East Jesus Nowhere

[TheMinority16]

Hmm well I could be wrong but I'll tell ya what I think it is (from reading the lyrics for the 1st time).

This song has an anti-religious stance.

1st verse opens up about somebody who has their faith in a religion. The part about "stand up white boys...." is quoting probably from the past where white men go to war while women and blacks stay at home. Iunno, couldn't really get this part. But yeah, these people are ones who are in the religion who put their faith in it. So the religion tells them to go to war, and they listen. AND also the racism in religion, which is wrong and hypocritical.

The chorus talks about how hypocritical religions(fire) of today are, or the certain wrongdoers in religions(not to offend anyone). Sirens of decay may be Atheism that would overthrow these hypocites, or the religions in all.

The verse about forgiving of sins is an example of how hypocritical a religious person can be by sinning, asking for forgiveness, then go on with their daily routine, sinning once again, and so on.

umm yeah this is just what I get out of reading the lyrics for the first time. I do have a religion for FYI's.

[Seedless_Reject]

What I think it means is how in society, white males have always been dominant. White males have always dominated any other race/gender/etc. Black people, are of course criticized due to their skin color along with women because they're "weaker", thus "sit down-all the black girls" as if their opinion truly means nothing. It's a bit hard to explain, but I think he's kind of mocking how pathetic society is. Idk, that's what I got from it. I'm not sure if I just made any sense. XD

You made sense.

[Pinhead-Stew!!!]

East Jesus Nowhere isn't so much an attack on religion itself, or having faith or anything. What it's about how religion is used, abused even by statesmen, society and the church. George Bush talked of a Crusade against terror. He used religion to get the American people behind him with his two wars. It's part of America ("God bless America" etc). Then you have the terrorists using religion to get recruits to attack the West. So religion s abused across all cultures. There's how religion was used to back racism in segregated USA, with the KKK. The song also attacks the ideological purity of the church; on issues of abortion and so on. As BJA said "It's okay to have doubts". Often the church does try to influence secular issues when it clearly has no place there. A preacher saying how we must wave the flag, or whatever. BJA is saying be aware of the the hypocrisy and the abuse, don't just accept it, you can still have faith and not just accept what the church says, have your own interpretation.

[TheMinority16]

East Jesus Nowhere isn't so much an attack on religion itself, or having faith or anything. What it's about how religion is used, abused even by statesmen, society and the church. George Bush talked of a Crusade against terror. He used religion to get the American people behind him with his two wars. It's part of America ("God bless America" etc). Then you have the terrorists using religion to get recruits to attack the West. So religion s abused across all cultures. There's how religion was used to back racism in segregated USA, with the KKK. The song also attacks the ideological purity of the church; on issues of abortion and so on. As BJA said "It's okay to have doubts". Often the church does try to influence secular issues when it clearly has no place there. A preacher saying how we must wave the flag, or whatever. BJA is saying be aware of the the hypocrisy and the abuse, don't just accept it, you can still have faith and not just accept what the church says, have your own interpretation.

VERY well thought out

luv ur explanation

[Matty D]

I interpreted the "white boys"/""black girls" line as a mockery of the veiled oppression that religion imposes on its members. The "white boys" are the majority holding down the "black girl" minorities. But I guess that would be more of an attack on society? Guess I'm not sure. I like the other interpretations I've read.

What I'm more interested in deciphering is the chorus. I think for now that the "fire" is meant to be religion, but the "sirens of decay" is the passage of time and slow breaking down of organized religion through the triumph of science, reason, atheism or whatever would specifically bring it down, ie. "infiltrate the faith fanatics." One thing I think msot of us can agree upon is that the lyrics are relentlessly catchy coming out of Billie Joe's mouth.

[punkfunkdisco]

Um, are the lyrics not:

Stand up - all the white boys

Sit down - and the black girls

?

That's what the lyrics book says, plus I'm pretty sure that's what he sings too. I took it to mean that both these groups of people were being told to stand up and and sit down, alluding to the control that religion or the US government holds over so many groups of people, regardless of race or sex.

*shrugs*

[Suicide Baby]

Stand up! - All the white boys

Sit down! - All the black girls

You're the soldiers of the new world

in my opinion, he's talking about racism.

I think he's making a point in how sometimes, people tend to go too much to the past, sometimes like living the past all over again. People wanting to live in the past.

When 'white' people thought that 'black' people couldn't decide in the smallest thing, like studying in the same school and so.

I think he's making a point in that it doesn't matter in what time we are, how advanced is the world, we still have people thinking like that, being very racist.

i put the ' ' because i don't like to say black or white. we're all people.

[That Dude]

"Stand up! - All the white boys

Sit down! - All the black girls

You're the soldiers of the new world"

I don't get that....and It makes me feel a little awkward. The Black Girl part mainly.

I've read the fuckin lyrics like 100 times and I still don't understand that.

Is he like mocking somethin' ya know racist? Or is he not meaning black and white as in skin color?

...........ugh.

in the lyric book it looks that way. but in the actual song the "stand up" and "sit down" part are intertwined with "all the white boys" and "all the black girls". so it doesn't really sound like he's saying white boys stand up black girls sit down.

in the lyric book it looks that way. but in the actual song the "stand up" and "sit down" part are intertwined with "all the white boys" and "all the black girls". so it doesn't really sound like he's saying white boys stand up black girls sit down.

[Hermione]

I agree with others who've explained in better detail than me that it's meant to be a comment on the racism/sexism of society.

But to be honest, when I'm actually listening to the song it really sounds like he's just telling both groups/everyone to stand up, the way it's sung it just sounds like that. So in the end that message doesn't really come across.

[Anko]

More over the song is mainly about religion/religious repression, not solely about the opening verse, imo anyway.

And here's something to take into account.

That part of the song goes like this.

"Stand up!

All the white boys.

Sit down!

And the black girls.

Stand up!

You're the soldiers,

Sit down!

Of the new world."

i agree witht the racist/sexist interpretation. but i think the last line is about how this generation can change that. idk thats my interpretation

Yeah that's what I got too.

[Lauren]

He's saying AND the black girls. He's NOT telling the black girls to sit down and the white boys to stand up. It's just in the background to show it's the military and they're giving orders. It continues for the next two lines so it's not about that.

[Hermione]

He's saying AND the black girls. He's NOT telling the black girls to sit down and the white boys to stand up. It's just in the background to show it's the military and they're giving orders. It continues for the next two lines so it's not about that.

But the fact they've written it in the booklet as:

Stand up! - All the white boys

Sit down! - All And the black girls

suggests they were going for that meaning on some level at least. I think they did mean it as a comment on racism/sexism in society. But yeah they've sung it in a slightly different way to that, so it also sounds like a call to the white boys, black girls, and everyone else to stand up together. Maybe it's one of the double meanings they've talked about.

[Anko]

It's "And the black girls " not "All the black girls"

[Hermione]

^Ha you're right. And I even had the booklet infront of me . I still think the same about the meaning though.

[Isabel]

I don't often read up on lyrics too much if it's beyond my own perceptions or conclusions, it really doesn't bother me that much.

[GreenDayaremyGods]

Ha I soooo called this. The first time I read those lyrics I knew it was going to cause controversy and confusion. I was going to make this thread but forgot lol. Anywho, we all know Billie wouldn't write anything racist to any people unless it had a message and or metaphor behind it. I see it kind of like how he says born into Nixon, so it's how around that era and still pretty much today even tho a little less, white boys have always been looked at as a higher race and black people especially woman have been looked down upon and not given as many opporitunities.

[musse]

I wish they hadn't changed it. All the black girls was much better cause BJ didn't say it cause he's a racist/sexist but because he's against racism/sexism... I loved that part of the song.. And they fucking took it away >.<

[KerplunkxCreak]

Guys,he's talking about the rascism in the world,I mean..He's not a racist,he's just like talking like one of those,but he's not.Like,when he says:

"Drop a coin for humanity..!" he's talking about this kind of people that don't care how the world is..

Or when he says "Oh bless me lord for I have seen..." and so on,he's talking like a priest that have sinned,like the hypocresy of the church,the religion and the politicians...

Do you understand it now?

[Anko]

Guys,he's talking about the rascism in the world,I mean..He's not a racist,he's just like talking like one of those,but he's not.Like,when he says:

"Drop a coin for humanity..!" he's talking about this kind of people that don't care how the world is..

Or when he says "Oh bless me lord for I have seen..." and so on,he's talking like a priest that have sinned,like the hypocresy of the church,the religion and the politicians...

Do you understand it now?

Um.....it's "Oh bless me lord for I have sined."

EDIT:See you even kinda fixed the mistake

[KerplunkxCreak]

Um.....it's "Oh bless me lord for I have sined."

EDIT:See you even kinda fixed the mistake

lol

I'm sorry,I wanted to say SINNED(doble n) but I don't know why I wrote seen lol (damn) lol

[Bastard of 1967]

What I think it means is how in society, white males have always been dominant. White males have always dominated any other race/gender/etc. Black people, are of course criticized due to their skin color along with women because they're "weaker", thus "sit down-all the black girls" as if their opinion truly means nothing. It's a bit hard to explain, but I think he's kind of mocking how pathetic society is. Idk, that's what I got from it. I'm not sure if I just made any sense. XD

I think it's metaphoric, not literal, as a lot of Billie Joe's songwriting can be -- I interpret it starting with your approach and building on it, kind of like this: "in the same way that white males have dominated blacks and women, the religious radicals (in 21CB, Christian evangelicals as represented by -- no surprise -- white males) are depicted as the dominant force in society that has ruined the country. There is also the shouted repetition of stand up/sit down/stand up/sit down, sung not by BJA but by the backup vocals:

(Stand up!)

All the white boys

(Sit down!)

And the black girls

(Stand up!)

You're the soldiers

(Sit down!)

of the new world

....which might represent the standing/sitting/kneeling/lather-rinse-repeat ritual experienced in most Judeo-Christian religious practices.

"You're the soliders/of the new world" also may have some significance: you'll recall the verse in Know Your Enemy: "Bringing on the fury/The choir infantry/Revolts against the honor to obey". Interesting juxtaposition! In the third track of the album, the "choir infantry" is depicted as the army that's the driving force behind a revolution; by the time we hit track 8 (EJN), this army either is confronting, or has been infiltrated and corrupted by, the religious fundamentalists who are so absolutely sure of their own position and their righteousness of it that they are now the "soliders of the new world." This can be interpreted in one of two ways: either "so much for the revolution" (which leads Christian in the next track to go out and get the Peacemaker), or it identifies them as "the enemy" from KYE. Or perhaps both? Dear GOD I love the way BJA writes his lyrics!!

I agree with the posters above but I also think that a bit of hypocrisy exists in the line.

The fact that white males are dominant and women and other races are minorities doesn't affect the fact that well this country will still send you to war either way. We stand united, only when we're needed, and we're needed when there's blood to be shed. :/

Great observation - I concur!

Wow, reading this thread, this shits pretty deep.

Did we ever have discussions like this about AI songs, I dont think there were many as deep as this!

The shit's so deep you can't run away..... Hmm...where have we heard that before?

...reminds also a bit of the situation in a classroom, I think. Isn't there this ritual in U.S. schools, that the students have to worship the flag or something? Does this include hand raising and testifying or something like that? And the standing up and sitting down sounds like something happening in a classroom, too.

In most schools there's a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Now that you mention it there may be some element critical of that too in EJN, because the Pledge itself does contain a reference to God:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation

under God

, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Or when he says "Oh bless me lord for I have seen..." and so on,he's talking like a priest that have sinned,like the hypocresy of the church,the religion and the politicians...

Also think about the next line where he chants "I threw my crutches in the river of a shadow of doubt" -- so, so steadfast and sure of his faith, the priest sins by refusing to question, by refusing to doubt...therein lies one ironic aspect of the hypocrisy that BJA is railing against.

[forget_me_nots]

Eh, if it was switched: had the same backup vocals but said black girls first and white boys second, this conversation wouldn't be happening and no one would be screaming, "RASCIST!" IMO.

[Lauren]

Eh, if it was switched: had the same backup vocals but said black girls first and white boys second, this conversation wouldn't be happening and no one would be screaming, "RASCIST!" IMO.

True. I do agree with you there. I hate how people are so afraid to be "racist" (even though they really aren't being racist) and then end up being racist to white people because of it.

I felt so discriminated against in my middle school.

[Bryn]

I am not sure if this was mentioned...but also in Religion , at least a lot of them, women are told to shut their mouths.

So I see it as a society thing, as also a religion thing.

[Lauren]

I still see it as nothing. He's not comparing them. he says AND the black girls, not ALL the black girls.