Get over it... but complain a bit first.

[Freypower]

To me the most interesting part of the song, as a non-American, is its criticism of 'manifest destiny' and 'the white man's burden'. All of this has since been reprised in what I consider a far superior song, Long Road Out Of Eden (to me that song has a great deal more global resonance). First the settlers powered their way to California and even though they may have 'spoke about the red man's ways' they pushed them out of the way. Then the missionaries went one step further to Hawaii to 'finish the job' on the native people there, if you like. No doubt many if not most of them had good intentions but the phrases quoted above cannot be denied.

The part of the song which best sums this up is:

We satisfy our endless needs
And justify our bloody deeds
In the name of destiny
And in the name of God

As LROOE shows, this has happened throughout history, and has been done by all 'empires', not just the United States.

[TimothyBFan]

No, what he is attacking I think is the ABUSE of Religion. Or the use of it to justify the actions of those Don is referring to.

I think you are spot on here Mike. That's what I've been thinking all along.

I don't think there can be a lot of speculation of the use of "Jesus" as an expletive in this context...I stand corrected completely on this part.

Again, I admit I think I read more into that line than was meant to be. Hadn't even thought of it that way but I stand corrected also.

I think in the last part of the song Don is alluding to the fact that even though some people go to church, they may not act very much like Christians.

We satisfy our endless needs
And justify our bloody deeds
In the name of destiny
And in the name of God

I personally think what you said GL can definitely pertain to this part of the song! I know people like this that go to church every week, call themselves Christians but there actions don't seem Christian like a lot of the time.

And you can see them there on Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about what it's like up there
They call it paradise; I don't know why
You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye

This part can also apply there. I think he's saying that some people think you can do just about anything as long as you show up to church on Sunday morning and/or do it in the name of God, it's justified.

Just my interpretation and I don't mean to offend anyone with it.

Glad to see that I did get some discussion going on this song and I'm still interested to see some of the other discussion and interpretations yet to come.