Green Day - East Jesus Nowhere - Song and MV Analyses

In this journal, I would like to write about Green Day’s song entitled ‘East Jesus Nowhere’. In this journal, I would also offer new perspectives in some stanzas in the song’s lyrics and music video that I found in ‘East Jesus Nowhere’ song, which was related to these themes: religious hypocrisy and politics. Moreover, it will also talk about the impacts for the listener.

Raise your hands now to testify

Your confession will be crucified

You're a sacrificial suicide

Like a dog that's been sodomized

--> I think this stanza talks about citizens who are being deceived by a group of people in the name of a religion; about how to be a good person in a God eyes and/or how to be an active citizens for their country.

(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 think this stanza talks about the citizens, especially young generations to fight back those people who deceived them. Since young generations are the next leader for their country.

The fire burns today

Of blasphemy and genocide

The sirens of decay

Will infiltrate the faith fanatics

--> This stanza  is about people of the world who are angry and protest of the blasphemy and genocide, like in  Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and other middle east countries. Then, I also think, it causes riot that some groups of fanatic religious people might judge one another religion, to prove which one is right or wrong, and that is bad.

I want to know who’s allowed to breed

All the dogs who never learned to read

Missionary politicians

And the cults of the new religion!

--> This stanza might tell about citizens’ anger to some groups of people who deceived the citizens in the name of God. The citizens said that they should never been here in their country because they just only corrupt their religions.

Then, in the music video I found several scenes related to one of the theme that is religious hypocrisy, and I would try to interpret those scenes, openly:

From this scene, I see that there is no pastor who wears a black uniform and accompanied by sexy ladies. The picture clearly shows that those people were not come from the church, but only a group of people who deceived the citizens in the name of a religion or God.

Then, there is a scene where the girls give them a holy book, but the holy book in the picture is covered with a black one and the cross is in a red color, which shows that those people not come from the church. As I know, the cross in the holy book is in a yellow-golden’s color.

As I think again, perhaps these girls are the symbolization of nuns, because sometimes nuns accompany the pastor when they visit some places especially rural area to teach the people in rural area about God. However, there are no nuns who wear sexy dress, paint her hair, smoke, and even have tattoos on their body like in this scene.

From those three pictures, I see that there is no religion that would spread alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, and black holy books to the citizens. Thus, that the fake pastor might be a Lucifer and those girls might the Lucifer’s followers. As I know Lucifer is the symbolization of a devil who against God’s will.

In these scenes, depicted that there is a young man who fight back those fake people but he loses. I think the young man loses because he does not have enough power to make the citizens believe that those people are not pastor and nuns.

Since, in these next two scenes, the citizens are very happy that the young man is lost. The citizens still believe that the young man is the wrong one and the fake people are the right one.

In the next scenes, there is an old man who helps the young man to prove to the citizens that those people are not come from the church. As depicted in the scenes, the fake pastor is dead after the big cross fall down to his body, where I assume that those scenes mean, God is powerful to punish those sin people.

After the fake pastor dead and the citizens know the truth, the citizens chase after the fake pastor’s follower, to fight them back and get their freedom again.

By the end, the last scenes show that the young man takes the fake pastor’s cross necklace and stared in the sky. I think those scenes mean that the young man might want to be the next leader in God’s name and through God’s will.

In addition, as to speak to the youth, we should be careful in seeing something especially from religion views, because religion is a sensitive issue. Then, as youth, we should be critical toward something, like politics and politicians in Indonesia. As youth we should use our freedom to speak our right and to choose the next leader for our country. Since our voice can be heard and should be heard by this world. Youth are someone who could change this world's ideas or perspective into a bad one or a good one.