Pulling together the biblical sound and isolation of the bygone days of revelation with an atmosphere filled with hope and salvation, King Dude has woven his own brand of American music. He brandishes many varied influences in his songwriting. Everything from British Folk, Americana, Country and Blues can be heard in his songs. Even the heavier sounds of Heavy Metal tend to sneak and slither it's way into the King Dude canon. The resulting songs are much more of a modern day hymn then average pop song.
Jesus in the Courtyard
King Dude Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jesus around his neck
No one wants him in this world
Nor the fucking next
Don't you wanna know why?
Ohhh, don't you wanna know why?
He gonna leave this world by anger
Only ever loved a woman in his life
A little lady named Mrs. Anthrop
Don't you wanna know why?
Ohh, don't you wanna know why?
'Cause Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Satan's in the cornfields startin' fires
Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Ohhh Lord, Oh Lord
He's all dressed in black as midnight
A funeral's his church
Your misery's his company
Your sorrow is his hearse
Don't you wanna know why?
Uhh, don't you wanna know why?
Jesus will not save him
A savior will not rise
Satan kissed him on his cheek
Said his last goodbye
Don't you wanna know why?
Ohhh, don't you wanna know why?
'Cause Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Satan's in the cornfields startin' fires
Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Ohh Lord, Ohhh Lord
The song "Jesus in the Courtyard" by King Dude delves into themes of death, religion, and the struggles of the human condition. The opening lines, "He got the devil around his finger, Jesus around his neck, no one wants him in this world, nor the fucking next" alludes to the persona's identity as an outcast both among the living and the dead. The persona is holding onto both the devil and Jesus, one representing sin and the other salvation. The phrase "Jesus around his neck" could also signify the suffocation of religion on the persona. The question, "don't you wanna know why?" is a recurring inquiry throughout the song. It's unclear who is being addressed or the significance of the question itself. It could be a challenge to the listener to question themselves or a universal inquiry.
The persona's fate is revealed in the next stanza, "He gonna leave this world by anger, by gun smoke or by rope." The persona is destined to leave the world in a way that reflects their struggles, by either violence or suicide. The one bright spot in the persona's life is the love they shared with a woman named Mrs. Anthrop, who is mentioned in the song. The phrase "loved a woman" suggests that the persona is no longer with Mrs. Anthrop, adding to the overall gloomy tone of the song.
As the song progresses, the idea of the devil and religion persist, but the motif of death becomes more prominent. The persona is compared to death itself- "All dressed in black as midnight, a funeral's his church. Your misery's his company, your sorrow is his hearse." The persona becomes the embodiment of death, reveling in the misery of others. In the closing stanza, the finality of the persona's fate becomes clear- "Jesus will not save him, a savior will not rise. Satan kissed him on his cheek, said his last goodbye." The persona is beyond salvation, doomed to face their fate alone.
Line by Line Meaning
He got the devil around his finger
He has a strong grip on evil and wickedness and is influenced by it.
Jesus around his neck
He is religious and has a strong faith in Jesus Christ.
No one wants him in this world
He is disliked and unwanted by most people in the world.
Nor the fucking next
He is likely to face damnation in the afterlife.
Don't you wanna know why?
He poses rhetorical questions to the listener, curious whether they want to know why he is the way he is.
He gonna leave this world by anger
He will likely die from feelings of anger and hate.
By gun smoke or by rope
His method of death will likely be violent or self-inflicted.
Only ever loved a woman in his life
Out of all his experiences in life, he has only ever truly loved one woman, Mrs. Anthrop.
A little lady named Mrs. Anthrop
This is the name of the woman he has loved in his life.
'Cause Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
Jesus is delivering a message to him and others who are present in the courtyard.
Jesus in the Courtyard telling us
The message being delivered by Jesus is an important one, so much so that the singer repeats it for emphasis.
Satan's in the cornfields startin' fires
Satan is present and is causing trouble akin to starting fires in the cornfields.
He's all dressed in black as midnight
He is dressed completely in black clothing that is comparable in darkness to midnight.
A funeral's his church
Funerals serve as his place of worship and where he feels most at home.
Your misery's his company
He takes comfort in other people's pain and unhappiness.
Your sorrow is his hearse
People's sorrow and grief serve as a vehicle for him to carry out his dark deeds.
Jesus will not save him
He believes that Jesus will not be able to save him from his eventual damnation.
A savior will not rise
He believes that there is no hope for him, and no one will come to his aid or rescue.
Satan kissed him on his cheek
Satan has shown him favor and friendship up until the end.
Said his last goodbye
Satan has now left him and this serves as a final farewell.
Ohhh Lord, Oh Lord
These emotional outbursts reflect a sense of hopelessness and despair that the singer is experiencing.
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
qq84
KING DUDE - "JESUS IN THE COURTYARD"
[Verse 1]
He got the devil around his finger
Jesus around his neck
No one wants him in this world
Or the fucking next
Don't you wanna know why?
Oh, don't you wanna know why?
He gonna leave this world by anger
By gun smoke or by rope
Only ever loved a woman in his life
A little lady named Misanthrope
Don't you wanna know why?
Oh, don't you wanna know why?
[Chorus]
'Cause Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
Satan's in the cornfield starting fires
Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, Lord
Oh, Lord
[Verse 2]
He's all dressed in black as midnight
Your funeral's his church
Your misery's his company
Your sorrow is his hearse
Don't you wanna know why?
Oh, don't you wanna know why?
Jesus will not save him
A savior will not rise
Satan kissed him on his cheek
Said his last goodbye
Don't you wanna know why?
Oh, don't you wanna know why?
[Chorus]
'Cause Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
Satan's in the cornfield starting fires
Jesus in the courtyard telling lies
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, Lord
Oh, Lord
Death Roots Syndicate
Much Respect for the Dude. This is one of my favorite dark roots songs.
masterofhi50
Saw these guys with Ghost, guy booed them between songs and the singer stopped and threatened to fight the guy. Great night
timkearns55
We did the same thing to them in Dallas. My bro tried to fight the guy and threw his crown and coke on the singer. But that's because they had a burned upside down American flag and he got mad because he's a combat vet who has done multiple tours. The security guard didn't like king dude either so he let him back in for ghost and bought his drinks.
Julee Cruise
This, besides our diet he wrote is m y favorite so far
Julee Cruise
K
TJ Cowgill, takes.no shot, but. Actually, he is a Peaceful Loving Man.
Charles Key III
Wait, was this in Memphis?
Aka Aoife
@masterofhi50 yeah that sounds like him I saw him and some drunk people were screaming and he reacted just like that
Cloudcoldstone
Saw these guys with Ghost last night and they put on a hell of a show. I will say that the recordings that they have sound quite different. The drums have soo much bass live and it sounds killer that way.
Cloudcoldstone
Ghost was indeed epic my friend.
Cj Childerz
There too, I was impressed. Ghost was epic though.