Song Explication

Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It'll be a miracle

Do you believe you're missing out?
That everything good is happening somewhere else
With nobody in your bed
The night is hard to get through

And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won�t know anyone

Jesus Christ, I'm alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem is gonna last
More than the weekend

Jesus Christ I'm not scared to die
But I'm a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot
Or do I float through the ceiling

Or do I divide and pull apart
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
This ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?

I know you're coming in the night like a thief
But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust
But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine

jesus christ - brand new




Many people experience some conversion at some point in their life. In “Jesus Christ” by Brand New the songwriter, Jesse, has undergone a conversion and has become a Christian. The poetic nature of the song reflects his fears and worries about making it as a Christian. The song starts out with the line “Jesus Christ, that’s a pretty face,” which could have two meanings. One could be talking about a girl, with a pretty face. The other, could be about Jesus’ face, the one that was left on Veronica’s cloth when Jesus carried the cross to Calvary. The verse continues to talk about someone who could save him, Jesse, from his sins. Jesse struggles with the new concepts of being faithful, which are seen in the second verse. He wants to know how Jesus managed to follow the 10 commandments set by God. In the fourth verse, “So what did you do those three days you were dead?” relates to the belief that Jesus died, and on the third day he rose again. The singer wishes to know what Jesus did during those three days, because he too if facing a problem, and does now know what to do. In “Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die/ I’m more afraid of what comes after” relates to the listener that the singer has accepted Christ, and does not fear death. He is more afraid of what is going to happen afterwards. He doesn’t know what to expect. The internal rhyme in “Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark” helps to connote the struggle between good and evil. Jesse worries that although he has done good deeds, he has not done enough to make up for his sins. In the last line of the sixth verse, he wonders if Thomas will ask to see his hands. In the bible, doubting Thomas had to see the holes in Jesus’ hands and feet in order to believe that he was truly Jesus Christ. He wants to know if Thomas will need to see if he has followed Christ. In the seventh verse, the first line alludes to Revelations 16:15. Jesse knows that Jesus will come again to take those who believe. Later in the verse, he reaffirms this, saying “I know you’re coming for people like me.” The repetition of “We all got wood and nails” shows how we too have a cross to bear and the nails symbolize our sins. We are burdened with our crosses because of our sins. The last line of the song, “And we sleep inside this machine”, relates the idea that we don’t focus on Jesus and we are just like a machine that only goes through the motions.