Laughing With
by Regina Spektor

Album: Far (2009)
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  • No one laughs at God in a hospital
    No one laughs at God in a war
    No one's laughing at God
    When they're starving or freezing or so very poor

    No one laughs at God
    When the doctor calls after some routine tests
    No one's laughing at God
    When it's gotten real late
    And their kid's not back from the party yet

    No one laughs at God
    When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake
    No one's laughing at God
    When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
    And they hope that they're mistaken

    No one laughs at God
    When the cops knock on their door
    And they say we got some bad news, sir
    No one's laughing at God
    When there's a famine or fire or flood

    But God can be funny
    At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
    Or when the crazies say He hates us
    And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
    God can be funny,
    When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
    And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
    Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
    God can be so hilarious
    Ha ha
    Ha ha

    No one laughs at God in a hospital
    No one laughs at God in a war
    No one's laughing at God
    When they've lost all they've got
    And they don't know what for

    No one laughs at God on the day they realize
    That the last sight they'll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
    No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes

    But God can be funny
    At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
    Or when the crazies say He hates us
    And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke
    God can be funny,
    When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
    And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
    Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
    God can be so hilarious

    No one laughs at God in a hospital
    No one laughs at God in a war
    No one laughs at God in a hospital
    No one laughs at God in a war
    No one laughing at God in hospital
    No one's laughing at God in a war
    No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

    No one's laughing at God
    No one's laughing at God
    No one's laughing at God
    We're all laughing with God Writer/s: REGINA SPEKTOR
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Krzysztof from Pittsburgh, PaRated 0 The first 50-or-so lines are pretty self-explanatory, and really serve as background leading up to the point of the song... the golden nugget: "No one's laughing at God/ We're all laughing with God"

    When we make a punchline of someone, and realize that person is standing right behind us, we say, "we werent laughing at you!.... we were laughing *with* you!" It seems to me that the last lines mean to say that while in good times (cocktail parties), when we feel no need for a protector and guiding light, we may mistreat and devalue God by making a punchline of him, but during times of anguish and hardship (war), when we have no place to which to go and no one to whom to turn, we feel God's presence and our need for his help. Remembering or past indiscretions, we seek to cover our tracks and, in a way, ask for forgiveness and reconciliation, in order to beg for his guidance and intercession.

    A song about tragedy, human vulnerability and mortality, but also, I believe, about the omnipresence of a loving benefactor, or at least, for those who don't believe, a security blanket (something which, in one form or another, we all need at some point in our lives). In beautiful contrast to the minor chord and accompanying despair throughout the bulk of the song, the final, major chord leaves me with a feeling of of hope and comfort, as if to say, "it'll all be OK."


    In any event: quite a masterpiece Regina, to expand so simple an idea into a heartfelt, reflective piece such as this.
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