in the first part that Jesus died and sacrificed his life on the cross to save our souls but in this modern age we don't see Jesus' sacrifice as important. Instead we concentrate on our outward looks, getting cosmetic surgery to become perfect, ignoring and neglecting our inner soul which Jesus died for in the first place. That's why he the says: "Jesus didn't die for you." as Jesus could not have imagined we would look so flippantly on his sacrifice to save our souls. People nowadays do not think of Jesus, God anymore, their God is beauty, fitness, appearnaces, clothes, materialistic obsessions, not spiritual obsesions.
    Flag kalengaon December 01, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:LOVE this part in the song;
    "All we've ever wanted
    Is to look good naked
    Hope that someone can take it
    God save me rejection
    From my reflection,
    I want perfection"

    Because let's be honest, at some point in our lives we want/wanted someone to accept the way we look. When we look in the mirror we don't want to see flaws, we want pure, absolute (unreal) perfection.
    Flag Isabelle13on November 29, 2009   Link

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