The Pope
Cadell Meryn Lyrics
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Well, sure I was depressed, but I always am,
Some people love life, well not me.
But then the choppers came
Two by two by ten
Announcing Apocalypse of a different kind
So I ran out of my room, ran down the stairs,
Down the street, into Nathan Phillips Square
The pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
We all here to see the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
Well, you got your pope pennants, buttons, your pope clothes,
You got your pope binoculars to see him up close
And I cried when I saw that man in white.
I cried, much to my surrounders' delight.
I cried, 'cause I couldn't breathe anymore; I cried
'cause people were stepping on my feet.
Hey, hey Mr. Holiness way over there,
Maybe we love you, but we're sadly lacking air.
Well I love that man, Pope John Paul the 3rd
I love him probably more than he deserves.
Okay, so he persecutes homosexuals, does not believe in abortion,
Visits with Kurt Waldheim and tells us not to take the pill ...
There's still a certain je ne sais quoi –
Some peace, some love, some goodwill.
Yeah, the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
We all here to see the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
Well, you got your pope pennants, buttons, your pope clothes,
You got your pope binoculars to see him up close
And I cried when I saw that man in white.
I cried, much to my surrounders' delight.
I cried, 'cause I couldn't breathe anymore; I cried
'cause people were stepping on my feet.
Hey, hey Mr. Holiness way over there,
Maybe we love you, but we're sadly lacking air.
Then he scooted away in that great Popemobile
I was feeling so trampled, I didn't know what else to feel
Then we all kissed the ground where John Paul had been ...
I can hardly wait till someone famous comes to town again.
Yeah, the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
Uh huh, the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope, pope, pope
The Pope by Cadell Meryn is a satirical commentary on the phenomenon associated with papal visits. Meryn, who was a journalist at the time, sets the scene for the song by describing a regular day in her room with a cup of coffee, which was interrupted by a chorus of helicopters announcing the visit of the Pope. She then rushes out to Nathan Phillips Square, where she witnesses the frenzy of the fans who have come to catch a glimpse of the Pope. Meryn describes the scene as chaotic, with people running and horses everywhere.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the word "pope," which highlights the absurdity of the situation. Meryn describes the fans as having pope pennants, buttons, and clothes, and they all enthusiastically use their pope binoculars to see him up close. Through her lyrics, Meryn humorously describes the struggles she faces as she tries to see the Pope amidst the chaos. She cries, not out of admiration for the Pope, but because she can hardly breathe due to the number of people around her. Meryn concludes the song with the Pope leaving in his "great Popemobile" while she and others "kiss the ground" where he had been.
Overall, the song serves as a critique of the intense idolization of public figures, who are often blindly followed by fans, regardless of their actions or beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
It began as a regular day in my room with a cup of hot black coffee.
The day started normally for me, with me having hot black coffee in my room.
Well, sure I was depressed, but I always am,
Although I was feeling depressed, it's a usual feeling for me.
Some people love life, well not me.
Unlike some people who enjoy life, I don't.
But then the choppers came,
Suddenly, helicopters appeared.
Two by two by ten,
The helicopters appeared in a group of ten, with two helicopters in each group.
Announcing Apocalypse of a different kind,
The helicopters were making an announcement of a unique kind of situation.
So I ran out of my room, ran down the stairs, Down the street, into Nathan Phillips Square People, people running and horses everywhere, yeah
I ran out of my room and went to Nathan Phillips Square, where I saw many people and horses running around in chaos.
The pope, pope, pope, pope, pope. We all here to see the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope.
Everyone was there to see the pope, chanting his name.
Well, you got your pope pennants, buttons, your pope clothes, You got your pope binoculars to see him up close
People had various things related to Pope, such as pennants, buttons, clothes, and binoculars to get a closer look.
And I cried when I saw that man in white. I cried, much to my surrounders' delight. I cried, 'cause I couldn't breathe anymore; I cried 'cause people were stepping on my feet.
I couldn't control my emotions and cried when I saw the pope. However, my surrounding people seemed to be enjoying my emotional breakdown. I was having difficulty breathing because of the crowd around me stepping on my feet.
Hey, hey Mr. Holiness way over there, Maybe we love you, but we're sadly lacking air.
I tried to address the pope, telling him that I loved him, but the crowd was making it difficult to breathe.
Well I love that man, Pope John Paul the 3rd I love him probably more than he deserves.
I had a deep affection for Pope John Paul III, even more than he deserved.
Okay, so he persecutes homosexuals, does not believe in abortion, Visits with Kurt Waldheim and tells us not to take the pill ... There's still a certain je ne sais quoi Some peace, some love, some goodwill.
Even though Pope John Paul III had some controversial views, he still had a certain aura of peace, love, and goodwill around him.
Then he scooted away in that great Popemobile I was feeling so trampled, I didn't know what else to feel
After the event was over, Pope John Paul III left in his Popemobile. I was still feeling overwhelmed by the crowd and didn't know what to feel.
Then we all kissed the ground where John Paul had been ... I can hardly wait till someone famous comes to town again.
After the pope left, everyone kissed the ground where he stood. I was looking forward to the next celebrity's visit to the town.
Yeah, the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope. Uh huh, the pope, pope, pope, pope, pope, pope, pope
The crowd was still chanting the name of the pope as the event came to an end.
Contributed by Dylan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.