Kelly, Paul - God Told Me To Lyrics






My name is John Johanna, I am misunderstood
Lately I have been accused of grievous murder in cold blood
My mission is most righteous, my cause is true and just
The wicked need chastisement, you know it’s either them or us

God told me to
I did what I had to do
God told me to

All around me empty chatter, the old men wring their hands,
Meanwhile in broad daylight Satan gathers his unholy bands
The mighty strength of angels carries me on my seeking flight
My anger is a hammer – you know not its power or the hour it strikes!

God told me to
I answer not to them or you
God told me to

Seven golden candles flaming bring forth the Son of Man
In his mouth a two-edged sword, seven stars shining in his right hand
The beast has eyes before him, the beast has eyes behind
Those not with me are against me, they’re surely gonna feel my holy fire!

God told me to
To thine own self be true
God told me to

God told me to
I’m just doing what I have to do
God told me to





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Kelly, Paul God Told Me To Comments
  1. T.... c....

    Saul killed in the thousands, David killed in the TENS of thousands ✝️

  2. T.... ....

    GOD told me to read his word,✝️🚹📡💒♥️

  3. D.... M....

    Very dark, but very light, very sad, yet very bright.... and that’s my analysis... positive 💪👍

  4. R.... M....

    Superb track.

  5. C.... N....

    Good song
    Good christian song
    But Paul...
    Your reasoning is shit.
    You are on the side of masonry. That cunt Melbourne club must love you for disseminating truth

  6. D.... G....

    "God Told Me To"

    My name is John Johanna, I am misunderstood
    Lately I have been accused of grievous murder in cold blood
    My mission is most righteous, my cause is true and just
    The wicked need chastisement, you know it’s either them or us

    God told me to
    I did what I had to do
    God told me to

    All around me empty chatter, the old men wring their hands,
    Meanwhile in broad daylight Satan gathers his unholy bands
    The mighty strength of angels carries me on my seeking flight
    My anger is a hammer – you know not its power or the hour it strikes!

    God told me to
    I answer not to them or you
    God told me to

    Seven golden candles flaming bring forth the Son of Man
    In his mouth a two-edged sword, seven stars shining in his right hand
    The beast has eyes before him, the beast has eyes behind
    Those not with me are against me, they’re surely gonna feel my holy fire!

    God told me to
    To thine own self be true
    God told me to

    God told me to
    I’m just doing what I have to do
    God told me to

  7. B.... Z....

    MOST POWERFUL.....

  8. B.... P....

    Awesome. Loved this the very moment i heard it. And time on its still just pure brilliance

  9. R.... T....

    since Cain killed able and  Abraham was asked not to kill in his name, The story goes on Jesus through to Mahmood the words simple peace and love spoken again and again. Why do we still  say Kill Kill in the name of God when God told us not to Kill. Tears fill my eyes and my heart is weak for the god I love while his children use and abuse his love. Thank-you for being true and pure

    R.... T....

    Because we follow gods example..we demand a blood sacrifice...Jesus came under orders from the most high.still gods fuck up continues.the most high can't forgive without blood.how can we his creation...

  10. D.... G....

    NEVER fails to chill me....
    GREAT tune by a true Aussie Treasure!!!!

    D.... G....

    :D FUCK YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Watched it again just now............
    Even more accurate & prophetic given the disgusting,hate-filled negative effect 'religion' has become !!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. J.... J....

    Hadn't seen the fade away views when I wrote the below. BRILLIANT to be added.

  12. J.... J....

    Chilling. Wonderful. 

  13. J.... f....

    Very inspirational....

  14. o.... ....

    or a brain

  15. B.... A....

    nice undies! ;)

  16. a.... ....

    He was having a crack at G W Bush when he wrote this one. Great song writing..

  17. C.... G....

    ISLAM IS NOT a RELIGION!!! It is a POLITICAL SYSTEM & Have read several Times the ORIGINAL Qu'ran!

  18. s.... ....

    The Islamic concept of citizenship being based on belief in a set of principles or practices instead of race predates the Mongol Empire. It goes back to Muhammad's teachings. But no sooner was Muhammad dead than there were divisions in Islam contrary to His wishes. The history of Islam is often of a flawed series of empires, nevertheless a fascinating one. That is true about the taxation, yes. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing though for then.

  19. g.... k....

    Possibly the Mongol Empire qualifies for what you state. Not Islam. The only reason why Islamic states discouraged conversion was to ensure their tax base. Muslims did not pay tax. Others did.

  20. s.... ....

    I get postmodernism. There are many possibilities. Everything we understand and carry out is relative and never absolute. I'm not arguing for novelty of invention/originality but that Islam 'did it first' does place it in a rightful position of influence. To come back to an earlier point it is difficult to have a lasting influence therefore it could be there is something there more than smoke and mirrors. History books acknowledge indeed there is something.

  21. K.... ....

    I'd be hesitant to call those dogmatic. The ideologies themselves might be somewhat doctrinal in nature, but the means used to get to those ideologies were not dogmatic at all--dogmatism would have necessarily prevented people from reaching so many different conclusions.
    In any case, I don't see your point. Human unity can be sought through secularism as well--why attribute it to Islam?
    And where did you get this notion that there's some 'social evolutionary goal'?

  22. K.... ....

    It doesn't matter if Islam did it first or if it had great influence. Neither originality nor popularity make its tenets true.
    Further, in any case, you can reach the same systems by purely secular means, so why still latch onto Islam?

  23. s.... ....

    Indeed, "any dogmatic practice" including neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism, materialism, communism, socialism, democracy, consumerism...nothing special here. Whatever is taken to an extreme turns bad, religion included, and the world would be better off without it if it divides people. To unite as one people is the social evolutionary goal of humanity, from family to tribe to city state to nation to a world federal government (the 'kingdom of heaven on earth' - read as an 'allegory').

  24. s.... ....

    Read the history of Islam (an unbiased one, there are ones that do exist in English) and you will see that although a religion first and later an empire Islam was also the first nation state. Anyone could be a citizen regardless of what race they belonged to and enjoy the same rights, although this didn't always transpire (still doesn't). In Rome and other empires the Romans or whoever founded it had special privileges. The USA has been influenced by Islam far more profoundly than Christianity.

  25. K.... ....

    Islam's not a nation, it's a religion. And again, people agreeing on something doesn't make it true; that's still a logical fallacy. The majority of humans used to agree that slavery was permissible (and just FYI, this consensus was for a period far longer than Islam's existence). Did that make it right?
    There's no proof the tooth fairy doesn't exist either. The time to believe something exists isn't until it's been disproven, but when there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate its existence.

  26. s.... ....

    The USSR and Roman Empire no longer exist. Not many people follow the ideals which those institutions held up as worthy to follow. Yet people still agree with the idea of citizenship of a nation being not to do with race but something more (Islam was the first nation in this sense and has had an influence therefore on modern nation states). Many still agree thou shalt not kill, that Christ was a moral uplifter for humanity. There is no proof an afterlife doesn't exist either.

  27. K.... ....

    You're making an argument from authority--because billions of people agree with what the prophets said, the prophets must be right. Such an argument serves as no kind of proof whatsoever, and is in fact a logical fallacy.
    A claim stands on its own merits, not the merits of those who make it. Unless you can give sufficient evidence for the claim that an afterlife exists, it's an unsound claim.
    And I hate to tell you, but both Stalin and Caesar's legacies continue to have massive influence.

  28. s.... ....

    'No doubt' is just a saying. People coming to an awareness and understanding of the wrongs they have done is often a slow gradual process, even after death possibly. We are all at a different stage of spiritual growth
    That billions of people many centuries after their deaths have been influenced by Prophets' teachings can be considered a proof of a kind. This is because their words are creative, unlike ordinary peoples' words, whose influence in history fades away. Where is Caesar now? Stalin?

  29. K.... ....

    Perhaps. The US government could be viewed as a tyrant depending on the facts you're looking at (although I think that's somewhat of a misnomer, as 'tyrant' sort of implies a singular dictator). But of course that can be contested by facts of similar standing.
    In any case, I don't think Kelly's song talks so much about tyranny in particular as it does about the uncanny and often absurd lengths people often go to for religion (or any dogmatic practice for that matter).

  30. K.... ....

    Ok wow, this didn't appear in my inbox so my attention was just brought to it.
    I don't understand where there is 'no doubt'. Are you saying you're infallible? I'm sorry, but until substantial evidence can be provided for the existence of 'the world beyond', assuming it exists is just as bad as assuming Santa Claus exists.
    Sorry, I don't think I realised you were referring to Islam. Even if the prophets existed, there is nothing to support that they were in any way holy or connected to a god.

  31. A.... J....

    What you believe is reverent only to you, Believing any thing is the domain of fool's, and that you are.

  32. S.... ....

    I watched this.

  33. d.... ....

    Awesome song. There seems to be a lot of people claiming that "God told them to" as an excuse for horrific acts.

  34. M.... ....

    Absolute work of art. Probably one of the best film clips i've seen.

  35. s.... ....

    1.&2. Greetings. The 911 murderers had an undeniable misconception they believed to be faith in God but their actions were unGodly so they didn't have a real fear of punishment for their crimes. No doubt they, as Stalin, are now aware of their sins and lamenting them in the world beyond.
    Religious/atheist murderers like these people all acted like "paranoid...sociopaths" who were unaware of their grevious errors.
    There is clear historical evidence Muhammad, the Bab and Bahaullah existed.

  36. K.... ....

    You imply 1. if you are a theist, you can't murder due to 'holy fear' and 2. you can only murder if you don't believe in God. But this is refuted by the many examples of religion-based murder.
    Moreover, I am an atheist, I oppose murder. Stalin, Pol Pot, Zedong, etc. murdered because they were paranoid, psychotic sociopaths, not because of anything to do with religion.
    And you reminded me - I don't know why I mentioned the prophets at all when there's nothing to even support their existence.

  37. s.... ....

    Makes no difference whether their murders were in the name of atheism or not. They murdered because they had no holy fear of a higher power.
    The Prophets didn't do any of the crimes you have mentioned and ascribe to them. Contraception didn't even exist when any of Them were around. I understand however that some folks tend to confuse the actions of a man made institution such as the Catholic Church with the teachings of Jesus and that sort of thing. The Private Pope went against the General JC.

  38. K.... ....

    The USSR was atheist, but there is no evidence suggesting its murders were in the name of atheism. However, there's ample evidence suggesting that many murders were committed in the name of religion - the Crusades, the Inquisition, 9/11, suicide bombings, even the holy prophets of the major religions partook in murder. Not to mention the many other disgraces of religion like slavery, paedophilia, destruction of indigenous cultures, and denunciation of contraception, abortion & same-sex marriage

  39. s.... ....

    A disingenous attempt to dis religion perhaps? Exodus is one of the books of the Pentateuch, not the Gospels, and that translation you have of the Holy Quran appears to be a dodgy one. It says in that first chapter The Cow: "Fight...those that fight against you but do not attack them first." "True believers" whatever their Faith do not commit crimes in the name of the Almighty, especially murder. Extremists behave far worse than agnostics and moderate believers, even worse than many atheists.

  40. s.... ....

    To be honest I'm a bit disappointed with this: fanatics who murder in the name of the Source of All Creation are nutters of course. But a General isn't responsible if one of his privates commits a gross crime. The USSR, responsible for more murders than any other organization in the 20th Century, was an atheist regime. The atheistic premise Paul preaches from since 911 carries a touch of that Ayn Rand/Christopher Hitchens prejudiced knee jerk reaction and is unworthy of his past awesomeness.

  41. M.... M....

    Abbott's too far gone, he believes he's the infallible God himself, there is only hubris with him. Paul Kelly is aware of his frailty and the journey's he's on. Abbott hasn't a clue and will lead us all to hell. Love this video, how they kept in focus is genius.

  42. R.... M....

    cheers! Don't you fret, The Lord's Return is Near!

  43. N.... G....

    I will read them tonight, cheers

  44. R.... M....

    <--- Let them mock us to their satisfaction, in time we'll be satisfied when they will be ashes under our feet. (Malachi 4:3) with Satan their father. (Romans 16:20) Please read the passages I've cited. GOD bless you brother.

  45. R.... M....

    Yes. But you must also understand otehr passages in Scripture which shows us that Jehovah GOD ordered the killing of men and children who were opposed to His will. Consider these passages in the Old AND New Testament, for instance. (1 Samuel 15:3; Numbers 31:18 & Luke 19:27) So therefore we, as Christians should NOT equate GOD's justice with men: for His thoughts are HIGHER than theirs. (Isa. 55:8). (cont) --->

  46. g.... ....

    Why Tony Abbott?

  47. C.... H....

    In a way, I almost have more respect than fundamentalists and extremists, because they're the only ones who genuinely believe their religion. Most Christians don't kill anybody they see working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14), and Muslims seldom "kill the disbelievers wherever [they] find them" (Koran 2:191). The only explanation for this is that deep in their hearts they must know that their religion is ludicrous. Extremists are deluded, but at least they don't actively try to delude themselves.

  48. N.... G....

    @OzzInter "Religious Bigotry" does not make murders into Martyrs. Definition of a Martyr: is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause. But yes evil has been done in God's name, but don't blame God for it, the Bible says "Thou Shalt not Kill"
    Vaya Con Dios

  49. S.... ....

    By the way, I love ya Paul.

  50. S.... ....

    I don't remember Jesus telling anyone to do such things. And I have read my bible through.

  51. L.... C....

    my mission is most righteous...

  52. U.... ....

    Nudge: G'day Mr Kelly!
    Paul: Rack off, Nudge.

  53. s.... w....

    @WorldSacred oh...i really splurted tea out my nose (again) when i read that! Thank you sacred...peace

  54. J.... ....

    @yakboy69 God bless you :)

  55. U.... ....

    When did Carl Barron get a music deal?

  56. P.... S....

    the failure of the intellectual minnows commonly known as “pissant atheists” to grasp Mr Kelly’s misunderstanding is becoming so mind numbingly boring it bears no witness.

  57. o.... ....

    "I am misunderstood"....love this man.
    "The mighty strength of angels carries me on my seekin flight"

  58. o.... ....

    "I am misunderstood"....love this man.

  59. E.... P....

    Matthew 10:34-39 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law". Says it all really.

  60. E.... P....

    Like a fine wine, Paul Kelly gets better with age.

  61. M.... ....

    Paul Kelly is easily the greatest songwriter in Australian history

  62. J.... M....

    good song, not a bad singer - great filming. who is this woman?

  63. d.... ....

    Paul Kelly is an unique talent, if he were based in Dublin he`d be better known than Bono around the world.

  64. E.... P....

    @TheRealElectroPig Stienberg?

  65. S.... ....

    @photolitherland would you like to tell me a European nation that is 70% atheist.

  66. S.... ....

    Anyone know what the reference to John Johanna is about. Tried to google it but came up with a folk song that did not seem to relate to the idea of this song.

  67. S.... ....

    My name is Bret hartyy

  68. b.... ....

    Easily one of the best live gigs I have ever heard.
    His touring band in Canada was a great.

  69. w.... ....

    What is great about this song is that it could be either sides point of view, they are both using the same justification for "doing what they had to do". Reminds me of Dylans "With God on our Side" in that respect.

  70. K.... d....

    i love paul kelly i wish he was more well known in the u.s. i have inttroduced this to practically all of my friends and most hate this song sad. they need to listen to music with a message.

  71. h.... h....

    Holy SHIT its Carl Barron!!!

  72. K.... d....

    wow this is a brilliant song i love paul kelly it gives me shivers everytime.

  73. a.... ....

    WOW. Just, wow.

    Have been lucky enough to see PK play this song live a few times now. I simply can't believe he's been writing such fantastic material for nearly 30 years.

  74. j.... ....

    Shit! carl barron does look like him, haha.
    Great clip.

  75. R.... ....

    That Video was a master piece.....legend.

  76. l.... ....

    Thanks Paul for another great song and video. You seem to say more in a three and a half minute song than most authors say in 350 page books.

  77. c.... p....

    paul kelly is one of the best singer songwriters in this country and i hope he continues to do so for a long time to come. congratulations paul on a fantastic song to go with all the others

  78. M.... ....

    Is this guy just singing from the point of view of a deranged, bible-bashing, religious zealot or is he a real bible basher himself?

  79. B.... F....

    Just awesome ............

  80. I.... ....

    Had to add that this is an impressive video. The barely contained emotional instensity is palpable. It's not uncommon for artists to spend up to a mil on a music video and they don't come up with anything this effective.

  81. I.... ....

    Awesome track. Great lyrics. It's so haunting and grows on you with each listen. Happy to find it on youtube and that Paul is back on the charts.

  82. f.... ....

    I love this song and I found it was a crappy video, it took way to long for the camera to span out and he didnt even drown at the end, absolutly pointless.

  83. k.... ....

    i love the song its haunting

  84. c.... ....

    Brilliant in its simple intensity