After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
Baby Jesus
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That statue of baby Jesus
In the window
In the window of the 99 cent store
Last night I saw the owner kiss it
And whisper in its ear
I was walking home from Walgreen's
And on the very, very next morning
All the subway cars were hallelu-leluing
Welcome back the baby king, the baby king
All the believers, they were smiling
And winking at each other
I could honestly say I was
Scared for my life!
They said:
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
And the believers get to spit on their graves
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
And the believers get to spit on their graves
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
You know that statue
That statue of baby Jesus
In the window
In the window of the 99 cent store
Well, they've been showing it on the news
It was thirty times its size
With a megaphone and a heart-shaped bruise
It was hovering in the skies
And all the
Subway cars were hallelu-lelu-leluing
Hallelujah
Welcome back the baby king, the baby king
All the believers they were smiling
And winking at each other
I could honestly say I was
Scared for my life!
They said:
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
And the believers get to spit on their graves
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
And the believers get to spit on their graves
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
All non-believers
Believe!
Believe!
Believe, believe, believe!
Believe!
Believe!
Believe, believe, believe!
Believebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelieve
Believe...
You know that statue
That statue of baby Jesus
In the window
In the window of the 99 cent store
When I woke up I ran and bought it
And locked it in my closet
With a little bread and water
And a flashlight and a first-aid kit
Till he grows
The lyrics to Regina Spektor's song "Baby Jesus" tell the story of a statue of baby Jesus in the window of a discount store. The singer of the song witnesses the owner of the store kissing and whispering to the statue. The next morning, the subway cars are filled with believers exclaiming "Hallelujah, welcome back the baby king." The singer becomes scared for their life as they hear the chanting of "All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt, and the believers get to spit on their graves." The song continues with the singer expressing their desire to protect the statue by buying it and keeping it safe with bread, water, a flashlight, and a first-aid kit.
The song is thought to be an exploration of the power of religious beliefs and the often irrational acts that these beliefs can lead people to. The scene of the owner of the store whispering to the statue, which then leads to a mass celebration upon its return, shows how a simple act of faith can spiral into a larger event. The singer's fear of the chanting and threats of violence against non-believers also illustrates the dangerous side of absolute faith. Overall, the song suggests a warning about the possible negative consequences of extreme beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
You know that statue
The singer is referring to a statue of baby Jesus, that the audience is probably familiar with.
That statue of baby Jesus
A specific statue of baby Jesus is being talked about.
In the window
The statue is on display in a shop window.
In the window of the 99 cent store
The shop that is displaying the statue is a 99 cent store.
Last night I saw the owner kiss it
The artist observed the owner of the 99 cent store kissing the statue.
And whisper in its ear
The owner whispered something to the statue.
I was walking home from Walgreen's
The singer was walking home from Walgreen's
And he did not hear me see him
The owner did not realize or hear the artist observing him.
And on the very, very next morning
The following morning after the artist witnessed the owner kissing the statue.
All the subway cars were hallelu-leluing
People were loudly rejoicing and praising.
Welcome back the baby king, the baby king
People were giving praise to Baby Jesus.
All the believers, they were smiling
Those who believe in Baby Jesus were happy.
And winking at each other
They were sharing secret, joyous looks with one another.
I could honestly say I was
The singer is giving their personal opinion.
Scared for my life!
The singer was extremely afraid.
They said:
The people rejoicing began to say something.
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
Those who don't believe in Baby Jesus are lesser and will suffer.
And the believers get to spit on their graves
Those who believe in Baby Jesus will have impunity even over the dead.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
You know that statue
The singer is again referring to the statue of Baby Jesus.
That statue of baby Jesus
The specific statue of Baby Jesus is once again being talked about.
In the window
The statue is still on display in the shop window.
In the window of the 99 cent store
The shop that is displaying the statue is still the 99 cent store.
Well, they've been showing it on the news
The statue has made it to the news.
It was thirty times its size
The statue was enlarged considerably.
With a megaphone and a heart-shaped bruise
The singer is describing the statue in an exaggerated manner, with a megaphone and injury.
It was hovering in the skies
The artist is exaggerating, describing the statue as if it were flying.
And all the subway cars were hallelu-lelu-leluing
As before, people were rejoicing and praising loudly.
Hallelujah
People were praising God.
All the believers they were smiling
Those who believed were happy.
And winking at each other
They were sharing secret, joyous looks with one another.
I could honestly say I was
The singer is once again giving their personal opinion.
Scared for my life!
The singer was once again extremely afraid.
They said:
The rejoicing people once again began to say something.
All the non-believers, they get to eat dirt
Those who don't believe in Baby Jesus are lesser and will suffer.
And the believers get to spit on their graves
Those who believe in Baby Jesus will have impunity even over the dead.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
All non-believers
People who don't believe in Baby Jesus.
Believe!
The rejoicing people were urging others to Believe.
Believe!
Believe.
Believe, believe, believe!
Believe.
Believe!
Believe.
Believe!
Believe.
Believe, believe, believe!
Believe.
Believebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelievebelieve
Repeating the word 'believe'.
Believe...
Repeating the word 'believe'.
You know that statue
The artist is once again referring to the statue of Baby Jesus.
That statue of baby Jesus
The specific statue of Baby Jesus is once again being talked about.
In the window
The statue is still on display in the shop window.
In the window of the 99 cent store
The shop that is displaying the statue is still the 99 cent store.
When I woke up I ran and bought it
The artist bought the statue the following day.
And locked it in my closet
The singer kept the statue in their closet.
With a little bread and water
The singer provided food and water to the statue. This might be an allusion to Jesus' feeding of the 5,000.
And a flashlight and a first-aid kit
The singer provided the statue with a light source and a first-aid kit.
Till he grows
The artist intends to keep the statue until it grows or until the statue is no longer relevant.
Contributed by Samantha Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sharptooth101
This song really puts me in mind of an interview Regina did, where she said that the one thing she really can't stand is being told what to believe. She says that she herself waxes and wanes from faith, and she resents anyone who tries to take away that freedom. Surely no matter what non/religious viewpoint you have, you have to admire her open-mindedness?
Michael Huettich
+Sharptooth101 Thank you, thank you so much, your comment about Regina's faith sparked an epiphany in mine...
Sharptooth101
+Moritz Huettich I have no idea how I did it, but you're welcome :)
Joshua Latham
I think what's beautiful is how we all have the freedom to follow and believe any faith we desire.
Gazz Cavalera
My Fiancee died yesterday , this was her favorite song ever! thank you Regina for creating something she enjoyed!
Charcola
I hope you're doing okay now
Angie Q
I hope you're okay too❤️
Emily M.
still the best christmas song ever :D
ichikue
I like the variation in this from other versions of them same song by Regina, shows her versatility really well!
hongolini
Her voice is so versatile! Thanks for posting this.