Jesus of Suburbia is a song I have listened to repetitively since about the seventh grade. I can sing every word, I know it forwards and backwards, but the symbolism in every line never seizes to amaze me.
The first line dives right into the heart of the story, “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus of suburbia.” I always loved this beginning. It’s a hook line that wraps you into the song. it progresses to talk about he is”the bible of none of the above on a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin.” This line delves into the personality of the character from which he is writing.
In the music video, the main character is a punk, which fits perfectly to what the lyrics explain who he is. The character is supposed to show the face of teenage culture at the time. It was released in 2005, a time where pop and punk where the for runners of fame. This character is convinced he is fine, and that everyone else just doesn’t understand him. I picked this up from the lines, “and there is nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be, in a land of make believe that don’t believe in me.”
This song is nearly ten minutes long, and is basically a collection of different songs that fit just right together. After the first “song,” if I may, the tune slows down to a more serious tone. some of my favorite lyrics are in this verse.
It begins with the line, “at the center of the earth in the parking lot of the 7-11 where I was taught, the motto was just a lie.” I love this line so much. it is saying that the main characters whole world is small town America. The center of the earth to him is this gas station where everyone goes to hang out. The song moves on to say, “it says home is where your heart is, but what a shame, because everyone’s heart doesn’t beat the same.” This line does really give meaning to the character’s emotion, but if I am honest, I just really adore that line and wanted to include it.
“I read the graffiti in the bathroom stall like the holy scripture of the shopping mall.” this just shows more of how stuck in this little place he is. This life, in other words, has become a religion. And, symbolically, he is the Jesus of suburbia.
He is a run of the mill punk. This is showing how some people in this time (and honestly now) truly felt at this young point. There is a line that really shows the attitude of the character, and it is repeated several times in a row, “I don’t care if you don’t- I don’t care if you don’t care”
Eventually, the character becomes fed up with the people he is surrounded by:
“Everyone’s so full of it
Born and raised by hypocrites
Hearts recycled but never saved
From the cradle to the grave
We are the kids of war and peace
From Anaheim to the Middle East
We are the stories and disciples of
The Jesus of suburbia.”
These are amazing, to the point ways to show the attitude of teenagers at this point in time, especially punks in a suburban area. The song ends as the character is leaving his home. He is done with all the people in his little town, and he wants to be free.
This was a really popular song at one point, and basically became an anthem for all the kids who felt this way. Though the character is a stereotype, the symbolism and poetic verses make this song beautiful
I love this song and have also been listening to if for years. the way you described the lyrics and showed your appreciation for it just made me like it even more.
I stopped because I saw “Jesus”, but this seems pretty cool. I might have to check this out.