Tim Minchin’s Pope Song
NSFW!
If you liked that, stay tuned for Storm, Tim’s famed beat poem set to some awesome graphics, coming this autumn. We posted the trailer here.
EDIT: Two readers (Philology and Aoisha) wrote down the lyrics, so I’ve combined them with mine to get hopefully an accurate transcript, included after the jump!
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a fucking motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a total fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fucking fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucking Pope
Fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you motherfucker
If you think that motherfucker is sacred
If you cover for another motherfucker who’s a kiddie fucker
Fuck you, you’re no better than the motherfucking rapist
And if you don’t like the swearing that this motherfucker forced from me
And reckon that it shows moral or intellectual paucity
Then fuck you motherfucker, this is language one employs
When one is fucking cross about fuckers fucking boys
I don’t give a fuck if calling the Pope a motherfucker
Means you unthinkingly brand me an unthinking apostate
This has naught to do with other fucking godly motherfuckers
I’m not interested right now in fucking scriptural debate
There are other fucking songs and there are other fucking ways
I’ll be a religious apologist on other fucking days
But the fact remains, if you protect a single kiddie fucker
Then Pope or prince or plumber, you’re a fucking motherfucker
You see I don’t give a fuck what any other motherfucker
Believes about Jesus and his motherfucking mother
And I’ve no problem with the spiritual beliefs of all these fuckers
While those beliefs don’t impact on the happiness of others
But if you build a church on claims of fucking moral authority
And with threats of hell impose it on others in society
Then you, you motherfuckers, could expect some fucking wrath
When it turns out you’ve been fucking us in our motherfucking asses
So fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you, motherfucker if you’re still a motherfucking papist
If he covered for a single motherfucker who’s a kiddie fucker
Fuck the motherfucker, he’s as evil as the rapist
And if you look into your motherfucking heart and tell me true
If this motherfucking stupid fucking song offended you
With its filthy fucking language and it’s fucking disrespect
If it made you feel angry, go ahead and write a letter
But if you find me more offensive than the fucking possibility
That the Pope protected priests when they were getting fucking fiddly
Then listen to me, motherfucker, this here is a fact:
You are just as morally misguided as that motherfucking
Power-hungry, self-aggrandized bigot in the stupid fucking hat
Words cannot describe the Schadenfreude this brings me. ~sniff~
Tim Minchin is the motherfucking man.
Tim always manages to find the right words.
This is a song that I won’t be able to get out of my head. Kind of like horrible trauma inflected by the rapists the Pope is trying to protect is probably still inside the heads of their victims all these years later. Only in a good way.
I would love to have the lyrics.
Rapist, papist – they rhyme…
…and South Park got bleeped.
So disrespectful to the Holy Fucker.
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a fucking motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a turtle fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fucking fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucking Pope
Fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you motherfucker
If you think that motherfucker is sacred
If you cover for another motherfucker who’s a kiddy fucker
Fuck you, you’re no better than the motherfucking rapist
And if you don’t like the swearing that this motherfucker faults from me
And reckon it shows moral or intellectual paucity
Then fuck you motherfucker this is language one employs
When is fucking cross about fuckers fucking boys
I don’t give a fuck if calling the Pope a motherfucker
Makes you unthinking brand me, and I’m thinking apostate
This has naught to do with other fucking godly motherfuckers
I’m not interested right now in fucking Scripture or fucking debate
There are other fucking songs and there are other fucking ways
I’ll be a religious apologist on other fucking days
But the fact remains that if you protect a single kiddy-fucker than
Pope or Prince or Plumber you’re a fucking motherfucker
You see I don’t give a fuck what any other motherfucker believes about Jesus and his motherfucking mother
I’ve no problem about with the spiritual beliefs about all these fuckers
While those beliefs don’t impact on the happiness of others
But if you build your church on claims of fucking moral authority
And with threats of Hell impose it on others in society
Well then you, you motherfuckers, can expect some fucking wrath
When it turns out you’ve been fucking us in our motherfucking asses
So, fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you motherfucker
If you’re still a motherfucking papist
If he covered for a single motherfucker who’s a kiddy fucker
Fuck the motherfucker, he’s as evil as the rapist
And if you look into your motherfucking heart
And tell me true, if this motherfucking stupid fucking song offended you
With its filthy fucking language and it’s fucking disrespect
If it made you feel angry, go ahead and write a letter
But if you find me more offensive than the fucking possibility
The Pope protected priests when they were getting fucking fiddly
Then listen to me motherfucker, this here is a fact
You are just as morally misguided as that motherfucking
Power-hungry self-aggrandized bigot in the stupid fucking hat!
Had a copy/paste of f and mfer, made it a lot easier.
First post, by the way.. and it’s much better sung than in lyrics, obviously.
ZOMG!!ELEVENTY!!ETC
Thanks Rebecca,
this is gorgeous.
I’ll be chased by the tune through my dreams, never mind the dancing & flashing cardinals (gotta love them tiny dicks)
but it’s so worth it!
Tim FTW!
When people insist to me South Park is still funny, I’m going to send them to this song. Motherfucker.
This is the most beautiful thing… Fucking excellent, lets spread it all round the internet like corruption through the church. The only people who can get offended by this are rapists and people in those stupid fucking hats.
It’s so awesome, I can’t stop playing it. Send help… and nachos.
HA!!!
Tim said fuck!!!
6 and a half different kinds of brilliance.
I love tim as much the next skeptic and the tune is very catchy but it sounds an awfully like uncle fucka by terrence and phillip.
Oh boy! I can’t wait to transcribe it for guitar and play it around the camp fire.
I gotta say, this video restored a bit of my faith in humanity… wait, there it goes again. Nope, now it’s back. Must keep hitting play.
@Amy: Can you pass a couple of those nachos this way?
Lyrics, as best I can hear them. I may be wrong in one or two places but I think I’ve got it:
Edit: Whoops, already found an error thanks to a friend of mine~
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a fucking motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
He’s a total fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fucking fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucking Pope
Fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you motherfucker
If you think that motherfucker is sacred
If you cover for another motherfucker who’s a kiddie fucker
Fuck you, you’re no better than the motherfucking rapist
And if you don’t like the swearing that this motherfucker caused from me
And reckon that it shows moral or intellectual paucity
Then fuck you motherfucker, this is language one employs
When one is fucking cross about fuckers fucking boys
I don’t give a fuck if calling the Pope a motherfucker
Leaves you unthinkingly brand me an unthinking apostate
This has naught to do with other fucking motherfuckers
I’m not interested right now in fucking scriptural debate
There are other fucking songs and there are other fucking ways
I’ll be a religious apologist on other fucking days
But the fact remains, if you protect a single kiddie fucker
Then Pope or prince or plumber, you’re a fucking motherfucker
You see I don’t give a fuck what any other motherfucker
Believes about Jesus and his motherfucking mother
And I’ve no problem with the spiritual beliefs of all these fuckers
While those beliefs don’t impact on the happiness of others
But if you build a church on claims of fucking moral authority
And with threats of hell impose it on others in society
Then you, you motherfuckers, could expect some fucking wrath
When it turns out you’ve been fucking us in our motherfucking asses
So fuck the motherfucker
And fuck you, motherfucker if you’re still a motherfucking papist
If he covered for a single motherfucker who’s a kiddie fucker
Fuck the motherfucker, he’s as evil as the rapist
And if you look into your motherfucking heart and tell me true
If this motherfucking stupid fucking song offended you
With its filthy fucking language and it’s fucking disrespect
If it made you feel angry, go ahead and write a letter
But if you find me more offensive than the fucking possibility
That the Pope protected priests when they were getting fucking fiddly
Then listen to me, motherfucker, this here is a fact:
You are just as morally misguided as that motherfucking
Power-hungry, self-aggrandized bigot in the stupid fucking hat
@Aoshia: You rule. Thanks!
Tim, you complete me!
At least you complete my thoughts for me.
Can’t wait to play this for my dad.
@Ashley
Try this, it helps carpal tunnel from clicking play all the time.
http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch/?v=fHRDfut2Vx0
Thanks Aoshia :)
@Philology: Oh crap. You rule too. Sorry!
@bigatheist: Eh, it’s reminiscent of it but only for the repeated use of the word “fucker.” Tim doesn’t even have a fart solo.
@ZenMonkey: Philology’s was stuck in moderation because it was his/her first post and I was asleep. Sorry about that, Philology!
That makes me so incredibly happy, I don’t even have the words to describe it. Oh wait, that motherfucking song fills me with fucking glee, motherfuckers!
for the motherfucking win.
@bigatheist: I think that the floaty-head cartoon style of the video makes it pretty clear that the Terence and Philip similarity was at least noticed by Minchin if not explicitly intentional from the offset.
MOTHER FUCKER!
@Your Funny Uncle: The animation isn’t Tim’s . . . it was done by the same animator working on the Storm video.
@Rebecca Watson: Surely it has Tim’s blessing, though.
I can’t see inside his mind but I’d be very surprised if a man who’s as culturally aware as he is didn’t realise what he was doing stylistically when he wrote the song. It doesn’t make the song less funny or the sentiment behind it less dead-on.
HAHAHAHAHA!
I think we may need to create an mod designation for something which is REALLY not suitable for work (especially if you work in a church). Might I suggest MFNSFW? With Tim’s rapier sharp wit in full display, I’d also like to suggest coining a new internet meme: “Minchined”. As in “Dude! You’ve got to check this out on YouTube. The Pope totally got Minchined!”
The word fuck appears 84 times in this song, that’s about 39.4 times per minute.
This well exceeds what some tout as the previous record: Insane Clown Posse’s song “Fuck the World” which uses the word fuck 93 times in just under twice the length of this song. Well done.
Nerd note: 84 is also 42 times 2.
@krelnik: Was just about to mention that myself but you beat me to it!
So that’s Skeptics 2, Juggalos 0.
I have a back log of podcasts to listen to, but it is going to be another day of listening to this song on repeat. Sorry Curiosity Aroused, you’ve been postponed until Monday.
I predict that this is going to be huge. Or at least I hope.
The hardest part for me so far has been getting people to listen past the first 2 stanzas – they seem to think “fuck the motherfucker” is all it says. :-/
your lyrics are absolutely perfect except for one line:
Leaves you unthinkingly brand me…
should be
MEANS you unthinkingly brand me…
@isensmith: Thanks! Fixed it up.
Wow. They would have burned Lenny Bruce at the stake for that. Times have changed.
Beautiful work putting together the lyrics to this amazing song. Since this is a cultural artefact that will, one hopes, survive for centuries to come, we might as well try to get the transcription 100% accurate. Here are a few more corrections, using the text in your post above (and counting empty lines as lines):
Line 27: And reckon that it shows…: strike “that”
Line 38: But the fact remains…: change “but” into “and”
Line 43: And I’ve no problem…: strike “And”
Line 46: But if you build a church…: change “a” into “your”
I am still in two minds about line 47. Your reading makes a lot of sense, but the first time listening to this song I heard the rather poetic “imposéd on others”. So our two diverging readings would be:
“But if you build your church on claims of fucking moral authority / and with threats of hell impose it (meaning moral authority) on others in society”
vs
“But if you build your church (on claims of fucking moral authority) / and (with threats of hell imposéd on others in society)”
I am not a native speaker, so I can’t really make the call here. Is my reading completely out of the question?
Has anyone thought of just asking Tim for the lyrics ;-). @timminchin
Here are the chords, as best as I can tell…
Pope Song in F
by Tim Minchin
A 0-0-2-2-2-0
Bb 1-1-3-3-3-1
Bbm 1-1-3-3-2-1
C 0-3-2-0-1-0
C7 0-3-2-3-1-0
Caug 0-3-2-1-1-0
D7 x-0-0-2-1-2
F 1-3-3-2-1-1
G 3-2-0-0-0-3
G7 3-2-0-0-0-1
[F]Fuck the motherfucker / Fuck the motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker he’s a [C7]fucking motherfucker
Fuck the motherfucker / Fuck the fucking fucker
Fuck the motherfucker he’s a [F]total fucking fucker
[Bb]Fuck the motherfucker / [Bbm]Fuck the motherfucker
[F]Fuck the motherfucker, fucking [D7]fuck the motherfucker
[G]Fuck the motherfucker / [C7]Fuck the motherfucking [F]Pope
[2nd string a: 3—5—3]
[F]Fuck the motherfucker, and fuck you, motherfucker
If you think that motherfucker is [C7]sacred
If you cover for another motherfucker who’s a kiddy fucker
Fuck you, you’re no better than the [F]motherfucking rapist
And if [Bb]you don’t like the swearing that this [Bbm]motherfucker forced from me
And [F]reckon it shows moral or [D7]intellectual paucity
Then [G]fuck you, motherfucker, this is [G7]language one employs
When [C7]one is fucking cross about [Caug]fuckers fucking boys
[F]I don’t give a fuck if call’ng the Pope a motherfucker
Means you unthinkingly brand me an un[C7]thinking apostate
This has naught to do with other fucking godly motherfuckers
I’m not interested right now in fucking [F]scriptural debate
There are [Bb]other fucking songs and there are [Bbm]other fucking ways
I’ll be a [F]re-lig-ious apologist on [D7]other fucking days
But the [G]fact remains if you protect a [G7]single kiddy fucker
Then [C7]Pope [no chord] or prince or plumber, you’re a fucking motherfucker
You see [F]I don’t give a fuck what any other motherfucker
Believes about Jesus and his [C7]motherfucking mother
I’ve no problem with the spiritual beliefs of all these fuckers
While those beliefs don’t impact on the [F]happiness of others
But if you [Bb]build your church on claims of fucking [Bbm]moral authority
And with [F]threats of hell impose it on [D7]others in society
Then [G]you, you motherfuckers, can ex[G7]pect some fucking wrath
When it [C7]turns out you’ve been fucking us in our [Caug]motherfucking asses
So [F]fuck the motherfucker, and fuck you, motherfucker
If you’re still a motherfucking [C7]papist
If he covered for a single motherfucker who’s a kiddy fucker
Fuck the motherfucker, he’s as [F]evil as the rapist
And if you [Bb]look into your motherfucking [Bbm]heart and tell me true
If this [F]motherfucking stupid fucking [D7]song offended you
With its [Bb]filthy fucking language and its [C]fucking disrespect
If it [A]made you feel angry, go [D7]ahead and write a letter
But if you [Bb]find me more offensive than the [C]fucking possibility
The [Bb]Pope protected priests when they were [C]getting fucking fiddly
Then [Bb]listen to me motherfucker, [C]this here is a fact
[A]You are just as morally mis[D7]guided as that motherfucking
[Bb]power-hungry, self-aggrandized [C7]bigot in the stupid fucking [F]hat
I can’t get this song out of my head. It’s just so perfect.
And thanks mclir for posting the chords. They look good except I have one little correction: for the last 5 lines (beginning with “but if you find me more offensive…”), change all the Bb’s to Gm7.