Though little known outside of the Michigan area, his popularity is slowly growing, in most part due to his excellent website and some loyal fans spreading the word. Sycamore is an accomplished lyricist, and his songs often reflect his love of his home area and his atheism (Hokum All Ye Faithful).
..Well, that's one way of looking at it. Sycamore, on the other hand, considers himself more of an "agnostic," when he considers himself at all. Also--his feelings toward his home area are ambivalent at best, downright negative at worst. It should also be noted that Sycamore has a terrible habit of writing about himself in the third person on the internet, which is just so sad...
Hokum All Ye Faithful
Sycamore Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the prophet with the perfect soul?
The heavenly bastard with his own slasher flick--
The greatest fairytale ever told
Weekly he receives
A kneeling ovation from a sleepy nation
They're swallowing the old routine, the holy saltine,
And backwash from the cup of salvation
Have you heard the legend sweeping the land?
They're saying we all sprung from some invisible man
And when he finished up, he took a little rest
And he's been resting ever since I guess...
Tell me, have you heard the one
About the young man who died for your sins?
You think he would've learned his lesson
Not to mess with us,
And yet they say he's gonna come again
He might've hit a ripe old age
If a disciple had not failed him
Broken, betrayed and lost, he lay alone on the cross
While the easter bunny pounded the nails in...
Tell me, have you heard the one
About the healer who could resurrect?
They say that when he rose from the dead
He had a flattened head,
Black boots and two bolts in his neck
Hokum all ye faithful,
That's the whole fable as I was told it
Honestly I'm half-way jealous of the gullible zealots
Who believe this unbelievable bullshit...
The song Hokum All Ye Faithful by Sycamore Smith is a satirical take on religion, and the lyrics take aim at the stories and beliefs that comprise various religious traditions. The lyrics center around a discussion of the stories of the Bible, with each stanza taking on a different story - the first verse references the story of Jesus, the second verse discusses the creation story of Adam and Eve, and the third verse references Frankenstein. However, in each case, Smith injects a humorous and irreverent take on the story.
The lyrics use sarcasm and irony to take down elements of religion that have been accepted and passed down through tradition. In the first verse, Smith alludes to Jesus as "the heavenly bastard with his own slasher flick," and in the second verse, he insinuates that the idea of God creating humanity is ridiculous. Smith mocks the resurrection of Jesus in the third verse, portraying him as a monster with a flattened head, black boots, and two bolts in his neck. The song's title itself - "Hokum All Ye Faithful" - is a sarcastic play on the Christmas carol "O Come All Ye Faithful", suggesting that the religious traditions and stories are simply myths or tall tales.
Overall, the song critiques the unquestioning faith that some people have in religion, encouraging listeners to take a more skeptical view of religious dogma and to question the stories that have been passed down through generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me, have you heard the one
Asking if the listener has heard a popular story or fable.
About the prophet with the perfect soul?
Referencing the tale of a righteous prophet.
The heavenly bastard with his own slasher flick--
Describing the prophet in a sarcastic, critical way.
The greatest fairytale ever told
Calling out the idea of the prophet's story being overly extravagant and fictional.
Weekly he receives
Regularly receiving praise and worship.
A kneeling ovation from a sleepy nation
Many people blindly following this prophet's teachings.
They're swallowing the old routine, the holy saltine,
People are accepting the same old story and religious practices with ease.
And backwash from the cup of salvation
Drinking in the idea of religious salvation without questioning it.
Have you heard the legend sweeping the land?
Asking if the listener is familiar with another popular fable.
They're saying we all sprung from some invisible man
Discussing the notion of creationism and a god-like figure responsible for starting it all.
And when he finished up, he took a little rest
Speculating that this god-like figure finished creation and has since ceased activity.
And he's been resting ever since I guess...
Implies that religion aims to explain the unknown, but it's up to interpretation whether this figure is still dormant or simply doesn't exist.
Tell me, have you heard the one
Returning to the original questioning stance.
About the young man who died for your sins?
Referencing another religious figure and their supposed actions.
You think he would've learned his lesson
Skepticism about the supposed moral teachings of this figure.
Not to mess with us,
Suggesting that the fate of this religious figure could have been avoided if he didn't provoke humanity.
And yet they say he's gonna come again
Referencing the idea of an apocalyptic prophecy.
He might've hit a ripe old age
Mulling over an alternate ending to this figure's story.
If a disciple had not failed him
Blaming the supposed downfall of this figure on a follower's failure.
Broken, betrayed and lost, he lay alone on the cross
Describing the supposed suffering of this religious figure as a result of their crucifixion.
While the easter bunny pounded the nails in...
Injecting humor and sarcasm into the serious story of the crucifixion by proposing a ridiculous mental image of the Easter Bunny playing a part.
Tell me, have you heard the one
Returning, once again, to the original questioning tone.
About the healer who could resurrect?
Bringing up another religious figure and their supposed powers.
They say that when he rose from the dead
Referencing the belief that this healed figure could be brought back from the dead.
He had a flattened head, black boots and two bolts in his neck
Satirically presenting a re-telling of this resurrected figure's appearance.
Hokum all ye faithful,
Dismissing these religious stories outright with a sarcastic phrase.
That's the whole fable as I was told it
Articulating that the singer is recounting these popular religious stories as they have heard them.
Honestly I'm half-way jealous of the gullible zealots
Expressing envy for religious followers who can unconditionally believe and have faith in something.
Who believe this unbelievable bullshit...
Stamping the entire philosophy of religion as nonsensical and unbelievable to the artist.
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.