Religion
River City Rebels Lyrics

The River City Rebels's song "Religion" is a punk rock anthem that criticizes the practice of religions and religious door-to-door proselytizing. The lyrics convey a strong message of negativity towards organized religion and its followers who try to impose their beliefs on others. The first two lines of the first verse communicate a sense of annoyance when someone tries to sell their religion like a door-to-door salesman. The use of the phrase "fucking zombie" provides a vivid image of how compulsive religious preaching can be, which interrupts the singer's daily life. The following two lines, "Black shirt, white tie, brainwashed till you die," describe the appearance of Jehovah's Witnesses but also express the idea of religious conformity, where followers are typically uniformed in the same manner. The line, "Religion is just one big lie," summarizes the song's central theme, which is a critique of religious claims and teachings, which often hold no substantial evidence. The repetition of "HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY" after every couplet of verse one gives the verse an insistent and imitable tone, which captures the angry nature of the song.

The chorus introduces Jehovah's Witnesses as the primary focus of the song, but the singer declares that they are not going to save anyone. He repeats the same sentiment for Catholic Christians. The message in the chorus is that religions may offer false hope, but they do not fulfill the promises they make, and their teachings should be scrutinized. The line, "Religion is conformity," in the second verse, reemphasizes the song's central theme. The line suggests that religion often suppresses individual thought and freedom of expression by coaxing believers into conforming and following religious dogma rather than thinking freely. The singer instructs to "stay away, run and hide," indicating that people should avoid religious proselytizing and choose a path of unimpeded personal growth and self-discovery.