Greg Graffin, the band's frontman, holds a Master's degree in geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. His dissertation for Cornell was a comprehensive study of how modern scientists, especially those who believe in strict Darwinism, view theism and religion, and how their own religious beliefs, if any, affect their study and work. He has since published it for fans of the band.
In 1983, Bad Religion released into the unknown, a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock album that was enormously unpopular among the band's core fan base. It is now out of print, and generally disowned by the band. However, in past years it has become a collectors item, and has gained some acceptance from fans. It now can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay, and is often pirated.
In 1984, Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) replaced Gurewitz. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the back to the known, but they disbanded soon after.
The band reformed in 1987 and released suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with "saving" the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
no control (1989) and against the grain (1990) further increased the band's popularity, followed by generator (1992). Before the recording sessions for the latter album commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left the band in to focus on his other band, The Fishermen. Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement. recipe for hate (1993) followed shortly thereafter.
With alternative rock breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph for major label Atlantic and quickly re-released Recipe for Hate on the major label. 1994's stranger than fiction followed, but shortly after its release Brett Gurewitz left the band again. Officially, he cited the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as the Offspring (then a part of the Epitaph roster) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. But it was well-known that the departure was not on good terms, as he later accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph in favor of a major label. Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You," reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley. Gurewitz, moreover, was struggling more seriously with heroin and other addictions that had plagued him for years.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Previously, Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, but Gurewitz's departure left Graffin as the band's lone songwriter.
What followed were a series of moderately successful albums, the gray race (1996), no substance (1998), and the new america (2000). As their popularity waned, Bad Religion left Atlantic in 2001 and returned to Epitaph. Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies) and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record the process of belief (2002). the empire strikes first was in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded as a return to form for the band.
In 2004, the band released digitally-remastered versions of five of their early albums (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator). The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue also contained all of their first EP, the Public Service EP (alternative versions of Bad Religion, Slaves and Drastic Actions from the self titled EP) and Back To The Known.
Bad Religion's fourtheenth full-length studio album, titled new maps of hell, was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #35 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week. It was originally intended to be released in 2006, but was pushed back largely due to the release of Graffin's second solo album, cold as the clay and his work at UCLA.
In 2010, Bad Religion released 30 Years Live for the band's 30th anniversary. The album was available for free to subscribers of the Bad Religion mailing list. Later the same year, Bad Religion released their fifteenth studio album, The Dissent of Man. The album took nearly two years to write and record, mainly due to the band's heavy touring schedule.
Brett Gurewitz, who still heads Epitaph Records, still records with the band and plays local shows, but doesn't tour with them. Greg Hetson can still be found at the occasional Circle Jerks show and helped open a bar in LA. Wackerman is working on a side project called The Kidneys. Graffin spends 10 weeks a year teaching two classes (Life Sciences 1 and Earth and Space Sciences 116) at UCLA. Jay Bentley keeps the Bad Religion MySpace page updated.
Eat Your Dog
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't lose faith in a better life--reincarnation, poor excuse.
You're dying you assholes, your religion can't help you now.
Dying and starving in the fields you used to plow.
Rotting bones in your barren fields.
Worshiped creature's supposed to heal.
He won't save you and he won't save me. See what you want to see.
Hindu religion in the mind of a working Joe,
You're tied and bound to a god's useless advice.
Bloated stomachs from aching diseases hold back the fight.
In the end you'll return once more to die again.
Go on 'til you can't no more in non-eternal sin.
The lyrics of Bad Religion's song Eat Your Dog are a powerful criticism of religion and the way it can be used to manipulate and control people. The song starts by describing the desperate state of those who are weak and sick, dying in the sand with no hope of a promised land. The singer makes it clear that he has no faith in the supposed promise of reincarnation, seeing it as a poor excuse for the suffering in the present.
As the song continues, Bad Religion highlights the limitations of religion as a source of salvation. The worship of creatures that are supposed to heal is shown to be futile, as they cannot save those who are dying and starving in the fields they used to plow. The singer rejects the idea that any god or religion can help in this situation, insisting that everyone is left to see what they want to see.
In the final verses, the song takes on a more specific target - the Hindu religion as it is experienced by working people in the fields. The singer sees them as tied and bound to useless advice from their gods, unable to fight back against the bloated stomachs and aching diseases that afflict them. In the end, Bad Religion insists that they will return once more to die again, caught in a cycle of non-eternal sin.
Overall, Eat Your Dog is a powerful attack on the idea that religion can offer any real hope in the face of suffering and despair. The lyrics argue that people need to reject the illusion of salvation and focus on making real changes to their lives and the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Weak and sick, dying in the sand, no such thing as a promised land.
The singer observes that people are physically weak and ill, dying with no hope of salvation.
Don't lose faith in a better life--reincarnation, poor excuse.
The singer believes that the idea of reincarnation is a weak excuse for believing in a better life after death.
You're dying you assholes, your religion can't help you now.
The singer addresses those who are dying, sarcastically calling them 'assholes' and indicating that their religion is useless in helping them survive.
Dying and starving in the fields you used to plow.
The artist describes people who are dying and hungry while working in the fields where they used to grow crops.
Rotting bones in your barren fields.
The artist describes the decay of human remains in fields that are no longer fertile or productive.
Worshiped creature's supposed to heal.
The singer notes that people are expected to find healing through their worship of a divine being.
He won't save you and he won't save me. See what you want to see.
The singer expresses skepticism about the power of a divine being to save people, implying that belief in such a power is a matter of subjective perception.
Hindu religion in the mind of a working Joe,
The artist comments on the presence of Hindu religious concepts in the mind of an ordinary working person.
Starving and dying in the fields you used to know.
The artist repeats the earlier line about people suffering and dying while working in fields that are no longer productive.
You're tied and bound to a god's useless advice.
The artist suggests that people are trapped and subject to the ineffective guidance of a divine power.
Bloated stomachs from aching diseases hold back the fight.
The singer describes how the physical pain and illness experienced by people prevents them from fighting for survival.
In the end you'll return once more to die again.
The artist believes that personal reincarnation is a cycle of death and rebirth that continues indefinitely.
Go on 'til you can't no more in non-eternal sin.
The singer suggests that people will continue to suffer until they reach a point of complete exhaustion, but that this suffering will have no eternal significance.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG GRAFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
coldkissofsteel
This song should have been in the Season 1 or 2 Decades shows. Or will there be a Season 3?