Ian Gillan (born on 19 August 1945), is a rock music vocalist best known as… Read Full Bio ↴Ian Gillan (born on 19 August 1945), is a rock music vocalist best known as the lead singer for legendary rock band Deep Purple. He is considered to be one of the foremost rock vocalists, who introduced into the rock music the vocal belting technique. In his prime he possessed a very wide vocal range which was rumored to be 4 and a half to 5 octaves and with seemingly effortless and fluid movement throughout it and with remarkable force and precision in the upper register.

Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.

Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.

Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.

That's Why God Is Singing The Blues
Ian Gillan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We took the p out of paradise
Just to produce this hell
And all we're going to leave behind
Is this decaying putrid smell
We've lived in this world
Seen her used and abused
That's why god is singing the blues

They felled a great oak over there
They filled a duck pond over here
We've got a glass and concrete monster now
That feeds and caters to our fears
Maybe it's too late
To spoil another view
That's why god is singing the blues

Forgive us father
For we know not what we do
Blame it on each other
And in the name of you
Forgive us mother
For the pain we caused
We destroyed what's yours
That's why papa's singing the blues

Polluted all the oceans
Pulped all the trees
Plagued by chronic boredom
We blew a hole in the atmosphere
We tore out her heart
Left her battered and bruised
That's why god is singing the blues

Forgive us father
For we know not what we do
Blame it on each other
And in the name of you
Forgive us mother
For the pain we caused
We destroyed what's yours
That's why papa's singing the blues

You may believe in evolution
You may believe in god's great creation
The only thing we know for sure
We got a man made situation
We turned this whole world
Into a dying zoo
That's why god is singing the blues

You better live on your feet
Than die on your knees
I stole that from some graffiti
Lord have mercy please
Living in this babylon

Keeps us confused
That's why god is singing the blues

Overall Meaning

Ian Gillan's "That's Why God Is Singing The Blues" is a powerful and impassioned commentary on humanity's disregard for the natural world. The song expresses deep regret and sorrow for the destruction and ruin of the earth, and acknowledges the responsibility of humanity for its state. The lyrics suggest that the world was once a paradise, but humanity's greed and shortsightedness has turned it into a hellish place. The vivid imagery of the lyrics describes the destruction of the natural world, from felling trees to polluting oceans, tearing out the earth's heart, and leaving her battered and bruised. The song points towards the fact that while people may believe in different things, it is clear that mankind has created our own disastrous situation.

The lyrics express a sense of despair at the state of the world, and a plea for forgiveness for the harm that has been done. The song calls on people to take action and live with intention, to prevent further damage to the earth, and to try to repair the harm that has already been done. Gillan's vocals are emotional and soulful, reflecting the pain and sadness of the lyrics, and the need for humanity to make changes in order to ensure a better future for ourselves and our planet.

Line by Line Meaning

We took the p out of paradise Just to produce this hell
We ruined the perfection of paradise and created this awful world.

And all we're going to leave behind Is this decaying putrid smell
We're only going to leave behind a world that is rotting and decaying.

We've lived in this world Seen her used and abused That's why god is singing the blues
We've seen the world mistreated and exploited, and that's why God is sad about it.

They felled a great oak over there They filled a duck pond over here We've got a glass and concrete monster now That feeds and caters to our fears
We destroyed nature and replaced it with cold, lifeless buildings that only serve to amplify our anxieties.

Maybe it's too late To spoil another view That's why god is singing the blues
It's quite possibly too late to preserve any natural beauty, and thus God is grieving its loss.

Forgive us father For we know not what we do Blame it on each other And in the name of you Forgive us mother For the pain we caused We destroyed what's yours That's why papa's singing the blues
We respectfully ask forgiveness because we ignorantly harmed the earth, the God's creation.

Polluted all the oceans Pulped all the trees Plagued by chronic boredom We blew a hole in the atmosphere We tore out her heart Left her battered and bruised That's why god is singing the blues
We have done great damage to the earth by polluting the seas, deforesting the landscape, and causing human beings to grow bored, all of which contributes to climate change.

You may believe in evolution You may believe in god's great creation The only thing we know for sure We got a man made situation We turned this whole world Into a dying zoo That's why god is singing the blues
Be it evolution or creation that brought us here, we can agree that the world is falling apart due to the actions of humanity, and it saddens God.

You better live on your feet Than die on your knees I stole that from some graffiti Lord have mercy please Living in this babylon Keeps us confused That's why god is singing the blues
We should live life to the fullest and not give up, even when we feel powerless to change the world. The chaotic world, much like Babylon, makes us confused and disoriented, which makes God sad.

Contributed by Skyler E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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