What does I Constantly Thank God for Esteban mean?

Panic! At The Disco: I Constantly Thank God for Esteban Meaning

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Album cover for I Constantly Thank God for Esteban album cover

I Constantly Thank God for Esteban Lyrics

Give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction
Forgive our sins
Forged at the pulpit with forked tongues selling faux sermons.
Because I am a new wave gospel sharp, and you'll be thy witness
So gentlemen, if you are going to preach, for...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Feb 7th 2016 !⃝

    duh it's about thanking god for Esteban from Suite Life of Zack and Cody

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Aug 14th 2006 !⃝

    I think that you guys are reading wayyy too much into this religion thing, I think that they are more metaphors, then to be taken litterally. If you litsen to the whole cd, you'll know about the "trilogy", the 3 songs that are supposedly about that girl, who I assume cheated on the guy, anyway, I don't really know if its only just those 3 songs that talk about that, I think this one could translate back to her too.

    ----give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction,
    forgive our sins
    forged at the pulpit with forked tongues selling faux sermons----
    im looking at this more as the ruined wedding (evident in I write sins not tradgdies song) so this is like him saying you shouldnt have promised to marry me if you were just gonna be a b*tch about things and lie to me.

    Just stay where I can see you. (cuz he doesn't trust her)
    douse the lights! (turning off the lights to have sex)
    we sure are in for a show tonight.(either the act of sex itself, or the sence that's gonna be made now that he's found out about it)

    ----strike up the band!
    Whoa! The conductor is beckoning
    come congregation,let's sing it like you mean it
    no. Don't you get it don't you get it? Now don't you...Move.----
    shes not at the wedding, and they wanna get a move on things, but she's not there, and he doesn't really want to admit it (dont you get it?!... Dont you move) like he doesn't really want to admit that this is actually happening to him.

    ----in this little number we are graced by two displays of character,
    we've got: the gunslinger extraordinaire, a walking contradiction;
    and I for one can see no blood
    from the hearts and the wrists you allegedly slit
    and I for one won't stand for this
    if the scene were a parish you'd all be condemned.----
    the 2 characters are himself, and his fiancée. Here he compares her to the gunslinger,a walking contridiction because she can say something to his face, but is totally different behind his back ie: sleeps with someone else. The next few lines kinda show how upset he was at the time, but how now he's over this and won't have anything to do with her or let her ruin his life.. And the last line kinda makes me think that there were other people who knew what was going on, but didn't tell him.

    So, I interpreted it totally different then the rest of you, but it kinda makes sence when put into context with the rest of the cd

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Aug 12th 2006 !⃝

    This song is very obvious. Panic! At the disco doesn't agree with the way the church is run. They think that every week you must go in to church and pretend that you are sorry for your sins, when in actuality, the whole church is just faking their sorrow. He thinks the pastors and congregation preach and sing with no meaning, and are just a bunch of hypocrites.

  4. anonymous
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    Jan 15th 2020 !⃝

    Esteban is Spanish for Stephen. Stephen, a name which translates to "crown". according to Scripture, Stephen is the first martyr of the Christian church. This song appears to be about someone who is pretending to be a martyr and a victim. A narcissist who blames the problems they have caused on others rather than taking responsibility.

  5. anonymous
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    May 7th 2019 !⃝

    The song title is referring to the story “the handsomest drowned man” look it up.

  6. anonymous
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    Jan 3rd 2019 !⃝

    I just saw a person talk about how Brendon is Mormon so he wouldn’t have wrote this about religion... Brendon didn’t write the song, Ryan Ross did...

  7. anonymous
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    Sep 25th 2018 !⃝

    They mentioned in an interview that this song is based off of an infomercial for guitars where the woman says "I constantly thank god for Esteban."

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 5th 2014 !⃝

    I think this song is both of them singing, the man and the woman. It is part of the trilogy (I write sins, build God and then we'll talk)

    Okay so

    Give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction
    Forgive our sins
    Forged at the pulpit with forked tongues selling faux sermons.
    'Cause I am a new wave gospel sharp, and you'll be thy witness

    It is basically the bride and the best man pleading for forgiveness for what they did.

    So gentlemen, if you're gonna preach, for God sakes preach with conviction!

    ^ this could be the groom saying come on tell the truth, I don't want your apology bullcrap and lies OR it could be the bride and best man saying to the groom, we would never do that, you're making up lies, if you're going to preach lies make them believable. (I think it's the second one)

    Strike up the band!
    Whoa-oh, the conductor is beckoning
    Come congregation, let's sing it like you mean it
    No. Don't you get it, don't you get it? Now don't you move.
    Strike up the band!
    Whoa-oh, the conductor is beckoning
    Come congregation, let's sing it like you mean it
    No. Don't you get it, don't you get it? Now don't you move.

    Just stay where I can see you.
    Douse the lights!
    We sure are in for a show tonight

    ^ the groom is saying, tell the truth I've got you right where I want you. 'Stay where I can see you douse the lights, we sure are in for a show tonight' is saying I'm going to show everyone who you really are just you wait.'Don't you get it' is him asking the crowd why they don't believe him and If they understand where he is coming from.


    In this little number we're graced by two displays of character,
    We've got: the gunslinger extraordinaire walking contradictions
    And I for one can see no blood from the hearts and the wrists you allegedly slit
    And I for one wont stand for this if this scene were a parish you'd all be condemned.

    ^ saying that the bride and best man have two sides to them. But the groom isn't fooled by the tricks they have played for sympathy. Like in the past or present she might have slit her wrists or pretended to for attention. And if everyone knew what they were doing they would all be shunned apon.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 21st 2012 !⃝

    I understand where all the religious interpretations are coming from, but Brendon grew up a mormon, and in an interview he said he hoped mormons didn't hate him. So why would he write a song showing them up? I don't think he'd do that; especially since most of his family is still mormon...

  10. anonymous
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    Jan 18th 2012 !⃝

    Hi, same person as above :) also 'the hearts and wrists you allegedly slit' i think this refers to the religious practice of self harm as a form of cleansing ones soul of sins, so in the context of the marriage, the wife claims that she has been punished enough for her past cheating

  11. anonymous
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    Jan 18th 2012 !⃝

    I reckon its talking about a marriage, not nessessarily connected with the trilogy, in the song the preacher may be used as a metaphor for the wife. I think the wife had cheated on the husband in the past but claims to have stopped and only loves him now. However the husband does not feel that she is passionate and committed to him. In the first verse the husband talks about how each day the wife claims her innocence and love for him but she doesnt not ' preach with conviction' he also says that she knows that he truly loves her. The chorus speaks of the 'conductor beckoning' this could be the wife pleading for him to express his love for her (possibly through sex) and the husband is upset that she accuses him of not loving her and isso demanding of him though sheis not loyal her self. This again relates to the metaphor of the preacher who asks so much of his congregation but doesnot practice what he preaches. I think the 'two displays of character' are both the wife, her pleading for his forgiveness of her past sins while she pressures him for affection. Yea i dont want to go into much more detail aye, theres lots that suggests this meaning but that just what i think :)

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 4th 2012 !⃝

    Time to post a simplified version of the lyrics under the verses again! :) This one took a lot more thinking though.

    Give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction
    Forgive our sins
    Forged at the pulpit with forked tongues selling faux sermons.
    Because I am a new wave gospel sharp, and you'll be thy witness
    So gentlemen, if you are going to preach, for God sakes preach with conviction!
    (Give us that daily feeling of false pain. Forgive things that we've done wrong that were invoked by you standing in front of us and lying greatly to our faces, you demon. I'm the new good guy, and you've seen it. If you're going to tell me, or anybody, something, at least make it convincing.)

    Strike up the band!
    Whoa-oh, the conductor is beckoning
    Come congregation, let's sing it like you mean it
    No. Don't you get it, don't you get it? Now don't you move.
    ([Idea... don't judge me. It just came to me.] The judge is waiting for this trial to start. The jury is going to tell you how it is. Don't get up and leave. You know you're guilty, so share it.)

    Just stay where I can see you.
    Douse the lights!
    We sure are in for a show tonight
    (Don't move. Tell everyone what you've done. It should be interesting, whether we can see your face as you say it or not.)

    In this little number we're graced by two displays of character,
    We've got: the gunslinger extraordinaire, a walking contradiction
    And I for one can see no blood from the hearts and the wrists you allegedly slit
    And I for one won't stand for this if this scene were a parish you'd all be condemned.
    (Now here we have two different sides of you. [Though he only speaks of one character, unless the "contradiction" part is where a second comes in.] The backstabber. You can say anything to my face, but do the opposite anywhere else. Sadly, there's no proof of all this pain you've caused. I refuse to put up with this. You're such a sinner that even the church would condemn you.)

    Just stay where I can see you
    Douse the lights!
    We sure are in for a show tonight
    Just stay where I can see you
    Douse the lights!
    We sure are in for a show tonight
    (Stay there. Tell everyone what you've done. This should be entertaining whether people can see you or not when you say it.)

    Just a theory that it referrs to a court. I really don't know.

  13. anonymous
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    Dec 20th 2011 !⃝

    my interpretation is this... it's talking about christians that act all holy, go through all the motions on the outside, but inside their hearts don't change. christianity is all about the heart and compassion. if we dress up nice and pretty, serve at church when eyes are on us, and leave the church and behave like total heathens we're giving christians a bad rap. "come congregation let's sing it like you mean it". this means that we need to have our hearts in it. "i can see no blood from the hearts and the wrists you allegedly slit". this means that we're ripping peoples hearts out left and right. we need to all make it our goal to change into the image of christ, but we also need to be able to admit when we're wrong, be real people and give people allowance to mess up. this is how we learn.

  14. anonymous
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    Dec 20th 2011 !⃝

    Personally, I believe he is speaking of the time in history when there were some people were confessing their sins and priests would make them pay money. Or when they said doing certain things would get them a ticket straight to heaven

  15. anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2011 !⃝

    I think that it's about the hypocrisy of Christian churches in general. It's not so much baahing Christianity as it is bashing some of those who preach it. He's saying that their so-called sins are just there to gain power over people, get them to confess (possibly in the Eastern style where people confess at the pulpit in front of the whole congregation; "stay where i can see you" and "We sure are in for a show tonight") The "And I for one can see no blood; From the hearts and the wrists you allegedly slit" part implies that the singer doesn't believe that these are real sins or cause any harm. THIS SONG IS
    NOT ABOUT EMO/SCENE KIDS!!! It is a sarcastic statement about hypocrisy and control in religion!

  16. anonymous
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    Oct 3rd 2011 !⃝

    I'm sure this song is about Esteban Trueba.

  17. anonymous
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    Aug 28th 2011 !⃝

    I don't think this song is literally about religious cynicism (although I could be wrong becuse Ryan Ross is known to be anti catholic/atheist) but I think it's about people or fans who pretend to have gone through hard times like Ryan (his abusive alcoholic father) just because they like to romanticize the 'tortured' image. The line about faux affliction is about forked tongues is about people lying just to identify themselves with Ryan and his childhood pain. The line about the contradiction and "I for one can see no blood from the hearts and wrists you allegedly slit" is Ryan saying they have no idea what he's gone through. Lastly, the lines "stay where I can see you" and "sing it like you mean it" are about Ryan encouraging these people to be themselves and that they don't need act a certain way to be cool.

    So this way off topic from what everyone else was interpreting... So sorry if this doesn't make sense to anyone else.

  18. anonymous
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    Aug 12th 2011 !⃝

    This song is partially about the character Esteban from Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey." (The book has a very religion-bashing theme, hence the religion-bashin theme of the song.)

    Esteban was an orphan who grew up with only his twin brother, Manuel, for a companion, and raised by the local nun. ("Give us this day our daily douse of faux affliction.") The two were very close, even creating their own language, until Manuel began a secret relationship with a stage-actress, whom he ends up dumping because he didn't want to endanger his friendship with Esteban.

    Manuel then gets some sort of leg injury/infection and a fever, which eventually leads to his death, before he dies, Esteban is the only one who takes care of him, and in his delirious pain, Manuel would scream at him, blaming him for the end of his relationship with the actress.

    Esteban falls into depression after Manuel dies, even pretending to be his twin brother when people asked which one on he was. ("We're graced by two displays of character.") He carves away the ceiling of the hotel room he's staying in to get to the rafter and tries to hang himself, but is stopped by a friend. The two, while on a business trip, cross the bridge of San Luis Rey, and are on it when the breaks, killing them.

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