God Don't Make Mistakes

One thing I would like to do periodically here at Chinese Colony is deconstruct contemporary country lyrics. One might ask, "But isn't this a political blog?" The answer would be well, sorta, yeah, but these lyrics are quite political. It is my contention that many contemporary country songs are full-blown propaganda for the right wing facade of the American (Christian) Dream. Propaganda is a mind game, myths are propagated and stereotypes are reinforced and hopefully the masses are kept dumb, docile, duped.

Today's song is performed by one Jamie O'Neal who was born in Sydney, Australia and got her start as a backing singer for Kylie Minogue. How she ended up being a shill for the religious right is anybody's guess.

So here are the lyrics to O'Neal's 2007 single "God Don't Make Mistakes."

It was one of those days
when she couldn't find
a single ray of sunshine
and there wasn't even
a cloud up in the sky

After 13 years at the factory
they said sorry maam but we're downsizin'
that's the way life is
good luck with the rest of it
she looked me in the eye
and said this ain't the first time
I've taken the fall
but let me tell you girl
what's gotten me through
is keepin' faith through it all

Cause there'll be dead ends and road blocks
tough times and hard knocks
seems like your always wonderin'
why you're at the right place
at the wrong time
wheels movin' but you feel stuck
like your life's spinnin' in a big mud
when you're out there runnin' around
on a wild goose chase
there's a reason to keep believin'
God don't make mistakes

Everybody said you got to give it up
you can't keep that child
It's just too tough at seventeen
you're just a baby
well she cried and she prayed
and made up her mind
said this beautiful life
that's growin' inside needs a chance
to have a hand in God's plan
well everyone told her they'd
never get by
why he just turned sixteen
made it straight to the top of his class
the captain of the football team

yeah.... there'll be dead ends and road blocks
tough times and hard knocks
seems like you're always wonderin'
why your at the right place
at the wrong time
wheels movin' but you feel stuck
like your life's spinnin' in a big mud
when your out there runnin' around
on a wild goose chase
there's a reason to keep belivin'
God don't make mistakes
oh, there'll be dead ends and road blocks
tough times and hard knocks
seems like your always wonderin' why
you're at the right place
at the wrong time
wheels movin' but you feel stuck
like your life's spinnin' in a big mud
when your out there runnin' around
on a wild goose chase
there's a reason to keep belivin'
keep belivin'
God don't make mistakes
yeah, yeah oh, God don't make mistakes

So in the first verse a woman loses her job but shrugs it off because...God don't make mistakes. Yes, God planned for this woman to lose her job and God will get her a new job...at Walmart. This woman does not resent the employer that exploited her until they found a way to replace her with a machine or a Bangladeshi juvenile. She doesn't rant about tax breaks, deregulation, stagnant wages, lack of benefits, widespread disregard for humanity, the insatiable corporate drive to wring out every last cent. Her "faith" keeps her dumb, docile, duped.

Then we get to the chorus, where the title of the song is explained. Bad things happen, but they happen for a reason, so just sit on the couch until God's plan unfolds. Whenever I hear a phrase like "God don't make mistakes" I always want to say, "Well, thanks for polio and ebola then, asshole." Thanks for the little fish that swim up people's dicks and suck their blood until they die! I mean, does God think that shit is funny?

In the second verse we are presented with a trite and simplistic anti-abortion rap. Once again it all relates back to God's plan. Even if the baby is born with its heart outside of its body or Tay-Sachs disease...God did that for a reason. All God's plan. Gee, thanks God.

This song is a grating example of why, anytime anyone says something like "everything happens for a reason," I want to waterboard them.