i was killed in a shopping cart
turned upside down and left for dead
i saw a clown try to speak to me
as i floated overhead
i found my way to a familiar place
i swear i’d been sometime before
i would’ve thought it was the marketplace
but i could not find the door
oh i have been to heaven
and i have walked the streets
but i couldn’t find a hand to hold
to keep me on my feet
paradise is a parking lot
a spot up front is your reward
and all the rest walk down streets of gold
to the house they could afford
i got lost in the swelling crowd
i could not afford to eat
you only have what you came in with
so i’m living on the street
oh i have been to heaven
and i found no relief
‘cause i couldn’t find a hand to hold
to keep me on my feet
i heard jesus christ was there
he had a car that’s bulletproof
that way everyone is safe
from the man who tells the truth
Can some one explain the words to the song Heaven to me, I like the song but then when actually listening to the words I am now confused as to the meaning, isn’t God the man who tells truths then why does Jesus need to be in a bullet proof car, please explain, now that I am thinking about it it is driving me crazy. Thanks
I personally have found it inscrutable.
I think it is written as if Heaven were like what some people say it will be… either by their words or by their actions. If Heaven is a place where everything is alloted according to what you can ‘store up’ while on Earth, then some people will ‘come in with’ nothing. Some will be able to afford a house on a golden street and others will be living on the street. Even worse, there would be people unwilling to help the homeless or hold the hand of those who (for whatever reason) can’t stand on their own (literally or figuratively). As for Jesus being inside a bullet-proof car: I think He and His Truth are locked inside, rather than this being a necessary protection for Him. This is what is keeping everyone ‘safe’ from both the Truth and from His influence.
In many ways it is a picture of what Heaven won’t be. If Jesus were free from the bullet-proof car and could freely tell the Truth, the people in this ‘Heaven’ would no longer be safe!
At least this is what I think it all means. Does Derek have any posts about the meaning of this song? The author would be the best interpreter.
Derek is unlikely to give a clear, definitive interpretation. He may have done that earlier in his career, but he’s seemed uninterested in doing so now.