No One Laughs At God

"Laughing With" written and performed by Regina Spektor is a song that never fails to get to me. I started to write this post and when I tagged it "Regina Spektor", I realised that over the past few years I had already written about it twice.

It haunts me.

It doesn't matter if you are religious or spiritual or with what version or with what group you associate. You could be an atheist who just respects others right to believe and I still think this song might catch in your throat.

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor

If you've had that conversation with a doctor or had a loved one in that situation...

No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests

No kid and every parent knows exactly what is shot into your brain when...

No one’s laughing at God
When it’s gotten real late
And their kid’s not back from the party yet

I haven't been in any of these four situations - and I don't want to ever be - but I can imagine the feeling of...

No one laughs at God
When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they’re mistaken
No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one’s laughing at God
When there’s a famine or fire or flood

So who is laughing?  I've been hearing God and religion jokes my whole life. I was supposed to feel guilty about that (so the nuns told me in Sunday School) but I got over that. I am sure God has a sense of humor. Have you looked around at this world?

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or when the crazies say He hates us, and they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke

And when I am confronted with zealots on any side of this - religious, fundamental, atheist - then God can be funny

When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

Parents praying for their 9 year old to get a hit in baseball. Praying for a winning lottery ticket.

My father, who was in the Navy in World War II, said that there were no atheist in foxholes. It made sense to me, even though I never sat in a foxhole on Omaha Beach on D-Day like he did with two dead guys staring at him for a few hours.

No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one’s laughing at God when they’re saying their goodbyes

Yeah, no one’s laughing at God. We’re all laughing with God





Here's the official music video version of the song (worth listening to again)

Almost Midnight and I Am Laughing With God

Probably no one should be listening to this song so close to midnight because it sets you thinking about no one laughing at God in a hospital, and that it’s gotten real late
and your kid’s not home and other times when no one is laughing at God.

But this song keeps coming back to haunt me.

 
The music video for Regina Spektor's "Laughing With" (from Far).
Video directed by Adria Petty.

Laughing With God

I had not been a real fan of Regina Spektor's music before, though I had listened to some tracks. Then, I listened (for free) to the new album via NPR's excellent FIRST LISTEN site. I bought the CD and like it a lot.

The track that grabbed me on first listen is "Laughing With." It's a quiet track that reminded me of how I felt when I first heard Joan Osbourne's "One Of Us" (see bottom) - you're wondering: Is this song serious or teasing? Is it all ironic?

Laughing With

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God when the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God when it's gotten real late
And their kid's not back from that party yet
No one laughs at God when their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God when they see the one they love
Hand in hand with someone else and they hope they're mistaken

No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door
And they say we've got some bad news, sir
No one's laughing at God when there's a famine, fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they've lost all they've got
And they don't know what for

No one laughs at God on the day they realize that the last sight they'll ever see
Is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughing at God in a hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war

No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God

I think both songs are a good way to look at your relationship with a God - believer, agnostic, atheist.

One of Us by Joan Osbourne

If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets

And yeah yeah god is great yeah yeah god is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if god was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Just trying to make his way home
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome