When the Good Lord Talked To Jesus
(FLAC) Chris Rea Lyrics


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See me moving without warning.
Fast as mt legs can run
And I'm hanging by a thin wire,
Been that way since I was young

Only the good Lord got his reasons,
For turning on his own son.
And he beat up on me real bad.
Bad as a dog can be
He took every smile that I had
And he threw it all back at me

Only the good Lord got his reasons,
Make yo cry until your eyes can't see
Well he burned down all that I had
And he left me beat and blind

Oh he dealt me pain and sorrow
And every fear that he could find
When the good Lord talked to Jesus
Guess I ain't what he had in mind





Oh when the good Lord talked to Jesus
I guess I ain't what he had in mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chris Rea’s song “When the Good Lord Talked to Jesus” are quite open to interpretation, and can be seen as a deeply personal account of the singer's struggles. The song starts with the singer explaining that he is always moving and running, as if he is trying to outrun something. He seems to have been hanging by a thin wire since he was young, suggesting that his life has always been precarious and unsettled. He then talks about how the good Lord has his reasons for turning on his own son, referring to Jesus Christ. This could be interpreted as the singer feeling that he has been abandoned by God, or that he has faced a lot of hardship in his life and is questioning why he had to go through it all.


As the song progresses, the singer talks about how the good Lord has beaten him up and taken away all the happiness he had. He mentions that the Lord has burned down all that he had and left him beat and blind. This can be seen as a metaphor for the struggles and challenges one faces in life, and how they can leave a person feeling broken and defeated. The final lines of the song are particularly poignant, as the singer says that when the good Lord talked to Jesus, he guesses he wasn’t what he had in mind. This suggests a feeling of inadequacy or unworthiness on the part of the singer, and a sense that he will never be good enough for God.


Line by Line Meaning

See me moving without warning.
I am running as fast as I can, without stopping or notifying anyone.


Fast as my legs can run
I am moving as fast as my legs can physically carry me.


And I'm hanging by a thin wire,
I am in a precarious situation, as if I am suspended by a thin wire that could snap at any moment.


Been that way since I was young
I have been in this uncertain position for as long as I can remember.


Only the good Lord got his reasons,
It is only God who knows his reasons for doing what he does.


For turning on his own son.
One of God's decisions was to betray his own son, Jesus Christ.


And he beat up on me real bad.
God has inflicted severe physical and emotional pain on me.


Bad as a dog can be
The pain that God has caused is as bad as it can possibly be.


He took every smile that I had
God has made me so unhappy that I can no longer find any reason to smile.


And he threw it all back at me
Whatever happiness I had before has been taken from me and used against me by God.


Make you cry until your eyes can't see
God's actions have caused me so much pain that I can't stop crying.


Well he burned down all that I had
God has completely destroyed everything I had, leaving me with nothing.


And he left me beat and blind
As a result of God's actions, I am now physically battered and emotionally numb.


Oh he dealt me pain and sorrow
God has caused me a great deal of physical and emotional pain, as well as deep sadness.


And every fear that he could find
God has also instilled a deep sense of fear within me.


When the good Lord talked to Jesus
This entire situation arose when God spoke to his son, Jesus Christ.


Guess I ain't what he had in mind
It seems as if I'm not the type of person that God was hoping to create.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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