There's another CLIENT Sarah Blackwood, the singer from Dubstar and Client.… Read Full Bio ↴There's another CLIENT Sarah Blackwood, the singer from Dubstar and Client.

SARAH BLACKWOOD grew up listening to her father’s rock and roll record collection. When she was twelve years old, her father handed her an acoustic guitar, taught her the basics and the rest, as they say, is history. Her style is influenced by old country and rock music. She’s a sweetheart with an acoustic guitar singing about love, demons she has faced, and different times in her life that have brought her down. These moments faced picked her up and made her create the songs what they are today. Also known as the front-woman for The Creepshow, Sarah has toured all across the world and has honed her live show to an exact and heartwarming science.

Picking up where “Way Back Home” left off, Sarah Blackwood’s sophomore solo album “Wasting Time” is an intensely personal collection of beautifully-crafted, roots country songs that also touches on elements of gospel, pop and soul. Where her debut was a stripped down, raw acoustic album, “Wasting Time” raises the bar by adding an incredibly talented roster of players, friends and family. Sarah’s one-man band Daniel Flamm (Heartbreak Engines, Sewer Rats) came in from Germany to add vocals, lead guitar, banjo and piano. Producer Gianni Luminati lends a hand with percussion, ukulele, mandolin and bass. Other guest musicians include brother Ian Blackwood, father Mike Blackwood, bandmate Sean “Sickboy” McNab and Lee Williamson on lapsteel.

“Wasting Time” showcases Sarah Blackwood’s undeniably passionate and sincerely honest songwriting style that is as touching as it is inspiring.

What the press is saying:

“This is a solid record, one of stark, solitary power. Blackwood excels at writing songs that while infused with pathos, aren't downers, and those that speak to universal experiences without seeming trite.” – The Hour

“…all great tracks on an album of acoustic gems.” Toronto Music Scene

“There’s an untouched feeling to Way Back Home in that it sounds at time like a collection of homemade demos, but really its more like an old, faded photograph capturing Blackwood and her emotions in the rawest form.” – Vue Weekly

Bad Job Jesus
Sarah Blackwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well now, I just wake up
But the stench in the air
Turned my head to the right
I cannot believe I did it again
A dead boy by my side

I pray to the Lord, don't remember at all
I don't know what I've done

With a smile on my face it comes back to me
We only had some fun
Had some fun

Oh it's a bad job Jesus
Don't you know?
It takes a whole life
To say no
Oh it's a bad job Jesus
You gotta know

I open the window and let her soul drift
To the place beyond
I always tried to be a godblessed girl
Until the job is done.
On the tv the people call me devil girl
And nobody's friend.
The angels watch me in my deadly world
And now I'm ready again.
So here I go

Oh it's a bad job Jesus
Don't you know?
It takes a whole life
To say no
Oh it's a bad job Jesus
You gotta know

It's a bad world, come and let me show

Here I go
Oh it's a bad job Jesus
Don't you know?
It takes a whole life
To say no
Oh it's a bad job Jesus
You gotta know
It's a bad world, come and let me show
Oh it's a bad job Jesus
Don't you know?

It takes a whole life
Come let me show

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sarah Blackwood's song "Bad Job Jesus" seem to be about a woman who wakes up to the realization that she has killed someone again. She seems to be a serial killer at peace with her actions as she prays to God not to remember what she has done. She speaks about opening up the window to let the soul of the person she just killed drift to the "place beyond." She is portrayed as a woman on a job to kill people, whom the TV people now call "devil girl". But she is okay with it because it is her job, and now she is ready to do it again. It seems like she is asking Jesus for some sort of reassurance that her job is okay and that she is doing it the right way.

The title of the song - "Bad Job Jesus" - is, therefore, sarcastic as she seeks for reassurance that what she is doing is right, while the message is dark and macabre. The song's theme might be that sometimes people are pushed into situations they do not like, but have to endure them anyway. It highlights the struggle between good and evil, and how people sometimes justify their actions, no matter how wrong it might seem to those outside their scope.

Line by Line Meaning

Well now, I just wake up
The singer wakes up to a terrible stench in the air and an unfortunate discovery of a dead boy beside them.

But the stench in the air
The smell in the air is overwhelmingly unpleasant and jarring.

Turned my head to the right
The source of the smell is located on the singer's right side, causing them to turn their head in that direction.

I cannot believe I did it again
The artist expresses disbelief at the fact that this has happened before, suggesting a pattern of dangerous behavior.

A dead boy by my side
The artist discovers a dead body next to them and realizes they are likely responsible for the death.

I pray to the Lord, don't remember at all
The singer pleads to a higher power to forget the events leading up to the discovery of the dead boy.

I don't know what I've done
The singer is unsure of their actions and their role in the death of the boy.

With a smile on my face it comes back to me
Despite their initial plea, the artist remembers the events leading up to the boy's death with a sense of twisted pleasure.

We only had some fun
The artist attempts to justify their actions as simply being for fun, downplaying the severity of the situation and their responsibility for the boy's death.

I open the window and let her soul drift
The artist releases the soul of the dead boy out the window and into the afterlife.

To the place beyond
The singer refers to the afterlife as a place beyond the physical world.

I always tried to be a godblessed girl
The artist had a previous reputation of trying to be a morally upright and righteous person.

Until the job is done.
Despite their previous demeanor, the singer acknowledges that they will continue to engage in dangerous and deadly behavior until they can no longer do so.

On the tv the people call me devil girl
The singer's actions have garnered media attention, and they are seen as a villainous figure by those who watch the news.

And nobody's friend.
As a result of their actions, the singer is alone and without any true companions or allies.

The angels watch me in my deadly world
The artist is aware that even higher powers are watching their dangerous behavior.

And now I'm ready again.
Despite the consequences, the artist is prepared to engage in their deadly behavior once more.

So here I go
The singer is committing to continuing their dangerous path, despite the risks and consequences.

Oh it's a bad job Jesus
The singer acknowledges that their behavior is morally corrupt and sinful, and calls upon Jesus to recognize this fact.

Don't you know?
The artist questions whether Jesus understands the destructive cycle they are caught in.

It takes a whole life
The artist suggests that their destructive behavior is all-consuming and takes up their entire life.

To say no
The artist comments on how difficult it is to break free from this cycle and stop their dangerous behavior.

It's a bad world, come and let me show
The singer acknowledges that the world is a dangerous and corrupt place and invites others to join them in this mindset.

Oh it's a bad job Jesus
The artist again comments on how morally corrupt their behavior is and invokes the name of Jesus once more.

It takes a whole life
The singer reiterates how all-encompassing their behavior is and how difficult it is to break free from it.

Come let me show
The singer invites others to join them in their destructive path.

Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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