International

Song Meaning

The lyrics present a speaker addressing Jesus, claiming a transformation into someone "international" and "rational" as decreed by the divine. This new state seems to involve a mission: bringing others "home to you" and making them "see international" and "be international." The narrator appears to be acting as an agent of this divine will, tasked with converting or guiding others towards this perceived ideal state. The central tension lies in the narrator's self-proclaimed "rationality" and "international" status, contrasted with the implied state of those they aim to convert. There's a sense of urgency, as the narrator observes others "going downhill very fast" and "don't look as though they last 'Til Judgement Day." This suggests a belief that the "international" and "rational" path is the only way to salvation or survival. The most striking aspect is the repeated phrase "We'll make them see international / We'll make them be international / Like you and me." This insistent, almost evangelical repetition frames the core objective. The use of "international" as an aspirational state, linked directly to Jesus, is peculiar and suggests a specific, perhaps secularized or reinterpreted, vision of global unity or conformity dictated from above. The narrator's claim to have "gone international" and become "very rational" positions them as a successful disciple, ready to recruit. These lyrics are effective because they create a disquieting blend of spiritual fervor and a potentially coercive agenda. The confident, declarative tone of the narrator, coupled with the almost cult-like repetition of "international," makes the listener question the nature of this transformation and the underlying motivations. It’s the unsettling conviction behind the mission that gives the song its peculiar, sharp edge.