Rocky's Now My Name
ApologetiX Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Parody of "Rocky Mountain Way" by Joe Walsh
(Matthew 16:18; John 1:42)

Spent my past here, stuck in Galilee
Couldn't get inspired
Found the Master then He changed my name
'cause Simon's old and tired
And you know Jesus says that I'm a rocky, stoney lad
But if Rocky's now my name it's better than the name I had

Well, the Zealot, magician and leper all had
Names that they shared with me
And there was a tanner
Jesus' brother and Judas' dad - even a Pharisee
Simon's name was standard
And there's Simon of Cyrene and
Simon Cowell and more than that, uh huh
So if Rocky's now my name it's better that He named me that

John 1:42




And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John.
You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

Overall Meaning

In "Rocky's Now My Name," ApologetiX parodies Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" to tell the story of Simon Peter's name change by Jesus. The lyrics reveal Peter's past as a fisherman in Galilee who was not particularly inspired until he met Jesus, who changed his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter, which meant "rock." The chorus then states that being called Rocky is better than Simon's old and tired name. The song alludes to other people named Simon in history, including Simon Cowell and Simon of Cyrene.


The reference to Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42 in the song points to the Biblical origins of Peter's name change. In John 1:42, Jesus met Simon and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). In Matthew 16:18, Jesus later said to Peter, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church."


The song may also be making a theological point about how Jesus changes people's identities when they follow him. Just as he gave Peter a new name and identity as the rock on which he would build his church, Jesus can transform people's lives when they encounter him.


Overall, "Rocky's Now My Name" is an upbeat and humorous song that uses a well-known rock song to tell a Biblical story and reflect on the transformative power of encountering Jesus.


Line by Line Meaning

Spent my past here, stuck in Galilee
I used to live in Galilee and felt trapped there


Couldn't get inspired
I lacked inspiration


Found the Master then He changed my name
I met Jesus and He gave me a new name


'cause Simon's old and tired
My old name, Simon, felt old and tired


And you know Jesus says that I'm a rocky, stoney lad
Jesus calls me a strong and sturdy person


But if Rocky's now my name it's better than the name I had
I prefer my new name, Rocky, over my old name


Well, the Zealot, magician and leper all had
Other people that Jesus met also had


Names that they shared with me
Names similar to mine


And there was a tanner
There was someone with my old name who worked as a tanner


Jesus' brother and Judas' dad - even a Pharisee
There were other people with my old name, including Jesus' brother, Judas' dad, and a Pharisee


Simon's name was standard
My old name was a very common one


And there's Simon of Cyrene and
There were even more people with my old name, like Simon of Cyrene


Simon Cowell and more than that, uh huh
There are even famous people with my old name, like Simon Cowell


So if Rocky's now my name it's better that He named me that
Overall, I am happier with my new name, Rocky, that Jesus gave me




Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions