“He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus“
Song: When You Were Young 
Artist: The Killers
Album: Sam’s Town
Year: 2006
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Why is this lyric important to you? What lyrics would you add to Lyrical Wisdom?
13 responses so far ↓
joe // June 29, 2007 at 2:08 pm
it has a kinda catchy tune, it’s stuck in my head
joe // June 29, 2007 at 2:08 pm
it has a kinda catchy tune, it’s stuck in my head
Crystal // July 21, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I love it its so stuck in my head too!
MaggieBadger // August 17, 2007 at 5:46 am
“But he talks like a gentleman…” I have no idea what this song is referring to, but between this line and the title, I always get the impression of the kind of persuasive, charming bastards I fell for in my callow youth. You know, the ones you think are going to save you. Thank God I’m past that.
Charming Bastard. // October 9, 2007 at 11:18 am
You’re not past it. You just evolved to another level of charming bastards (congrats). Just you wait. We’ll find you.
JOSHLEIGH! // October 15, 2007 at 7:47 am
I love all of The Killers work and lyrics.. but this line peculiarly caught me..
I’ve grown an attatchment to this band and I don’t know why but those lyrics in that song mean so much to me..
MaggieBadger // October 20, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Charming Bastard…you’re probably right. Sigh.
Melissa // February 4, 2008 at 12:43 am
I could have sworn I left a post on here… Anyway, what I said was - Oh boy, what girl hasn’t been there?
lyricalwisdom // February 5, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Melissa, You are sort of right. You left a comment on the full lyrics page.
When You Were Young
Haley // May 20, 2008 at 3:54 pm
In this song one of the lyrics is,
“He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus, but he walks like a gentleman…” I feel this describes the need to settle, so that our minds will.
David // June 17, 2008 at 4:44 am
“you sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young”
I think these two verse are clearer in their meaning, the suggestion seems to be (imo) that the subject is waiting to be saved, the refernce to Jesus reinforces the idea of a saviour freeing her “from [her] old ways”. The first verse and Chorus seem to imply that this ‘boy’ seems to fit the bill (HE doesn’t look a think like Jesus BUT HE talks like a gentleman- a second subject being mentioned).
However, I don’t believe that the other person is necesserily (sp?) a ‘bad-guy’ the next verse says…
“Can we climb this mountain
I dont know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let’s take it easy
Easy now
Watch it go”
The idea of climbing the mountain suggests effort and the use of we could suggest a relationship, I think maybe the main subject of the song puts too much importance on the other person in the relationship making it more like climbing a mountain. Perhaps the idea is that this is an unfair and unhealthy way to view a relationship but that its not something you can change because its something built when YOU WERE YOUNG?????
shelby // August 13, 2008 at 9:01 am
“Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways”
pretty much sums it up for me.
christine731 // August 15, 2008 at 7:53 pm
i think it means that this boy is acting like a good person. “He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus”, it means that this guy isn’t good, he is just pretending to be good for this girl. “but he talks like a gentlemen”, means that it is all an act.
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