There But for the Grace of God Go I
The Gories Lyrics
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A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the bronx ain't fit
For kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away,
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Poppa and the family left the dirty streets
To find a quiet place overseas
And year after year the kid has to hear
The do's and the don'ts and the dears
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
But Poppy bans it from the home
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Soon she turns out to be a natural freak
Popping pills and smoking weed
And when she's sweet sixteen she leaves her big family
With a man she met on the streets
Mama starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
Too much love is worse than none at all!
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Mama and Papa Vidal just had a child
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the bronx ain't fit
For kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away,
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
The Gories’ song “There But for the Grace of God Go I” tells a story of a family who leave The Bronx in search of a “perfect” place to live. Mama and Papa Vidal, after having a child, decide that The Bronx is not a safe place to raise a kid and start searching for a new home, with the criteria of no blacks, no Jews, and no gays. After finding a place overseas, they ban rock ‘n’ roll music and try to instill strict values in their daughter. However, despite their efforts, their daughter turns out to be a “natural freak” who uses drugs and eventually runs away with a man she met on the streets. Mama’s reaction is to start banging her head on the wall, believing that too much love is worse than none at all.
The song touches upon themes of racism, homophobia, and strict parenting. In their search for a “perfect” place to live, the family ends up perpetuating the same narrow-minded attitudes they were trying to escape. The lyrics also suggest that strict parenting can sometimes push children away and lead to rebellion. Overall, the song serves as a commentary on societal issues and the detrimental effects of narrow-mindedness and strict parenting.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama and Papa Vidal just had a child
A new baby girl was born into the Vidal family.
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
The baby girl had a charming, imperfect smile.
Now they gotta split 'cause the bronx ain't fit
The Vidal family needs to leave the Bronx as it is not a suitable place for their child to grow up.
For kid to grow up in
The Bronx is not a safe or pleasant environment for their child.
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away,
The Vidal family wants to move to a new place that is far from the Bronx.
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
They want to move to a place that is free from diversity and an inclusive society.
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
The narrator expresses humility and realization that their circumstances could have been different if not for some higher power's intervention.
Poppa and the family left the dirty streets
The father and the family left the unsafe neighborhoods.
To find a quiet place overseas
They left the country to find a peaceful place to raise their child.
And year after year the kid has to hear
As the child grows older, she listens to her parents talking about the do's and don'ts.
The do's and the don'ts and the dears
The parents are giving advice and guidance to their child.
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
When the girl is 10, she becomes interested in rock music.
But Poppy bans it from the home
However, the father does not allow it in their home.
Soon she turns out to be a natural freak
As the girl grows older, she starts experimenting with drugs and other things.
Popping pills and smoking weed
She starts taking pills and smoking marijuana.
And when she's sweet sixteen she leaves her big family
When the girl turns 16, she decides to leave her family behind.
With a man she met on the streets
She meets a man on the street and leaves with him.
Mama starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
The girl's mother is devastated and begins to weep and hit her head against the wall.
Too much love is worse than none at all!
The love and protection of a family can sometimes be suffocating and ultimately lead to rebellion.
Contributed by James A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.