Knott's music has not been without controversy in Christian circles, particularly due to profanity in the song "Rocket and a Bomb" (from the self-titled release of his former band Aunt Bettys) and original artwork in that album of Jesus Christ as a bartender.
Knott explained some of his views in an interview with HM Magazine, saying "Basically, I'm a human being and I believe in Christ, period. It doesn't make my life rosy, it doesn't make my life terrible, it doesn't do anything with that. I know Christ."
Michael Knott is also the founder of the now defunct independent record label, Blonde Vinyl Records.
http://www.michaelknott.com/
I Am No Christ
Michael Knott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The glory of the men in holding is for the pseudo to be stalking
Cross me once and Iā²ll forgive you
Cross me twice and it gets hard
Cross me three times and just remember I'm no Christ
Am I the animal, am I the enemy
And when their love fears aground, they pawn the ship and they borrow
The song "I Am No Christ" by Michael Knott talks about the fragility of human holiness and how it should not be confused with divinity. The opening lines, "The shimmer of the pseudo-holy is tarnished when the bird is mocking, The glory of the men in holding is for the pseudo to be stalking," talks about how often people who appear to be religious or "holy" are seen as phony because they do not act sincerely or truthfully. The line "The bird is mocking" refers to how the natural world does not fear or respect humans as much as people think they should.
The chorus of the song, "Cross me once and I'll forgive you, Cross me twice and it gets hard, Cross me three times and just remember I'm no Christ. Am I the animal, am I the enemy," talks about the human tendency to forgive others once or twice but on the third offense, it becomes difficult to keep it going. The line "just remember I'm no Christ" is a reminder to people that while they may try to be forgiving and Christ-like, they are, in fact, human and capable of anger, frustration, and even revenge. The last two lines of the chorus, "Am I the animal, am I the enemy," speaks to the duality of human nature and how it can be difficult to categorize individuals as either good or bad.
Overall, the song challenges listeners to look at themselves and their actions with honesty and encourages them to embrace their flaws and imperfections without trying to present a false sense of holiness.
Line by Line Meaning
The shimmer of the pseudo-holy is tarnished when the bird is mocking
The appearance of holiness is fake and loses its charm when the mockingbird exposes it.
The glory of the men in holding is for the pseudo to be stalking
The pride of men who seek to possess things and people is built on a false sense of identity.
Cross me once and I'll forgive you
I am willing to forgive those who wrong me once.
Cross me twice and it gets hard
But if someone wrongs me twice, it becomes hard for me to forgive them.
Cross me three times and just remember I'm no Christ
If someone keeps on wronging me, they should know that I am not perfect like Jesus Christ.
Am I the animal, am I the enemy
I question my own nature, wondering if I am the one to blame or if someone else is at fault.
They find the maps between the pages of the Man made of sorrows
People often find guidance and hope in the pages of the Bible, highlighting Jesus' suffering.
And when their love fears aground, they pawn the ship and they borrow
When their relationships fail, people resort to desperate measures like borrowing money to fix it.
Contributed by Caroline K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PhilOKeefe
Iām proud to have worked on this record.I appreciate Michael for giving me the opportunity to do so.
@policani
Wow, I forgot how great this album was...
@xproudfoot1
The shimmer of the pseudo-holy is tarnished when the bird is mocking The glory of the men in holding is for the pseudo to be stalking Cross me once and I'll forgive you Cross me twice and it gets hard Cross me three times and just remember I'm no Christ Am I the animal, am I the enemy They find the maps between the pages of the Man made of sorrows And when their love fears aground, they pawn the ship and they borrow
@goatscrot2117
Thank you much.
@kgfstgc
Can anyone tell me what that picture is supposed to be?
@holodeck71
Unexploded depth charge.