Philosophy in Punk Vol. 1

NOFX: Pods and Gods

Nofx is not exactly known for their overabundance of maturity. However, this particular track, in a very simple way, provides a well attuned look into the human belief process. In this thread I will go over the lyrics for Pods and Gods and discuss my interpretation of them from a philosophical standpoint.

But first, the track:


A cool song. The theme of the track is obviously belief. Belief in aliens. Belief in God.

Lyrics and analysis

Martian men are coming to earth They're abducting all of the jerks Martian men are coming to earth Martian men don't take me Pods are landing from outer space
Pods are duplicating my face
Pods are landing from outer space Pod thing leave me alone
I don't know what conventions you go to I don't know what movies you've seen
I don't wanna hear explanations of unexplainable things
It's not that I don't belive in aliens It's just I really don´t care
I wouldn't mind havin interplanetary friends
but not till they come hang in my own hemisphere

Since the advent of the human imagination, which could basically mean forever, we have pondered the possibility that life exist that is not entirely akin to our own. Why do we feel the need to constantly bother ourselves with such a conundrum? Surely, if aliens were real they would just let us know. Or would they?

A recent National Geographic Society poll reported that 36 percent of Americans —about 80 million people —believe UFOs exist, only 17 percent do not, and the rest of the people are undecided. The survey did not specifically equate UFOs with flying saucers or little green men, however.

source

Relevant as of two years ago, 36% is a pretty big number. I can only assume that the respondents associated UFOs with aliens, either way, the point is made.

So why do we, some of us at least, believe in aliens? Do we hope for a sort of celestial deus ex machina? We can only speculate.

On to the next verse.

Holy Ghost is coming to earth
Saving souls of all of the jerks
The Holy Ghost is coming to earth
Savior man don't take me
The number one son is flipping the tab Paying for sins and fun we all had
The number one son is flipping the bill
Let me chip in for the tip
I dont understand why you beg for forgiveness Just before you do it again
Is it more altruistic to worship Or actually help fellow man?
It´s not that I don't belive in Jesus Christ
It´s just I care about other things
The world could certainly use some miracles Until then I'll put my faith in human beings

Ah, the big one. God. Why do we believe in gods? We put our faith into ancient holy books with absolutely zero guarantee that what we are dedicating our life to is even worth the trouble. Beautiful, amazing humans. Indeed, many religious types profess faithfulness only to behave in contradictory manners. Is it, as the song proclaims, more altruistic to worship or actually help your fellow humans? I tend to lean toward the latter.

Some readers may recognize this argument as a variant of “Pascal’s wager.” The seventeenth-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) argued that given that one cannot know for sure if God exists, it is nonetheless rational to believe in God. If one does not believe in God when He indeed exists (false-negative error), one must spend eternity in hell and damnation, whereas if one believes in God when he actually does not exist (false-positive error), one only wastes a minimal amount of time and effort spent on religious services. The cost of committing the false-negative error is much greater than the cost of committing the false-positive error. Hence one should rationally believe in God.

source

Pascal's wager, indeed. So which is the optimal choice? You devote time and energy to worship. Yet, you are essentially bending to dogma, out of nothing but fear of eternal damnation. Or, you for go religious endeavours and live freely unfettered by religion. What if there is a God? Damned you are, sorry you must be.

In conclusion, we will all simply go on believing whatever it is we believe. Why? Because we are human and that is just what we do.

Kallisti

Love it, thanks! Punk was my launching pad. Anarchy my religion and by that I don't mean terrorism (for those not in the know), but freedom from authority, earned by responsibility. Yay punk!

a reply to: igloo

Glad you enjoyed it. I am also a lifelong punk rocker and, like the boys from NOFX, will probably die listening to an old vinyl Black Flag EP.

Oi!

"I've been here before a few times, and I'm quite aware we're dying"
The title of this thread just made me think of Always by Blink 182.

A great thread. Although I'm not an avid follower of the punk genre, I do believe that inspiration/ philosophy is transmitted through artists of all types and genres to assist in our journey or help us with a problem or situation we may be facing.

a reply to: Simonieee

I could not agree more. It seems to me that many would assume punk rock to be quite an unlikely place to find philosophical tid bits but I find, personally, that the genre contains a veritable plethora of philosophical nuances. Thank you for the reply.

NOFX is my all time favorite band. Punk music does give a bleep despite what your typical suit will say, this one nails that for the most part

a reply to: KnowledgeSeeker81

Abso-freaking-lutely!

Probably the best song on War on Errorism besides Anarchy Camp, which is my personal favorite.

And, yes, punk actually does care. Especially bands like Bad Religion, that actually put a lot of thought into their lyrics. The song "Modern Man" for instance, tells the story of how our current sociological paradigm came to exist in just a few minutes of unadulterated punk rock. Philosophy in Punk Vol. 2 is practically writing itself.

Thanks for the reply my friend.

Solidarity

Bad Religion, Pennywise, Propagandhi and Anti-Flag are my favorites for meaningful and insightful lyrics. Unfortuantly, back in the day, I was a little off put by NOFX's popularity, so I didn't give them their due. Listening to NOFX was the "cool thing" to do in my area and I tend to associate, popular with no talent. I give you anything that is played on the radio today as an example.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat
they think us punk rockers are societal burdens. Our loud music is the devil, but when they hear the lyrics they say hmmm, yea I agree.

dam the Conan clip is gone but found this, leftover

a reply to: calstorm

All great bands, with great lyrics as well. Though I probably don't listen to as much propaghandi as I should.

I never had that problem with punk, NOFX in particular, where I grew up the punks had to fight or get their asses kicked. It was in no way, shape or form the "cool" thing. The jocks hated us. The rednecks hated us. The preps hated us. Even the metal heads hated us (even though I did a d still do love, love me some metal). Hell, the only ones that didn't hate us were the skaters and the stoners, mainly because our cliques blended so easily and often shared members.

I hated high school.

a reply to: KnowledgeSeeker81

Wow, Fat Mike's hair isn't colored! Awesome clip at any rate.

Punk has long set the standard for both speaking out against the establishment and for deeply philosophical songs that delve into things most dont even think about .. those two things were what first drew me to punk in its early days and why continue to listen to it .. cant stand lamestream music .. for awhile the punk scene had got quiet but it seems to be coming back now .. going to be checking out a couple new chinese punk bands my next trip downriver when go .. its gaining popularity in china in recent years..

Erm.. oops think got sidetracked from your original topic Cagliostro sorry about that .. will turn the mosh pit back to you ..

Great song in your op first time heard that one thanks for posting it..

number one reasion i like punk is alot of it is intelectual ... atleast old punk alot of the new "punk" or so they call it is just catchy words and no substance ... oh dam did i just make a pwn with punk hahahaha

I love punk. It has always been one of my biggest influences as a songwriter. My time was a bit before yours, so I grew up loving the Subhumans, TSOL, The Ramones, and Stiff Little Fingers.

Way back in the day I double majored both Philosophy and Theoretical Physics. There were lots of punk enthusiasts in both sets.

Great thread, thanks for the mind-job!

a reply to: 0zzymand0s

Hey, I love all those bands! Especially TSOL and SLF. You may be older but the music is ageless my friend.