Violent Femmes is an alternative rock band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,… Read Full Bio ↴Violent Femmes is an alternative rock band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States in 1980. The band originally consisted of Gordon Gano (vocals, guitar), Brian Ritchie (bass), and Victor DeLorenzo (drums), with Guy Hoffman replacing DeLorenzo following his departure starting in 1993 and up until his return in 2002. The band split in early 2009, their last recording being a cover of the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy", a response to Gnarls Barkley's cover of the Femmes song "Gone Daddy Gone" released the previous year. In January 2013, it was announced that the Violent Femmes would be reuniting and performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. They performed there, the Bottlerock Napa Valley in May and Milwaukee's Summerfest in June. The band is also on the bill for Riot Fest, which will take place in Chicago in September.
Drummer Victor DeLorenzo said that he would be open to recording new material with the Violent Femmes, but on July 15, 2013, it was announced that Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione would be replacing DeLorenzo as the band's drummer. In a statement, DeLorenzo said "It's always hard to write a eulogy for a lost loved one. In this case, I sadly lament the loss of a dream and an ideal that was once Violent Femmes." Viglione is credited as the drummer on the 2016 release We Can Do Anything but would later be replaced by John Sparrow, who had played in the Violent Femmes backing band previously.

Their music is an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock. The lyrics mix common adolescent themes like yearning for love, sex and affection with explorations of sin, death, and the hope of salvation. Their songs often express both a lyrical and musical sense of humor. Critics often attribute the Violent Femmes as laying the groundwork of dynamicism for the 90s grunge movement.

In its early days, the band frequently played coffee houses and street corners. They were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (of The Pretenders) on August 23, 1981, when the band was busking on a street corner in front of the Oriental Theatre, the Milwaukee venue that The Pretenders would be playing later that night. Chrissie Hynde invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act. The band signed to Slash Records and recorded their eponymous debut in July 1982.

The group quickly gained a small cult following after the release of their self-titled album that never burgeoned into widespread popularity, although a few songs from this album did get some recognition ("Add It Up", "Blister in the Sun" and "Gone Daddy Gone"). The debut album Violent Femmes went platinum ten years after its release, and "Blister in the Sun" has become an alternative rock radio staple.

Faith
Violent Femmes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Got my faith baby

In the Lord

Got my faith baby

In the Lord Lord Lord

And I know

He'll make everything alright

No matter where a child roam

That child's gonna have a home

If he's got his faith alright

I don't believe in no car

I don't believe in General Motors

I don't believe in the President

Or the League of Women Voters

I don't believe in these things

All these things might fail

I don't believe it's gonna snow

It might sleet rain or hail

But I believe in the Father

I believe in the Son

I believe there's a Spirit

For everyone

I believe in the Father

I believe in the Son

I believe there's a Spirit

For everyone

That's not all

That's not all

I'm gonna tell y'all

Let's do the faith call

I said F----F

I said A----A

I said I----I

I said T----T

I said H----H

What's that spell---Faith

What's that spell---Faith

Oh Faith

Overall Meaning

The Violent Femmes' song "Faith" expresses the singer's belief in God and his dismissal of other societal structures, institutions, and technology. The lyrics suggest that faith in God provides a sense of security, stability, and belonging. The repetition of "Got my faith baby in the Lord Lord Lord" creates a rhythmic and hypnotic effect that reinforces the power and conviction of the singer's faith. The line "He'll make everything alright" can be interpreted as a reference to the hope and comfort that religion provides in times of turmoil and uncertainty. The parallel structure of "I believe in the Father, I believe in the Son, I believe there's a Spirit for everyone" emphasizes the trinitarian theology of Christianity and affirms the singer's adherence to it.

The singer's rejection of cars, General Motors, the president, and the League of Women Voters can be seen as a critique of consumerism, corporatism, politics, and feminism. By stating that "All these things might fail", the singer implies that they are not worth putting one's trust in because they are prone to errors, corruption, and inefficiencies. The line "I don't believe it's gonna snow, it might sleet rain or hail" contrasts with the previous line and suggests that the singer considers the weather to be more reliable and natural than human-made institutions. The call and response section of the song, which spells out the word "Faith", adds an interactive element and invites the audience to participate in the affirmation of the song's message.

Overall, the song "Faith" can be seen as an ode to the power of religion to provide meaning, hope, and community in a world that can be chaotic, unreliable, and disorienting. The song celebrates the simplicity and purity of faith while critiquing the complexities and ambiguities of modern society.

Line by Line Meaning

Got my faith baby
I have faith in God

In the Lord
My faith is in the Lord

In the Lord Lord Lord
My faith is strong and unwavering

And I know
I am certain

He'll make everything alright
God will take care of everything

No matter where a child roam
Even if a child goes far away

That child's gonna have a home
They will always have a home with God

If he's got his faith alright
As long as they have faith in God

I don't believe in no car
I don't put my faith in material things like cars

I don't believe in General Motors
I don't believe in corporations like General Motors

I don't believe in the President
I don't believe in political leaders