The Wrong Side of Heaven by Five Finger Death Punch

Album: The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell (2013)

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The music video concerns the plight of soldiers returning home and the horrors of post-traumatic stress disorder. The clip was written by the band and directed by Nick Peterson, who also helmed Five Finger Death Punch's visual for "Coming Down." "War is not pretty," guitarist Zoltan Bathory told Artist Direct explaining how the promo fits in with the song's lyrics about conflicted morality. "That's what happens. Even though these guys are doing a job and they're doing something for the greater good. As an individual in that situation, you don't know. You signed up. You're ready to lay down your life. You're ready to uphold the rules of engagement even though your enemy doesn't. It's a very difficult thing to go through."

"Nobody really understands the politics," he continued. "A lot of information is hidden from us. We know half-truths. What if you got the wrong half of the truth? Imagine a soldier in the situation. He signed up to defend his country and all it stands for. Now, he has to go do things beyond what a civilian could even fathom. 'The Wrong Side of Heaven' was that line. That's what the song talks about. He's thinking, 'Is it right or wrong? I'm doing what I have to do. This is my duty. I'd like to believe I'm sent here for the right reason.'"

Comments: 19

Monty from MiThey portrayed God as female to denote that historically females have been responsible for care, kindness, and bringing in new life. And they denote the devil as male because historically men have been the cause of far more death and destruction. I’m Christian and even I can figure out when something is not needed to be taken as literal. The song is about the fact that the soldier is questioning his place and his job. Most of us veterans that come from military families like mine live by a particular saying, “There are two types of people in the world. The innocent and monsters. Monsters eat the innocent but I happen to be a monster that eats other monsters in order to protect the innocent.” We see ourselves as outsiders when we are around civilians who don’t really know what ugliness goes on in war. We see what we do as a necessary evil in order to protect the innocent from the horrors of war. We make no illusions we know that taking a life even if it is necessary as instinctively wrong, but still necessary for the survival of our country’s civilians. That should be the only thing you focus on when listening to this song.
Mark Andrew from NzI think God is given a feminine gender to symbolise the kind gentle side "feminine" . ie mother's are gentle usually and they say when you join the military they destroy the kind feminine psych and replace with a masculine hardened killer. Don't think U can read too much into it. God doesn't have a sex but qualities that in humans.
Justsomeguy from SomewhereThe way I see it, he sees God in his wife and he considers himself as the devil for what he has done (not saying is right or wrong, just what he doubts himself).

Thanks to all our service members for their (and their families) sacrifices. God bless and protect them.
Holly from EnglandI agree the outrage over “god’s” gender is preposterous. First off, it’s all clearly symbolic. “She sounds a lot like me” and “he looked a lot like me” are obviously referring to something internal. Second, the are women veterans too. By making part of the internal struggle feminine, it let’s them know they’re part of this too. It’s all dichotomies and no clear lines are drawn because of the hazy morality. Lastly, not everyone believes in the same gods. The language can thus speak to polytheist veterans too, like Hindus and Wiccans. The message was meant to encompass every suffering veteran, no matter who they are, where they’re from, or what they believe. It’s all the same struggle. Narrow minded fundamentalists sicken me.
GodschildFirst of all I am a disabled veteran and deacon of my church. Like so many have already stated God really doesn't have a gender. He has a job description. Like so many things in the bible we are told things so that our primitive brains can grasp the very concept of God. God being called father simple means God fills the role of what God would have earthly fathers live up to. Where as the holy spirit almost fills the role of a mother. So in fact God the father, God the holy spirit, and God the son are either both male and female or neither.

My next comment goes out to all the veterans. We fought for our families, and our country and whatever we did was for that cause. Never should you feel like your on the wrong side of heaven as in the old testament God sent the Israelites to war many times to fight for the promise land. The thou shall not kill simply means thou shall not murder. If it was truly thou shall not kill then God sent the Israelites to sin which God would never do. Many Christians take the Bible to literally when a lot of it is descriptive. Jesus spoke in parables to help us understand because our human minds are not able to fully grasp all of God and heaven. Same as many things in the bible are more descriptive than literal.

Our world and our nation has to many struggles and problems to be arguing over something that truthfully none of us know for sure and won't until we get to heaven. Also the gender of God isn't needed for Salvation. It really doesn't matter if it is male or female as long as you believe in Jesus. So get off your high house and help the veterans see what a loving Christian doing God's work can accomplish. Cause at the end of the day it is more important to show God's love than to be right!!!!!
Erin from WyomingDebating the gender of Christ rather than the plight of our military personnel is disrespectful. All veterans deserve better. Ignoring the true point of the song is disrespecting them once again! Shame!
Bless all of our veterans! May we as a people wake up and take better care of them! Hugs and much gratitude to all vets! I promise to help where I can.
Jake from South AfricaPeople stop arguing wether God is Male or Female, it is not what the song is about. Also for those who didnt know God is neither, God is a spirit, God is neither male nor female. Jesus portayed God as "Holy Father" because fathers are the ones whos always protecting their families and children. Jesus does not mean God is a man/male.

Regardless this song is about war Vets, stop being blindsided and arguing about something that has nothing to do with the song.

LOVE YOUR MUSIC FFDP!
Robert 'standing Eagle' Marshall from Tijeras, NmI just love how "Chris-Lamics" in general just lose their s--t and go spinning of in illogical tangents EVERY TIME ANYBODY mentions, refers, or names their precious "god" anyway other than "male"! After that, their panties are so tied up in knots that you CAN NOT get to the meaning of the whole presentation because of their self-righteous spewing of hellfire and brimstone; out cries of blasphemy, heresy, and declaring the presentation being in league with the devil!

It would be comical; however, it is sorely pathetic!

I'm a black Native American and veteran. I served from Vietnam Era-to-Desert Storm, fist in TAC Air Recon, then as a Combat Photojournalist, and I'm here to tell y'all that there's a whole world of more important things that need tending in this world than maintaining your Chris-Lamic "bubble" of self-importance and self-righteousness!!!
Damo from Ireland I spoke to God today (she) said that (she's) ashamed. This really tells the story of a vets struggle with themselves. See in life we are led to believe things without witnessing it first hand such things like war is the only answer and it is only killing the enemy. Or other things like God is male. So when God is referred to as female shoot I guess why can't God be female we are just fed these things and believe them
Mcknight from Mississippi I'm not a veteran but I come from an ancestry of family veterans, a military family. This song hits home in so many ways. Its very sad that a country as America does so little for those that defends it and sacrifices so much for the freedoms we enjoy...all of American people are privileged because of our soldiers sacrifice. All veterans deserve so much more from us, way more than a "Thank you for your service and sacrifice". I try to donate what I can to several organizations that are listed in that video, so come on people do your part too. There's more to it being patriotic than waving a little flag during holidays and such...they should be honored every day of your privileged life, so give a helping hand to a vet in need...IT'S THE AMERICAN THING TO DO...IT'S YOUR CIVIC DUTY
Razzsquatch from OregonCombat veteran, PTSD survivor, Logical thinker. The is a great line from an old podcast that says "we live in interesting times, quit dreaming like a pu--y" Since this is a version of social media, I am sure this will offend many. Does it really matter if god is a man or a woman? You are a dips--t. The meaning in this song is totally relate able to any vet that saw the horror up close and chose to go back day after day. Not all scars are visible. So go ahead and take that back to your church going god fearing sheep life that you cherish and shove it up your 3rd point of contact. Every day when you are not in the world, a series of conversations take place with the devil or with god. The stuff we experienced and in most cases survived for our country is the stuff that horror movies are made of only it happens on a daily basis. Sad that while I fought and parts of me died for this country so you can have your freedom of fuktardery, I am still satisfied that walking that line of heaven and hell was the right choice for myself and my buddies on the left and right. To all of my brothers and sisters that are in that box of Americas broken toys, please get the help you need. Don't apologize to anybody about the service you performed especially to the mindless c--ts that never stepped up to the plate and tried to hit the nasty slider thrown by a faceless enemy that chooses to hide behind children and the word of god. (allah is god, not some other god but the same one you claim to swear allegiance to dips--t. Maybe read some history or something) problem solved, problem staying solved. rangers lead the way!
David from OregonWTF! All this worry about God, and whether a man or woman? I am a vet, and I liked this song because in my 8 years in the Marines I often felt I was on the wrong side of Heaven. I fought for the people. I fought for my buddies. In the end, people died, and I lost myself and currently afflicted with PTSD. I feel I failed, with no way to resolve. Always the wrong side of Heaven, but the righteous side of Hell.
Bri from Il, UsaI wondered myself why they chose to portray god as a woman in the song. I still don't have a solid answer, but reading these other comments make me a bit upset. The first thing I want to say, is that it does not matter whether god is male or female, it has nothing to with the actual meaning of the song and what they were trying to bring awareness to. Now with that said, I personally think that it could have been a choice to portray god as a woman because that part of the lyrics is supposed to be about innocence and light, and with that portrayal many people associate women. Whatever their reason was, I love that they did it.
FlygirlHe’s not saying God is female, but that God’s light, love and peace were speaking through his wife. He had a phone conversation with his wife back home (in the video) and “She” embodies the good, innocent, righteous part of his life ~ the bright shining light in the dark life of war, in a word God.
Lawrence from 44133When you find out who God is let me know
AnonymousBeing iraqi freedom veteran I get the song all about meaning except refering to God as a she wht what meaning in that devil is reffered to has he!!!!!
Britt from Hazard I think it's more self reflection....God is Male so maybe it's a enter thought maybe
David From Joe Town from Saint Joseph, MoReferring to God as she? God obviously is male, since when he came to Earth as Jesus, a man. Really stupid to word God as she in the song. Makes no sense
Dave from Greer, ScAnyone know which god he's referring to in this song?

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