What God Wants Pt. 1
Roger Waters Lyrics


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What God wants God gets God help us all
What God wants God gets
The kid in the corner looked at the priest
And fingered his pale blue Japanese guitar

The priest said
God wants goodness
God wants light
God wants mayhem

God wants a clean fight
What God wants God gets
Don't look so surprised
It's only dogma

The alien prophet cried
The beetle and the springbok
Took the Bible from its hook
The monkey in the corner

Wrote the lesson in his book
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants peace
God wants war

God wants famine
God wants chain stores
What God wants God gets
God wants sedition

God wants sex
God wants freedom
God wants semtex
What God wants God gets

Don't look so surprised
I'm only joking
The alien comic cried
The jackass and hyena

Took the feather from its hook
The monkey in the corner
Wrote the joke down in his book
What God wants God gets

God wants boarders
God wants crack
God wants rainfall
God wants wetbacks

What God wants God gets
God wants voodoo
God wants shrines
God wants law

God wants organized crime
God wants crusade
God wants jihad
God wants good





God wants bad
What God wants God gets

Overall Meaning

The song "What God Wants Pt. 1" by Roger Waters is a commentary on the ambiguous nature of God's desires, and how different people perceive and interpret them in vastly different ways. The opening lines of the song "What God wants God gets God help us all" suggest that God's will is often beyond human comprehension, and can be both benevolent and destructive in different ways. The lyrics then describe a surreal scene, with various characters such as a kid in the corner and a monkey in the corner, imagining what God might want.


The priest's statement that "God wants goodness/ God wants light/ God wants mayhem/ God wants a clean fight" shows that the same concept of God can be interpreted in very different ways, as someone may perceive a "clean fight" as a good thing, while others would see it as violent and destructive. The lyrics then continue to describe a variety of possible things that God might want, including peace and war, freedom and semtex (a type of explosive).


The song can be seen as a commentary on the danger of using religion and God's supposed "will" to justify violence or other harmful actions, as different people's interpretation of what God wants can lead to vastly different outcomes. Overall, the song suggests that humans should be wary of claiming to know the will of God, as it can be both unpredictable and potentially destructive.


Line by Line Meaning

What God wants God gets God help us all
God always gets what He wants, regardless of the consequences it might bring to humanity.


What God wants God gets
God's will is absolute and unstoppable.


The kid in the corner looked at the priest And fingered his pale blue Japanese guitar
A young man observed the priest's words with disbelief, preferring to play his guitar instead of discussing the topic.


The priest said God wants goodness God wants light God wants mayhem God wants a clean fight
The priest provided a series of mixed messages about God's desires, including contradictory requests like wanting goodness, light, and a clean fight, but also wanting mayhem.


Don't look so surprised It's only dogma
The priest reassured the young man that the mixed messages are just dogma, a set of principles that are considered true but do not have to be supported by evidence.


The alien prophet cried The beetle and the springbok Took the Bible from its hook The monkey in the corner Wrote the lesson in his book
Several fictional characters took part in interpreting God's commands in their way, indicating that religion often involves different interpretations and visions of the divine.


God wants peace God wants war God wants famine God wants chain stores
God's wishes can be paradoxical, as they can include both positive and negative outcomes, such as peace, war, famine, and consumerism.


God wants sedition God wants sex God wants freedom God wants semtex
God's demands can include controversial and even dangerous desires, including rebellion, sexuality, autonomy, and explosives.


Don't look so surprised I'm only joking The alien comic cried The jackass and hyena Took the feather from its hook The monkey in the corner Wrote the joke down in his book
Some of the previous claims were meant as jokes, possibly to criticize the absurdity or hypocrisy of religious beliefs and practices.


God wants boarders God wants crack God wants rainfall God wants wetbacks
God can have interests for different geographical regions and peoples, regardless of their morality, such as controlling borders or causing drug addiction, precipitation or immigration.


God wants voodoo God wants shrines God wants law God wants organized crime God wants crusade God wants jihad God wants good God wants bad
God's wishes can have different expressions, whether they involve rituals, beliefs, regulations, or violence, depending on the cultural, historical, or political contexts that religion belongs to.




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Comments from YouTube:

Gordon Imrie

RIP Jeff, no one like you, one of the greatest guitarists ever

Rogelio Zaragoza

From the first note from his guitar to the very last, guts and glory. Mr Beck you've made an honorable contribution to music with your gift of playing. You will not be forgotten. God rest your soul.

Michael C. Seeley

:18 ❤

TheHuester44

Thank You Jeff ! So hard to believe he’s gone . I’ll never forget seeing him and SRV do an encore together. Rock and Roll Ecstasy 🙏👌😢☮️❤️

stuart mitchell

Incredible playing on this song mate

Doug Goodall

Jeff Beck's performance on this song was outstanding. RIP.

11 More Replies...

voodoochild1975az

Most underrated rock album in history? This work is pure musical genius from start to finish.

Finn Hansen

Absolutly YES

Keith Hakansson

Jeff beck's best work for me and Roger Walters what can yo say just so moving and connective. For me this is beyond Floyd but at this level it's all life changing

FIKUS & TOAST

I agree a very underrated Masterpiece

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