Osama Bin Laden as the Crucified Christ

Album: Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Against Me's Transgender Dysphoria Blues album deals with gender dysphoria, following the coming out of their frontwoman Laura Jane Grace as transgender. This song finds the vocalist turning her rage inward, almost cursing herself for being born this way. She told NME: "The chorus is about Mussolini and his lover Clara who after the war were both beaten and bludgeoned and then hung from the rafters of the gas station – but the verses about that point you realise transition is something that you have to do and you're like, 'F--- it.'"
  • Grace expanded on the song's meaning to Kerrang! magazine: "The lyrics are about fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara, who were hung from an ESSO station rafter after the fall of fascism in Italy," she said. "The song is about how much of life is about perspective, and how much of truth is about perspective. Someone like Mussolini or Osama Bin Laden - those are people that were viewed as messiahs or great people by some people and obviously not so much by others."

    " I don't revere those people," Grace continued, "I'm not saying that. But in your own life, on a smaller scale, you have to realise that the truth is based on perspective, and don't let anyone else's truth dictate to you what is real. That's the message."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.