With guitar in hand, Craig can turn any setting into an intimate affair, infusing his music and lyrics with an uncompromising humanism rarely seen in today's production-heavy climate.
Craig makes it a point to keep the relationship with his fans personal, inviting and accepting any opportunity to make his audience as much a part of the performance as he is. Don't be surprised if one day you find yourself enjoying one of Craig's renowned shows in the comfort of your own living room.
In 2012, Cardiff was nominated for a Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo, and for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Contemporary Singer of the Year.
For more information, tour dates, and music, please visit the official Craig Cardiff site.
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Craig Cardiff's Bandcamp page
God Said No
Craig Cardiff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the wind meets the stillness
Where the darkness meets the light
Where the ocean meets the sky
Where the desert meets the rain
Where the earth meets the heavens
On the edge of town I met God
Do one thing for me
Send me back in time
Send me to Seattle
Let me go
Find Kurt Cobain
Take away his gun
Take away his bullets
Talk to him
Make him wanna live
Tell him how we love him
Help him see his glory
God said no
If I sent you back
If you really found him
You would only ask him
If he could
Help you get a deal
If he knows a lawyer
If he can help you
God said no
I asked God
Do one thing for me
Send me back in time
Send me to Berlin
Let me find
The one they call Hitler
I will stalk him
I will bring him down
I will bring along
A powerful gun
Loaded with bullets
Obliterate his memory
God said no
If I sent you back
You would get caught up
In theory and discussion
You would let your fears
Delay and distract you
You would make friends
You would take a lover
God said no
I asked God
Do one thing for me
Send me back in time
Send me to Jerusalem
Let me go
Let me go find Jesus
Let me save his life
As they try to kill him
Let me take him down
Down from the cross
Take the iron from his body
Try to heal his wounds
God said no
If I let you go
If you really found him
Walking with the cross
You would stare
Your tongue no longer working
Eyes no longer seeing
Ears no longer hearing
God said time
Time belongs to me
Time's my secret weapon
My final advantage
God turned away
From the edge of town
I knew I was beaten
And that now was all I had
God said no
The song “God Said No” by Craig Cardiff is a thought-provoking and contemplative piece that highlights the questions and frustrations we often direct towards God. The lyrics depict an individual meeting God on the edge of town where the land meets the sea, the dark meets the light, and where their realities converge. The person makes an appeal to God to help them travel back in time to save the lives of some prominent historical figures, namely Kurt Cobain, Adolf Hitler, and Jesus.
The first verse of the song sets up the meeting place, and the second to the last line of the verse - “On the edge of town, I met God” - establishes the theme of the song. When the person meets God, they make a request, asking him to send them back in time to save Kurt Cobain from ending his life. However, God denies the request, stating that the individual would only use the opportunity to get famous, not to save Cobain. The person also makes a request to travel to Berlin to eliminate Hitler before he orchestrated the atrocities of World War II. God denies this request, stating that the person would get caught up in politics and personal interests rather than genuinely trying to save millions of lives. Lastly, the person pleads with God to let them travel back in time to Jerusalem to save Jesus from crucifixion. God denies this request as well, citing that time is beyond their control, and the person would be a mere spectator, not a savior.
The song touches on fundamental questions surrounding the idea of God and human suffering. It shows that desperation and a desire to interfere in past events cannot always be answered but that faith and trust in God’s ultimate plan may bring peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I met God on the edge of town
I found God in a place between two contrasting elements
Where the wind meets the stillness
Where the chaos meets the calm
Where the darkness meets the light
Where the obfuscation meets the clarity
Where the ocean meets the sky
Where the earthly meets the heavenly
Where the desert meets the rain
Where the desolate meets the prospering
Where the earth meets the heavens
Where the finite meets the infinite
On the edge of town I met God
This place is where I encountered God
Do one thing for me
I have a request for you
Send me back in time
Take me backward in time
Send me to Seattle
Let me go back in time to a specific place - Seattle
Let me go
Allow me to go and do something
Find Kurt Cobain
Locate Kurt Cobain
Take away his gun
Relieve him of his weapon
Take away his bullets
Dispossess him of the bullets
Talk to him
Engage him in a conversation
Make him wanna live
Cause him to desire to keep living
Tell him how we love him
Make him understand how much we love him
Help him see his glory
Aid him in acknowledging his accomplishments
God said no
God refused my request
If I sent you back
If I were to grant your request
If you really found him
If you managed to find Kurt Cobain
You would only ask him
Your mission would merely be to ask him
If he could
Whether he could do something
Help you get a deal
Assist you in obtaining an agreement
If he knows a lawyer
Whether he is familiar with a lawyer
If he can help you
Whether he can assist you
I asked God
I made another request to God
Send me to Berlin
Take me back in time to Berlin
Let me find
Allow me to locate
The one they call Hitler
The one commonly known as Hitler
I will stalk him
I will pursue him
I will bring him down
I will apprehend him
I will bring along
I will carry with me
A powerful gun
A weapon of great strength
Loaded with bullets
Bullets have been equipped into the weapon
Obliterate his memory
Erase his recollection of events from his mind
If I sent you back
If God were to grant your request
You would get caught up
You would become too engrossed
In theory and discussion
In speculations and debates
You would let your fears
Your anxiety would cause you to
Delay and distract you
Cause you to procrastinate and lose focus
You would make friends
You would create friendships
You would take a lover
You would enter into a romantic relationship
Send me to Jerusalem
I made another plea to God
Let me save his life
Allow me to rescue him
As they try to kill him
As people attempt to murder him
Let me take him down
Let me lower him from the cross
Down from the cross
Removed from the instrument of death
Take the iron from his body
Extract the metal from his body
Try to heal his wounds
Attempt to restore his health
If I let you go
If I granted your request
If you really found him
If you indeed found him
Walking with the cross
Bearing the cross on his way to Golgotha
You would stare
You would be left in awe
Your tongue no longer working
Your ability to speak rendered useless
Eyes no longer seeing
Your vision now impaired
Ears no longer hearing
Your ability to hear no longer functional
God said time
God revealed a single word response to my request - 'time'
Time belongs to me
God claimed sole ownership of time
Time's my secret weapon
God revealed time to be his secret instrument
My final advantage
The ultimate tool at my disposal
God turned away
At that instant, God averted his attention
From the edge of town
He departed from the location where we had previously met
I knew I was beaten
I realized I had lost
And that now was all I had
All I had left was the moment for which I found myself in
God said no
God rejected all of my requests
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Dan Bern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@81TBladon
This is a stunning rendition of DB’s masterpiece. Beautiful. 💜 Thank you.
@CraigCardiffMusic
i love DB's music/writing.
@xenaottawa3265
I love this version a lot I met him at MWC when I was about 17 good times 😃😇
@joshuasellers8725
Beautiful cover... I may even prefer this to the original!
@CraigCardiffMusic
i love Dan Bern - amazing artist!
@AlexITheHomePageOf
I actually thought this was yours originally, lyrically a bit more religious than I'd heard from you before, but I can still appreciate it, it's gorgeously written and you pay an amazing tribute to it.
@CraigCardiffMusic
listen to all of Dan Bern's writing. Really great.
@sunsetguy37
Rhona, for Brittany's service I had this song adapted and he asked to go back and destroy the labs that made deadly drugs.
@pjdemorest26
Whats the name of the hidden song? I can't find the lyrics for it anywhere! its so beautiful.
@brettgreene9492
Ani Defranco - You Had Time