Don't Think Jesus by Morgan Wallen

An analysis of a song about growing up too fast, losing track, and finding one's way through faith

By: Jenna Manderioli

image via. Spotify.

An Intro to my Music Blog:

Over the last 2 years, especially after the release of Dangerous, the Double Album by Morgan Wallen, his music has spoken to me in every way imaginable. From my study music to my power walk tunes, my songs to start the morning and end each night, I always find myself queuing the same authentic, but sometimes too catchy, songs by Morgan Wallen.

I have been looking for a creative outlet to reflect on my love of music for a while, and there is simply no better place to start than right after Wallen’s single release of “Don’t Think Jesus.” In this blog and my future music blogs, I will review songs, conduct lyric analysis, and talk about the melody structure of songs to derive my personal take on its messages. It is important to recognize that everyone has their own individual life experiences and opinions, therefore my interpretations may be very different from the next person’s.

Don’t Think Jesus: an Ode to Slowing Down in a Fast-paced World

Wallen initially teased Don’t Think Jesus" in October 2021. The song was written for him by his friends Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander, and Mark Holman. Wallen shared he was brought to tears when it was first played for him, and after you listen to its lyrics, there is no question as to why. The idea that Wallen did not write the song himself also creates a unique interpretation of it, which seems to summarize a biography of the last few years of his music career from the perspective of peers.

The single was released on April 15, 2022, at midnight ET, where I sat in my bed eagerly refreshing Spotify upon its release, on FaceTime with a friend equally as obsessed with Wallen as I am. Wallen posted a clip with a photo appearing to be him in church. He thanked the writers with these words:

“​​You guys told a story that so many of us have lived and continue to live. I hope this speaks to y’all like it speaks to me. ✝️ ”

He also notes with intention the “faithful” timing of this song’s release–on Good Friday, and wishes his fans a happy Easter weekend. In this statement alone, it hints at the idea that Wallen himself has been living through the fast-paced environment of growing fame and stigmas in not only the country music industry but the celebrity industry itself.

Lyric Analysis: Third-person Reflection

The lyrics are evidence that this is a song of reflection on fast-paced life in music. The boy (Wallen) goes about the path of a young, growing country artist, but in the back of his head, Jesus (which could symbolize religion in general or connection to god) is always in the back of his mind, watching his every move.)

“Boy gets a guitar and starts writing songs, about whiskey and women and getting too stoned.”

I can almost picture Wallen first hearing these lyrics thinking “HEY–is that all I am to you?” It’s highlighting the fact, though, that Wallen’s music is branded on these exact themes. “Whiskey Glasses” and “Chasin’ You” from his 2018 Album If I Know Me are arguably songs where he took his rise to fame, talking about bars and whiskey as a coping mechanism for love. It’s certainly not uncommon for country artists to write heavily about alcohol.

Ending the verse with “Hometown says…I don’t think Jesus done it that way” As “hometown” can embody his family, church, or values, almost trying to get his attention, saying this isn’t how you were raised. His background was rooted in faith and religion, and he shares that with the cover of him as a kid singing in church. Right now, his singing career isn’t playing out that way.

The verse continues with more phrases encompassing Wallen’s recent behavior “Boy moves to the city, lives fast and goes hard, starts chasing the devil through honky tonk bars, ignoring the voices in his head that say, I don’t think Jesus done it this way.”

It can be expected for any celebrity to see a sudden faster lifestyle filled with luxury and publicity. In these lyrics, Wallen admits the boy got caught in a fast-paced life and drowned out thoughts of slowing down. The analogy of chasing the devil, too, shows he was trying to escape incidences haunting him through drinking, which did occur, as recently as 2021.

I think for Wallen specifically, Jesus embodies who he should be modeling his morals off of, and religion and God are important roles in his life. For any listener or someone looking to relate to these messages, Jesus is the person you don’t want to disappoint. The person you go to when you feel like you’ve totally lost track, and in this case, Wallen does exactly that, later in the song.

Chorus Chord Progression

I want to talk about the repetition of the pitch and pacing in the chorus. The first six notes in the first verse in the chorus are not only powerfully sang in Wallen’s upper range but remain at the same pitch, which are highlighted in brown:

“If I was Him I'd say”–and then it dips down–“to hell with you, ain’t no helping you. Find someone else to give – heaven to, I’m telling you.”

The repetition of the notes in a row emphasizes the intensity, emotion, or seeming frustration Wallen is going through at this part, putting himself in Jesus’ shoes, recognizing he would not be proud of what he was up to.

It dives into another repetitive pattern of three descending notes:

“I'd Shame you, I’d Blame you, I’d Make me pay for my mistakes”

And we hear him fall into a beautiful falsetto at the end of “mistakes.”

It takes on what is called a conjunct descending melody, which is traditionally used in Western Music and can include emotions of sadness, but there is also something to be said for the continued return to the F sharp. The F sharp in itself is universally a note of “triumph over evil.” It’s safe to say this is what Wallen is trying to strive for–an escape from some darkness of fast-paced life.

The chorus concludes, however, with once more, “I don’t think Jesus does it that way.” It’s sort of a resolution recognizing that Jesus also doesn’t punish, everyone is given an equal chance to live their life and allows for forgiveness and growth, he is simply a figure of support and guidance.

A Turning Point

In the second verse, he revisits the idea of trying to connect with Jesus after all, saying he reached a point where that was all he had left. Through praying, maybe he could find himself again and get out of the funk. The line “I wish you would have woke me up an easier way” is him realizing his spiral wasn’t pretty. Once again, deciding though, that “I don’t think Jesus does it that way” is that it takes one to recognize within themselves when it’s time to reconnect with themselves.

The last verse touches on a common analogy of “stones” as rough obstacles, sins, or causing trouble. Wallen sings softer, more admittedly, when the world throws stones, Boy (he) threw some stones of his own. He resolves again, though, that “Lord knows I ain’t perfect and it ain’t my place, and I don’t think Jesus done it that way.” Wallen acknowledges here that he isn’t perfect, but he’s also not meant to be perfect, and Jesus didn't set up the world to be filled with perfect people without learning from mistakes.

There is also value in beginning and finishing the song with a simple guitar strumming, first drawing the listeners in on a young boy with a guitar, and then revisiting that feeling closing out the song.

Slow Down, and Reconnect

The song beautifully reflects many stigmas of the harsh realities of being an adult, growing up too fast, and admitting that sometimes people can lose track. In his Instagram caption that I mentioned earlier, Wallen draws on the fact that many people are living the story that this song tells, and how the song speaks to him on such a personal level.

This song has been on repeat for me. It’s a combination of the beautiful melodic pattern that keeps my ear engaged through the story, the passion in Wallen’s voice, and his variation in tone in general expressing his emotion toward the lyrics. I turn 20 in three days, and even I find myself feeling like I'm growing up too fast. This song inspired me to reflect and reconnect with parts of myself that have gotten a little lost in the busyness of being a college student–this blog is one of those things to help me reconnect.

There is such an authenticity in country music to me. I think it's because of how closely country artists sing of childhood and hometown life in such a reflective manner. In this case, Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander, and Mark Holman did a beautiful job of encompassing the emotions and sides of Wallen’s path as a country artist, but also a beautiful metaphor of connecting religion into everyday decisions and life to keep up with our passions, but not forget to stop and connect with our faith when we need it.

Listen to "Don't Think Jesus" here!