The band's origin dates back to the summer of 1989 when Zak Tell and Jocke Skog met while working together at the Rosenlund Hospital somewhere in the vicinity of Stockholm. In 1990 they were joined by the Norwegian guitarists Bård Torstensen and Erlend Ottem who were also working at the same hospital. Soon the four realized their similar interests in music. Bård and Erlend previously played in a band called Theo in their hometown Arendal back in Norway. Their free time was invested in exploring the musical world, composing and writing songs while evolving into a band.
Their original demo comprising three tracks (Waste of Time, Nigger and Profit Preacher) quickly secured them local radio airplay and consequently brought them to the attention of the MVG label. "Nigger" is an anti-racism statement that caused quite a stir and was a massive success; it was also released as a single. By the beginning of the 1990s, Clawfinger self-released their debut Deaf Dumb Blind. This sold in over 600,000 copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed in Swedish press. With the addition of André Skaug and drummer Morten Skaug, Clawfinger went on tour and played at countless European festivals including major support slots with Anthrax and Alice in Chains.
The band received many awards, including two home Grammies at the Swedish Grammy Awards in 1994 for best hard rock band and best music video. After touring, they went straight back in the studio to record their second album, Use Your Brain. After the release of this album they went on yet another touring campaign, most notably participating at Ozzy Osbourne's Monsters of Rock Festival in Brazil and Chile, rocking alongside American metal counterparts like Megadeth, Faith No More, and Alice Cooper. Back in Europe they continued their touring campaign by participating at festivals and countless gigs.
Their self-titled album Clawfinger was released in 1997. The first song on the album is Two Sides, which expanded the band's reach by using female choir vocals and a Middle Eastern sound. The rest of the album continues with the band's typical aggressive voice and socio-political lyrics.
A Whole Lot of Nothing was the fourth album released on 23 July 2001. The music showcases the same aggressive guitars, with more distortion effects and sounds, adding a whole new level of diversification. As for the synthesizers, on this particular album they're more present than on any other of Clawfinger's works.
Zeros & Heroes was released in 2003 and it caused controversy in America because the song Step Aside did not sit well with most American audiences due to the fact it slams George W. Bush and the post 9/11 (and not only) military politics of the US. It offers yet another style change for the ears of the listener. The electronic sound and synthesizers from A Whole Lot of Nothing are gone and replaced by a more complex and melodic guitar riffing.
Hate Yourself With Style was released in 2005. The album continued the path entered on Zeros & Heroes and is characterized by hardrock style melodic speedy guitar riffs. The keyboards which particularly characterized A Whole Lot of Nothing have completely disappeared.
Life Will Kill You was released in 2007. It has spawned three singles: Prisoners, The Price We Pay, and Little Baby.
The band officially disbanded in 23 August 2013.
Current members:
Zak Tell — vocals
Jocke Skog — keyboards
Bard Torstensen — guitar
Henka Johansson — drums
Andre Skaug — bass
Profit Preacher
Clawfinger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you've got nothing to say except people pay and make my pay-check fat
you see the lord needs money to heal you to be able too save your souls
your cash your checks your N.Y flats all your silver and all your gold
I'm telling all you fine young people that anything expensive will do
just free yourselves from your material lust and let the lord take care of you
god damn you devil preacher what do you think that you're playing at
you're gaining your wealth but you're loosing yourself when you're talking all that crap
You say that you do but i feel sorry for you cos' your a god damn money taker
you don't really believe in the bible,do you even believe in yourself
well no i don't believe in the good lord you see i believe in myself
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL I'VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,YOU GIVE IT ALL AND HE STILLS WANTS MORE
YOU'RE FORGIVEN CHILD
I've got lots of better things to do than be praying on my knees
i ain't begging for no forgiveness with some pretty pretty please
It's a waste of my time i won't ever sell my soul with your dirty dirty lies
my holy book is in my head and my belief is in my eyes
I'm what you call a non-believer i won't be knocking on heavens door
it's a load of god damn bullshit and i've heard all that crap before
so no i won't buy your morals and i'll never listen to your threats
i won't confess none of my sins to you because i've paid all my debts
Your ripping off a whole nation and you make them all want to believe
they're paying you with there hard earned cash and you stick it up your sleeve
so spare me your speech because i couldn't care less for your
brainwashed point of view
no cross to bare and no god to bless you won't ever make me be like you
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL I'VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,YOU GIVE IT ALL AND HE STILLS WANTS MORE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WILL YOU SELL YOUR SOUL FOR A LIE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL YOU CAN KISS YOUR SWEET ASS GOODBYE!
Jesus christ was crucified and with him your religion died
leaving nothing left but pain and greed,religious wars is all you breed
the nature of our human will was not to learn to rape and kill
the rights of every human creature we don't need no devil-preacher
Profit before people is that moral to you
well i guess it is with your damn show-biz you make there dreams come true
you keep filling up ypu pockets and you fill them all up with belief
with your lies of love and the good god above and then Jesus brought us peace
Standing on the t.v screen your suit is straight and your teeth are clean
telling lies that fool the nation the god above was your creation
It's all so easy to see,it's a load of fucking bullshit to me
and as far as i'm concerned you're the Judas of humanity
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL I'VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,YOU GIVE IT ALL AND HE STILLS WANTS MORE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WILL YOU SELL YOUR SOUL FOR A LIE
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL YOU CAN KISS YOUR SWEET ASS GOODBYE!
The song “Profit Preacher” by Clawfinger is a scathing criticism of television preachers who use religion as a guise to accumulate wealth. The lyrics are a condemnation of the greediness and hypocrisy of these preachers, who manipulate people into giving them money in exchange for promises of eternal salvation.
The song starts with the singer addressing a TV preacher and asking him to stop spouting nonsense and taking advantage of people’s faith. The preacher claims that the Lord requires money to heal people’s souls, thus justifying his own exorbitant paychecks and luxurious lifestyle. He advises people to free themselves from material lust and let the Lord take care of them, but the singer sees through this hypocrisy and calls the preacher a “money taker.”
The chorus echoes the idea that the “good Lord” wants people to give everything they have and still demands more, exposing the preacher’s greed. The singer asserts that he doesn’t believe in Jesus or the Bible but believes in himself and has his own moral code. He refuses to confess his sins to the preacher or sell his soul with “dirty lies.” He also accuses the preacher of ripping off an entire nation and “sticking it up his sleeve” while brainwashing people with his point of view.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics shift to criticize the nature of religion itself, citing the violent history of religious wars and the hypocrisy of religious leaders who only care about profit. Clawfinger ultimately condemns these profit preachers as the “Judas of humanity” and asserts that they will have to face the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Please Mr.T.V preacher won't you spare me from all of your crap
Asking a TV preacher to refrain from his lies and meaningless rhetoric.
you've got nothing to say except people pay and make my pay-check fat
TV preachers only care about getting paid and have no meaningful message.
you see the lord needs money to heal you to be able too save your souls
TV preachers claim that the Lord needs money in order to be able to heal and save souls.
your cash your checks your N.Y flats all your silver and all your gold
TV preachers are obsessed with wealth and material possessions.
I'm telling all you fine young people that anything expensive will do
TV preachers convince people that expensive things are necessary to be saved by the Lord.
just free yourselves from your material lust and let the lord take care of you
Emphasizing that people should break free from materialism and let the Lord guide them.
god damn you devil preacher what do you think that you're playing at
Calling out TV preachers for their greed and lies.
you're gaining your wealth but you're loosing yourself when you're talking all that crap
TV preachers lose their credibility and self-respect while promoting their lies for personal gain.
you see i don't believe in jesus he ain't the son of our creator
Expressing disbelief in the idea that Jesus is the son of the Creator.
You say that you do but i feel sorry for you cos' your a god damn money taker
Pitying TV preachers who claim to believe in Jesus but are actually just interested in money.
you don't really believe in the bible,do you even believe in yourself
Questioning the sincerity of belief in the Bible and self-belief among TV preachers.
well no i don't believe in the good lord you see i believe in myself
Rejecting the idea of believing in the Lord and instead putting faith in oneself.
THE GOOD LORD WANTS YOU TO DO IT,WELL I'VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE
Dismissing the claims of TV preachers who try to manipulate people into doing something in the name of the Lord.
YOU'RE FORGIVEN CHILD
TV preachers use the idea of forgiveness as a tool for manipulation.
i've got lots of better things to do than be praying on my knees
Choosing to devote time to more meaningful pursuits than prayer.
i ain't begging for no forgiveness with some pretty pretty please
Rejecting the idea that one needs to beg for forgiveness from a higher power.
It's a waste of my time i won't ever sell my soul with your dirty dirty lies
Believing that the lies and manipulation of TV preachers are not worth sacrificing one's integrity.
my holy book is in my head and my belief is in my eyes
One's beliefs should come from within and not be dictated by external sources such as TV preachers.
I'm what you call a non-believer i won't be knocking on heavens door
Declaring oneself to be a non-believer and not interested in pursuing a relationship with a higher power.
it's a load of god damn bullshit and i've heard all that crap before
Rejecting the ideas of TV preachers as untrue and repetitive.
so no i won't buy your morals and i'll never listen to your threats
Rejecting the morals and threats that TV preachers use to manipulate people.
Your ripping off a whole nation and you make them all want to believe
TV preachers take advantage of a vulnerable population in order to spread their lies.
they're paying you with there hard earned cash and you stick it up your sleeve
TV preachers take money from people despite having no meaningful message.
no cross to bare and no god to bless you won't ever make me be like you
Resisting the pressure from TV preachers to conform and instead advocating for individualism.
Jesus christ was crucified and with him your religion died
The idea that religion has lost its meaning and has become a tool for manipulation and greed.
leaving nothing left but pain and greed,religious wars is all you breed
Religion is often a source of conflict, especially when used by individuals for their own personal gain.
the nature of our human will was not to learn to rape and kill
The idea that humans are naturally good and kind, and that religion can be used to manipulate and steer individuals away from their inherent goodness.
the rights of every human creature we don't need no devil-preacher
Emphasizing the importance of protecting the rights of all individuals without the need for religious guidance.
Profit before people is that moral to you
Questioning the morality of prioritizing profit over the well-being of people.
you keep filling up ypu pockets and you fill them all up with belief
TV preachers enrich themselves at the expense of manipulating people's beliefs and religious convictions.
with your lies of love and the good god above and then Jesus brought us peace
TV preachers use the concepts of love, God, and peace as tools for manipulation and control.
telling lies that fool the nation the god above was your creation
Denouncing the claims of TV preachers that they have a direct line to God and are responsible for creating the concept of God.
It's all so easy to see,it's a load of fucking bullshit to me
Calling out the lies and manipulation tactics of TV preachers.
and as far as i'm concerned you're the Judas of humanity
Accusing TV preachers of betraying humanity and causing harm through their lies and greed.
WILL YOU SELL YOUR SOUL FOR A LIE
Asking if TV preachers will sacrifice their integrity for personal gain.
WELL YOU CAN KISS YOUR SWEET ASS GOODBYE!
Dismissing the idea that TV preachers have anything to offer or any credibility to speak on matters of morality and spirituality.
Contributed by Camilla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.