I think that this song is about atheism or agnosticism & the struggle to come to terms with what that means... how utterly devastating it could be to face/accept that disconnect, the isolation, guilt, depression, etc. that comes with renouncing your faith.
"All God's children need travelling shoes" because life is long and hard.
"All good people read good books
/ Now your conscience is clear." She's amidst a learning experience, being exposed to new ideologies that are causing her to question life. To assuage her guilt, she's trying to justify it to herself by saying that "good people" have a thirst for knowledge.
The chorus is about resentfully admitting that religion has become a hollow vessel. She's saying, "hey God (or whatever Higher Being), if you exist, thanks a lot for allowing me to do this to myself!"
"Sweet and handsome / Soft and porky / You pig out 'til you've seen the light / Pig out 'til you've seen the light". Some people say that religion is an opiate for the masses. She's saying that hypocritical, self-serving behavior doesn't discriminate against anyone. She's resentful of people who have learning experiences that go in the opposite direction of hers -- starting out as a non-believer & then "seeing the light."
But whatever! Music articulates emotions & thoughts in a way that words often fail to do. Songs can mean just about anything, depending on the ears/heart/mind of the listener. That's part of the beauty.
I think it's actually the other way around: she has problems accepting God because of her atheistic background which revolves around material proofs which makes her think that her faith in God will "never be more than twist in her sobriety" (her sensible/logical life). The first stanza talks about people running away from their problems. Because of the words "God's children" and "good books" I am inclined to believe she criticizes hipocrisy of Christians who think that their sins are forgiven by simply reading Bible (/confessing them) but not really repenting. If you watch the music video you see someone...
I think it's actually the other way around: she has problems accepting God because of her atheistic background which revolves around material proofs which makes her think that her faith in God will "never be more than twist in her sobriety" (her sensible/logical life). The first stanza talks about people running away from their problems. Because of the words "God's children" and "good books" I am inclined to believe she criticizes hipocrisy of Christians who think that their sins are forgiven by simply reading Bible (/confessing them) but not really repenting. If you watch the music video you see someone drinking and washing his face with water. This is how Pilate tried to clean himself of murder of Jesus, because he thought that water could remove his sins. But Christians believe only God can absolve you of your sins. In the second stanza fights against her being like that by defying God. But this is hard to do and that is why she "wipes her brow/miles away" every morning. Yet she doesn't realize she is doing the exact same thing as those Christians. She is living atheistic life where only she can decide about anything concerning it. ("... to be so willed and never do what you say..."). In the Chorus she tells about the consequences of this decision: her eyes are just holograms (which symbolizes emptiness in her life) and though God's love has drawn red (blood) from her hands (she is faced with problems that are draining her energy/soul/...) trying to bring her back to life of meaning, she takes those problems as a reason not to change her life. The latter stanza is about emptiness again, now in some sort of sexual context ("empty pie", "fun that people had at night"), which is now the only time she can be free of her burdens that she took on herself by ignoring God. I'm not really sure about the next stanza, but I think she talks about her confusion - she doesn't know what she wants ("I don't care different thoughts ... are good for me") and on account of that everybody suffers (angry, chaste, whole, ...). In the video there is a girl that turns away when three guys are beating the fourth (small) one. It may have something to do with the relativism that comes from destroying the old values. The last stanza that she sings (I couldn't find the song where she sings about the newspapers, but I think the meaning of that is obvious enough), is about hedonism because that can also happen when there is no reason not to be egotistical (which is apparently a world without God). She rethinks her life ("take time to think") and figures out that eating good food brings her pleasure, so why bother with anything bigger in life. That is why she "pigs out till she sees the light". Seeing the light is used ironically in this context, obviously. I know that this interpretation isn't perfect, but I think it makes more sense.
I think that this song is about atheism or agnosticism & the struggle to come to terms with what that means... how utterly devastating it could be to face/accept that disconnect, the isolation, guilt, depression, etc. that comes with renouncing your faith.
"All God's children need travelling shoes" because life is long and hard.
"All good people read good books / Now your conscience is clear." She's amidst a learning experience, being exposed to new ideologies that are causing her to question life. To assuage her guilt, she's trying to justify it to herself by saying that "good people" have a thirst for knowledge.
The chorus is about resentfully admitting that religion has become a hollow vessel. She's saying, "hey God (or whatever Higher Being), if you exist, thanks a lot for allowing me to do this to myself!"
"Sweet and handsome / Soft and porky / You pig out 'til you've seen the light / Pig out 'til you've seen the light". Some people say that religion is an opiate for the masses. She's saying that hypocritical, self-serving behavior doesn't discriminate against anyone. She's resentful of people who have learning experiences that go in the opposite direction of hers -- starting out as a non-believer & then "seeing the light."
But whatever! Music articulates emotions & thoughts in a way that words often fail to do. Songs can mean just about anything, depending on the ears/heart/mind of the listener. That's part of the beauty.
I think it's actually the other way around: she has problems accepting God because of her atheistic background which revolves around material proofs which makes her think that her faith in God will "never be more than twist in her sobriety" (her sensible/logical life). The first stanza talks about people running away from their problems. Because of the words "God's children" and "good books" I am inclined to believe she criticizes hipocrisy of Christians who think that their sins are forgiven by simply reading Bible (/confessing them) but not really repenting. If you watch the music video you see someone...
I think it's actually the other way around: she has problems accepting God because of her atheistic background which revolves around material proofs which makes her think that her faith in God will "never be more than twist in her sobriety" (her sensible/logical life). The first stanza talks about people running away from their problems. Because of the words "God's children" and "good books" I am inclined to believe she criticizes hipocrisy of Christians who think that their sins are forgiven by simply reading Bible (/confessing them) but not really repenting. If you watch the music video you see someone drinking and washing his face with water. This is how Pilate tried to clean himself of murder of Jesus, because he thought that water could remove his sins. But Christians believe only God can absolve you of your sins. In the second stanza fights against her being like that by defying God. But this is hard to do and that is why she "wipes her brow/miles away" every morning. Yet she doesn't realize she is doing the exact same thing as those Christians. She is living atheistic life where only she can decide about anything concerning it. ("... to be so willed and never do what you say..."). In the Chorus she tells about the consequences of this decision: her eyes are just holograms (which symbolizes emptiness in her life) and though God's love has drawn red (blood) from her hands (she is faced with problems that are draining her energy/soul/...) trying to bring her back to life of meaning, she takes those problems as a reason not to change her life. The latter stanza is about emptiness again, now in some sort of sexual context ("empty pie", "fun that people had at night"), which is now the only time she can be free of her burdens that she took on herself by ignoring God. I'm not really sure about the next stanza, but I think she talks about her confusion - she doesn't know what she wants ("I don't care different thoughts ... are good for me") and on account of that everybody suffers (angry, chaste, whole, ...). In the video there is a girl that turns away when three guys are beating the fourth (small) one. It may have something to do with the relativism that comes from destroying the old values. The last stanza that she sings (I couldn't find the song where she sings about the newspapers, but I think the meaning of that is obvious enough), is about hedonism because that can also happen when there is no reason not to be egotistical (which is apparently a world without God). She rethinks her life ("take time to think") and figures out that eating good food brings her pleasure, so why bother with anything bigger in life. That is why she "pigs out till she sees the light". Seeing the light is used ironically in this context, obviously. I know that this interpretation isn't perfect, but I think it makes more sense.