There are at least two bands who have used the name The Godz:
1) A New Y… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two bands who have used the name The Godz:
1) A New York City-based garage rock band formed in 1966
2) A 1970s American hard rock group from Columbus, Ohio

1) The Godz were a NYC-based garage rock band that existed from 1966 to 1973. Their style varied from early noise rock to avant-garde and psychedelic rock.

The Godz were part of the Lower East Side, Manhattan scene that produced Allen Ginsberg, the Fugs and the Holy Modal Rounders. Consisting of guitarist Jim McCarthy, bassist Larry Kessler, autoharpist Jay Dillon, and drummer Paul Thornton.

Working on the ESP-Disk label, the first recording, 1966's Contact High With The Godz, was an attempt to rise above the limitations and accepted norm for popular music at the time. 1967 produced Godz 2, a bolder, more adventurous soundscape which is, in some people's opinion, the group's masterpiece. The Third Testament, in 1968, saw the quartet become a trio. In 1973, a fourth and last group LP Godzundheit was recorded.

Rock Critic Lester Bangs in a 1971 issue of Cream magazine referred to the Godz as "...a pure test of one of the supreme traditions of rock & roll: the process by which a musical band can evolve from beginnings of almost insulting illiteracy to wind up several albums later romping and stomping deft as champs."

By 1973 the Godz had split up, with McCarthy going on to pursue a solo career, eventually settling as a photographer. Kessler became a record dealer, Thornton an actor, and Dillon moved to the wilds of New Jersey.

Unfortunately, in July 2005, Jay Dillon's niece posted a message on the Hummingbird Mountain website, explaining that a showing of his art was to take place and that he had passed on several years before. The news of Jay's death reconnected the rest of the members in 2006, leading to the discussion of possibly collaborating again.

2) The Godz were an obscure hard rock/arena rock outfit of the late '70s and '80s. This band was formed in the Midwest in 1976, when bassist/producer Eric Moore got together with lead guitarist Mark Chatfield, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Bob Hill, and drummer Glen Cataline. All four of them contributed lead vocals. The Godz signed with Casablanca in 1977, which was also the year in which they had an opening spot on Kiss' Love Gun Tour. (Cheap Trick was the other opening act on that tour.) On their selftitled album are at least two tracks you might want to listen to: "Gotta Keep A Runnin'" and "Candy's Going Bad", which is a cover of Golden Earring. It originally appeared on their 1973's Moontan album.

The Full Story of Eric Moore & The Godz is located right here: http://www.thegodz.net/

Dirty Windows
The Godz Lyrics

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Lookin' through dirty windows
I can see nothin' very clear
The other side is hazy
And it's getting hard to believe it's near

For I can feel it in my heart
That I can tear the grass apart
That I can look into a new arrival of yesterday

Seeing is not believing
All the trumped-up faces
That are shown to me
Heaven is all around us
But how many people have the strength
To find the key

And so we're trudging on and on
Until the time comes when we're gone
And hardly think about the simplest illusions

Runnin' around like crazies
Torn apart without a heart to feed the mind
Having since long forgotten
It comes so easy to us all to be unkind

Until the thunder and lightning strike us
And then we're shocked to see the likeness
Between us and the things we've hated for a long long time

Until the thunder and lightning strike us
And then we're shocked to see the likeness
Between us and the things we've hated for a long long time

Until the thunder and lightning strike us

And then we're shocked to see the likeness
Between us and the things we've waited for a long long time

Overall Meaning

The Godz's song "Dirty Windows" delves into the idea of perception, and how it affects human behavior. The song begins with the singer looking through dirty windows, unable to see clearly. This could be taken in a literal sense, but it is more likely that it is a metaphor for the way that people look at the world. People often see things from their own perspective, sometimes without considering others' viewpoints, leading to a lack of clarity in their understanding of the world around them.

As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that seeing is not always believing. He laments the lack of authenticity in the world, with "trumped-up" faces and illusions that people cling to. The song then takes a spiritual turn, with the singer asserting that heaven is all around us, but few have the strength to find the key. This could be interpreted as a call to search for deeper meaning, beyond the superficial and materialistic aspects of life.

The final verse of the song shifts back to a critique of human behavior, condemning the cruelty that people can display to one another. The thunder and lightning metaphorically represent a moment of realization, a wake-up call to the fact that people are more alike than they are different. This realization may be painful, but it is necessary for growth and progress.

Line by Line Meaning

Lookin' through dirty windows
Viewing the world through obscured vision

I can see nothin' very clear
The lack of clarity in perception

The other side is hazy
Difficulty in grasping the truth

And it's getting hard to believe it's near
The frustration of being unable to reach a goal

For I can feel it in my heart
Following intuition to achieve success

That I can tear the grass apart
The strength to overcome obstacles

That I can look into a new arrival of yesterday
The ability to see the future in the past

Seeing is not believing
The danger of trusting in appearances

All the trumped-up faces
The superficiality of the world

That are shown to me
Society's manipulation of information

Heaven is all around us
The beauty of the world