Build God, Then We'll Talk

Panic! At The Disco's 'Build God, Then We'll Talk' is a satirical take on the veneer of respectability and the hidden vices that lurk beneath. The song paints a vivid picture of a seedy motel at the corner of 4th and Freemont Street, a place that's as uninviting as it is appealing for its lack of pretense. The lyrics suggest that even the most devout would feel the need to seek divine protection upon entering such a place, hinting at the moral decay and physical dilapidation within.

The song's chorus, 'What a wonderful caricature of intimacy,' repeats like a cynical refrain, highlighting the dissonance between appearance and reality. The characters in the song—a lawyer, a virgin, and a constable—are all involved in morally dubious activities, despite their outward appearances of propriety. The virgin, for instance, is sexualized through the imagery of a rosary in her lingerie, and the lawyer is involved in an affair. These characters are entangled in a web of deceit, their true natures clashing with the roles they play in society.

The bridge of the song uses a twisted version of the lyrics from 'My Favorite Things' from 'The Sound of Music,' contrasting the wholesome imagery of the original with the grim reality of the motel's environment. This juxtaposition serves to further emphasize the theme of corrupted innocence and the disillusionment with the so-called 'good things' in life. 'Build God, Then We'll Talk' is a commentary on the hypocrisy of societal norms and the superficiality of what is often considered intimate or sacred.