Soundgarden Songs - Jesus Christ Pose Lyrics

Soundgarden - Jesus Christ Pose

Soundgarden - Jesus Christ Pose Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Badmotorfinger
Released: 1991

Jesus Christ Pose Lyrics

And you stare at me
In your Jesus Christ Pose
Arms held out
Like you've been carrying a load
And you swear to me
You don't want to be my slave

But you're staring at me
Like I need to be saved
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
In your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
And I swear to you
That I would never feed you pain

But your staring at me
Like I'm driving the nails
In your Jesus Christ pose
And you stare at me
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out like it's
The coming of the Lord

And would it pay you more to walk on water
Then to wear a crown of thorns
It wouldn't pain me more to bury you rich
Then to bury you poor
In your Jesus Christ pose

Writer/s: KIM THAYIL, HUNTER SHEPHERD, MATTHEW CAMERON, CHRIS CORNELL
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Jesus Christ Pose Song Chart

This is not a religious song, but it expresses irritation at celebrities who abuse and exploit the image of Jesus Christ on the cross, known as the Jesus Christ Pose (outstretched arms, head back).

The pose can be seen in any number of Creed videos featuring a wind-swept Scott Stapp , but for Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell, it was Jane's Addiction lead singer Perry Farrell, whose antics and onstage demeanor he always found to be pretentious, who inspired this song.

It wasn't just Farrell, though. Flipping through magazines, Cornell would see models striking the pose, sometimes complete with a crown of thorns. These folks likening themselves and their troubles to those of Jesus was too much for Cornell, and he let them have it here.

Cornell attended Catholic school until seventh grade, when his free thinking, rebellious personality became too much of a problem and his mom pulled him out (along with his sister). His inquisitive nature served him well as a lyricist; songs like this one show his disdain for ignorance and a false sense of persecution.

This is one of the few Soundgarden songs with writing credits going to all four band members. Their guitarist Kim Thayil told us that whoever brings in the main riff typically gets a credit along with the lyricist (usually Cornell), but they have no set system for distributing the credits.

Directed by Eric Zimmerman, the band made a controversial video for this song where the band demonstrated the "Jesus Christ Pose," intercut with shots of a girl on a cross. MTV didn't play it during their regular programming, but they did air it on both their Metal show Headbanger's Ball and their Alternative music showcase 120 Minutes. This crossover showed that the band had wide appeal over the various rock formats that were burgeoning, and they soon caught on in the Grunge genre as well. The band set out to reach a wide audience, and this song proved that they were on their way to achieving that goal.

At the 4:46 point, you can hear a particularly potent scream from Chris Cornell. Reminiscent of Roger Daltrey's primal wail in "Won't Get Fooled Again," it's a great demonstration of the singer's vocal control, something he worked hard to achieve.

After serving as the opening act for Guns N' Roses and then Skid Row, Soundgarden became headliners in the spring of 1992 when they set out on a UK tour. This song, which was their first British hit, was typically the last song in their encore. On later tours, they would sometimes open with this song.