Heaven On Their Minds
Carl Anderson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

My mind is clearer now
At last
All too well
I can see
Where we all
Soon will be
If you strip away
The myth
From the man
You will see
Where we all
Soon will be

Jesus
You've started to believe
The things they say of you
You really do believe
This talk of God is true

And all the good you've done
Will soon be swept away
You've begun to matter more
Than the things you say

Listen Jesus
I don't like what I see
All I ask is that you listen to me
And remember
I've been your right hand man all along
You have set them all on fire
They think they've found the new Messiah
And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong

I remember when this whole thing began
No talk of God then, we called you a man
And believe me
My admiration for you hasn't died
But every word you say today
Gets twisted 'round some other way
And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied

Nazareth's most famous son
Should have stayed a great unknown
Like his father carving wood
He'd have made good
Tables, chairs and oaken chests
Would have suited Jesus best
He'd have caused nobody harm
No one alarm

Listen Jesus, do you care for your race?
Don't you see we must keep in our place?
We are occupied
Have you forgotten how put down we are?
I am frightened by the crowd
For we are getting much too loud
And they'll crush us if we go too far
If we go too far

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
But it's sad to see our chances weakening with every hour
All your followers are blind
Too much heaven on their minds
It was beautiful, but now it's sour
Yes it's all gone sour
Ah ah ah ah ah
God Jesus, it's all gone sour

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
So come on, come on, listen to me
Ah ah
Come on, listen, listen to me




Come on and listen to me
Ah ah

Overall Meaning

The song "Heaven On Their Minds" from the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" is sung by Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples. The lyrics describe Judas' growing concern over Jesus' rising popularity and the increasingly dangerous world in which they live. He urges Jesus to listen to him and to remember the consequences of speaking out against the Roman Empire, as well as the potential risks of being perceived as an enemy by the Pharisees.


The opening lines of the song reveal a more lucid moment for Judas, claiming that his mind is "clearer now," and he can see more clearly where things are headed. He warns Jesus that his message is getting twisted and distorted, and that "all they see is the glory": the heaven that they believe is imminent. Judas is worried that the people will turn on Jesus once they realize that he is not the Messiah they hoped for, and that they will crush them if they go too far. He urges Jesus to abandon his message before it's too late and to remember that he cares about his followers and their future.


Overall, the lyrics of "Heaven On Their Minds" portray Judas as a conflicted figure, torn between his admiration for Jesus and his concern for their mutual safety. The song explores themes of disillusionment, betrayal, and the dangers of blind faith.


Line by Line Meaning

My mind is clearer now
I am thinking more clearly now


At last
After a long time


All too well
Very well; too well to be comfortable


I can see
I understand


Where we all
Where all of us


Soon will be
Will be in the near future


If you strip away
If you remove


The myth
The legend or story


From the man
From the person


You will see
You will understand


Jesus
Addressing Jesus


You’ve started to believe
You have begun to believe


The things they say of you
What people are saying about you


You really do believe
You truly believe


This talk of God is true
The talk about God is accurate


And all the good you've done
All the good things you have accomplished


Will soon be swept away
Will soon be destroyed


You’ve begun to matter more
You have started to become more important


Than the things you say
More important than your words


Listen Jesus
Pay attention, Jesus


I don’t like what I see
I am concerned about what is happening


All I ask is that you listen to me
I just want you to hear me out


And remember
Don’t forget


I’ve been your right hand man all along
I have been your closest assistant all this time


You have set them all on fire
You have put them in a heightened state of excitement


They think they’ve found the new Messiah
They believe they have discovered a new savior


And they’ll hurt you when they find they’re wrong
And they will harm you when they realize they are mistaken


I remember when this whole thing began
I recall when all of this started


No talk of God then, we called you a man
We didn't mention God at that time, we just called you a regular person


And believe me
Trust me


My admiration for you hasn’t died
My respect and admiration for you have not faded


But every word you say today
However, everything you say now


Gets twisted 'round some other way
Is misinterpreted in another way


And they’ll hurt you if they think you’ve lied
And they will harm you if they believe you are lying


Nazareth’s most famous son
The most renowned person from Nazareth


Should have stayed a great unknown
Would have been better off remaining unknown


Like his father carving wood
Like his father who was a woodworker


He’d have made good tables, chairs and oaken chests
He would have been a skilled carpenter


Would have suited Jesus best
That would have been Jesus’ best profession


He’d have caused nobody harm
He would not have troubled anyone


No one alarm
No cause to worry


Listen Jesus, do you care for your race?
Hey Jesus, do you have concern for your people?


Don’t you see we must keep in our place?
Do you not realize that we should stay in our assigned position?


We are occupied
We are under the control of a foreign power


Have you forgotten how put down we are?
Have you forgotten how oppressed we are?


I am frightened by the crowd
I am scared of the people


For we are getting much too loud
We are becoming too vocal


And they’ll crush us if we go too far
And they will suppress us if we take things too far


Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Jesus, pay attention to the caution I am offering


Please remember that I want us to live
Remember that I want us to stay alive


But it’s sad to see our chances weakening with every hour
However, it is disheartening to see our opportunities decreasing each hour


All your followers are blind
All your supporters are unable to see things clearly


Too much heaven on their minds
They are too preoccupied with heaven and spirituality


It was beautiful, but now it’s sour
It was once lovely, but now it has turned unpleasant


Yes it’s all gone sour
Indeed, things have turned bitter


God Jesus, it’s all gone sour
Great God, things have turned bitter


Come on, come on, listen to me
Come on, come on, pay attention to me


Ah ah
Vocal interjection


Come on and listen to me
Please come and listen to me




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, TIM RICE

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

More Versions