From Her Lips to God's Ears
Against Me! Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rushing change
Under a bush doctrine
Democratic installations
Constant war for constant soldiers
What are we gonna do now
De-escalation, through military force
Increase the preasure, oh condoleeza
What should we do about the situation
In iraq and north korea
Condoleeza

democratic election under marshall law
An Iraqi president
Out of control on choices
After all this death and destruction
Do you really think your actions
Advocate freedom
The presidents giving
A speech in georgetown
To remember the voice
Of a slain civil rights leader
Do you understand what
The martyrs stood for
Oh condoleeza
Do you get the fucking joke





condoleeza
What are we gonna do now

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Against Me!'s "From Her Lips to God's Ears" is a commentary on the Bush Doctrine, which refers to the foreign policy of the United States during the presidency of George W. Bush. Rushing change suggests a quick and rash transformation, such as the quick decision to go to war in Iraq. The central idea of the song is the war in Iraq and how it became a self-perpetuating cycle that resulted in more war and more soldiers being sent in to fight. The lyrics question the effectiveness of using military force to de-escalate conflict and criticize the actions of then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.


The second verse talks about the consequences of the US military intervention in Iraq. The lyrics allude to the 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election, which was held under martial law. The lines "Out of control on choices/After all this death and destruction" highlight the chaos that the war has caused, leading to a loss of control and poor decision-making. The song's lyrics suggest that the US government's actions have not promoted freedom or democracy.


Overall, "From Her Lips to God's Ears" is a critique of the Bush administration's foreign policy, particularly the invasion of Iraq. The lyrics suggest that the use of military force has not effectively resolved conflicts and has caused more problems than it solved.


Line by Line Meaning

Rushing change
Changes are happening rapidly


Under a bush doctrine
The decisions are being made under the guidance of Bush’s principles


Democratic installations
Establishing democratic systems in new places


Constant war for constant soldiers
The ongoing war requires consistent soldiers


What are we gonna do now
Asking for solutions


De-escalation, through military force
Use military force to reduce conflict


Increase the pressure, oh condoleeza
To increase tension, asking for help from Condoleezza Rice


What should we do about the situation
Asking for advice about current situation


In iraq and north korea
Inquiring about the situations happening in Iraq and North Korea


Condoleeza
Calling for the attention of Condoleezza Rice


Democratic election under marshall law
Holding democratic election under military rule


An Iraqi president
Electing an Iraqi president


Out of control on choices
Having no control over the options


After all this death and destruction
Reflecting on the death and destruction that has already happened


Do you really think your actions advocate freedom
Questioning if the actions taken promote freedom


The presidents giving a speech in Georgetown
The President is delivering a speech in Georgetown


To remember the voice of a slain civil rights leader
Remembering the voice of a civil rights activist who was killed


Do you understand what the martyrs stood for
Asking if they comprehend the struggle that the martyrs sacrificed for


Oh condoleeza
Addressing Condoleezza Rice again


Do you get the fucking joke
Asking if they understand the irony of the situation


Condoleeza
Last callout to Condoleezza Rice




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@MrKane101111

Tragic that such an amazing song and video has so few views.

@Iliveinyoureredreams

It´s sad Against me! is so underrated ...

@TravisTerrell

Wow, I'm actually surprised it's so few. However, this video wasn't posted until 7 years after the song was released, so that will have greatly decreased the view count. Additionally, by the time this was posted, Bush was in his final months of office, thus making the song's message far less relevant. It's also worth noting that this "official" video was added a bit over 5 months after another 3x more popular one of the same song. All together, these make the view count a poor statistic to use. This song, despite our nostalgia about the era, is somewhat outdated these days. (i.e. Condoleezza who?)

@tylerl.gibson268

I know. This song is so low key yet ungodly perfect. I just dont get it

@filixeo

You're right, I didn't even know it had a video. So I liked and spreaded it.

@Chapterhouse86

After this song came out, my buddy was home on leave from Iraq and he played this shit for me. I always thought it was ironic that I learned about this very anti-war/anti-military band from a guy who did 12 years in the Army.

@paulbouffard3449

They were only anti war when Bush was doing it. Stayed silent when Obama was bombing the shit out of the middle east. This song goes hard though.

@KaiWritesCode

Saw them perform this song a few weeks ago and it is still so damn relevant :(

@worstoneyet8098

I don't know a thing about this songwriter other than this is completely world class. Pure, raw artistry.

@christian_cantarutti

Coming back listening to this 17 years later. Only the names have changed.

More Comments

More Versions