Jesus, don't cry
You can rely on me honey
You can combine anything you want

I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Don't cry
You can rely on me honey
You can come by any time you want

I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Our love
Our love
Our love is all we have

Our love
Our love is all of God's money
Everyone is a burning sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around



Lyrics submitted by jonesth

Track duration: 03:51


Jesus, Etc. song meanings
Add your thoughts

98 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:This song isn't about 9/11 -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was originally meant to be released on September 11th, 2001.
    Flag mjknlron February 22, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:in my opinion, this song just means for this girl not to worry about everything so much. she has someone to rely on - him. about the "you were right about the stars. each one is a setting sun" part, i just figure it means that even though there are so many things that look like one thing, but they could be bigger and better than you could ever imagine. the part where she's crying, he's saying that her tears are sad, yes, but she feels that they're the only thing she has so she can deal with everything. for those of you who don't know what "our love is all of God's money" means, think of it this way... it means that they're doing "God's" work for him on earth. love is a a very special thing, and by loving each other, they're making the world better because they're creating something good - a caring and loving relationship between two human beings. they're not creating something depressing and sad like this girl's attitude towards the world. money is used to buy something or get something. so their love, being God's money, is used to make the world better even if it seems "small" (reference to the "you were right about the stars" part). finally, "last cigarettes. all you can get".... for those of you who used to smoke or want to quit, you know that you better make that last cigarette last because it's your last one ever! so she's trying to make it last to get through her seemingly melancholy life. but still, this guy is saying that it's ok! don't worry. i'll be your crutch in this world - not your tears or "cigarettes" :)
    Flag joyce13on January 31, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:"Tall buildings" are the Twin Towers that fell September 11, 2001, the year before this album was released. The cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot makes this reference plain: two towers built of compact discs, mountains of music (this album among others) rising up amid screams and smoking voices to ease our confusion and grief.

    I don't read the first line as a command ("Jesus, don't cry") but an observation: "Jesus don't (doesn't) cry." Jesus and his teachings stand for deep compassion paired with strength, the capacity to feel the suffering of the world without being overwhelmed by it. Here in our mortal bodies, each of us is a "burning sun," a tower waiting to fall, sooner or later. And even in that decay there is a dark beauty. There is music to everything, a rhyme and reason echoing in chaos: tears streaming down a grieving face, the terrible scraping of falling towers, the strumming of guitar, all in tune, rhyming together in the great symphony of life and death. Each of us is trapped in a falling tower, all solid things decay, and only love is real, only love remains. Even the ancient stars will burn out one day. So why not, as a dying man would savor his last cigarette, savor your love in this brief life?
    Flag privateidaho03on January 26, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This was written around the time of 9/11 I believe. I see it as about 9/11, and how Jesus would interpret it.
    Flag memrichon January 26, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I haven't seen my interpretation of the song anywhere and it's kind of weird and I'm not sure if it makes sense but maybe someone else will find meaning in it. Basically I thought the first line "Jesus, don't cry" was literally asking Jesus not to cry even though I think many people here take it as "Jesus, don't cry" i.e., oh my goodness, don't cry. Anyways it goes on to describe that Jesus is just a person like us and maybe he needs us as much as we need him. I'm not religious at all but it's just like about the thought that the world is a crazy place and so many people (myself not included) put so much faith into Jesus, but he's just a human.

    I have no idea if that made sense. But all right.
    Flag mirrornoiron January 15, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I love the imagery comparing the streaks of tears on the girls face to chords in a sad song..

    I also wonder if the 'turning your orbit around' line refers to the lines 'You were right about the stars, Each one is a setting sun', in a way saying, well yeah, but they are also all rising stars.
    Flag Toke420on August 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:too literal here ... but the first word is jesus ... the rest is etc?
    Flag relminyaon August 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ps the "Etc" part of the title indicates to me that the writer is really over it (or trying to be) and is just lumping that whole experience into "Etc" as a way of minimizing the impact it has on his life today...
    Flag KelleyCalon February 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ok, so here is my take...It seems to me as if it is written about being in a band or writing songs with a depressed person who shares their pain with everyone, who is HIGH maintenance and maybe a seriously insecure person pehaps they were going to be replaced or thought they were to the inevitable end that they brought that exact thing upon themself??

    "Jesus, don't cry you can rely on my honey you can combine anything you want"
    says to me: I'm exasperated, quit whining, you know I will tell you the truth, I know we disagreed on that arrangement but go ahead, if that will make you happy, combine anything you want.

    "Ill be around you were right about the stars each one is a setting sun"
    I'm not going anywhere, not looking for someone to replace you, just need a break, and yes all of those other "stars" think the sun rises and sets with them all creative people are a bit high maintenance.

    "Tall buildings shake Voices escape singing sad sad songs Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
    Bitter melodies turning your orbit around"
    The world is going to crumble yes, I know, there you go with the sad songs again, you only feel and see the sadness and bitter melodies and that is what makes you spin/work being sad and depressed is what makes you tick can't you see that?

    "Voices whine Skyscrapers are scraping together Your voice is smoking Last cigarettes are all you can get
    Turning your orbit around"
    It is escalating and patience is being lost with this person it is getting worse instead of better. Building shake vs. scrape and voices escape vs. whine. last cigarettes I think refer to a final request - so go ahead but all you get is your final request (last cigarette)but it IS over.

    "Our love Our love Our love is all we have"
    The only thing we have in common anymore is the mutal love and/or talent for music or writing

    "Our love Our love is all of God's money Everyone is a burning sun"
    Our love of creating and our musical talent came from God, even that isn't ours it was given to us and it can be gone (burning sun) in the blink of an eye.
    Flag KelleyCalon February 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Awe vague metaphors... we meet again.
    Flag seansexperienceon January 26, 2012   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain