When the God of Love Returns There'll Be Hell to Pay

Album: Pure Comedy (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Father John Misty was raised in an evangelical Christian household, and while he no longer believes in God he still often invokes Biblical imagery in his music. Here he uses Jesus' second coming to explore human nature.
  • Misty explained to NME that the song "imagines this scenario when God comes back and we're all like, 'F--- you! You have no right to judge us, you made us this way!'"

    "In Genesis, God made the world because he was bored and lonely, and that's why we make things, too," he continued. "We make things to be understood, which is why it's so tragic to make something and only become more misunderstood. If the music I make just pushes people further away, that's real failure."
  • The song was produced to sound like a church hymn, featuring only a piano and a choir.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."