Low Budget Jesus

[Verse 1 — Singer A: Janice, smoky Southern alto, hypnotic low melody over distorted bass and sparse dobro] Scroll-stained fingers, cheap plastic crown You preach in jump cuts, never look down Sitting there praying to a ring light Waiting on strangers to tell you you’re right You are nothing but a low-budget Jesus Selling salvation in fifteen frames Got a thousand little digital disciples And not one of them knows your name [Pre-Chorus — Singer A, melody descends; drums begin an uneven pounding rhythm] Is this a temple or just a feed? Do you want truth or something to need? You put a price on being free And call it faith when they agree [Chorus — Singer A soaring Southern vocal, huge detuned guitar riff, Singer B harsh rhythmic responses] [Singer A — melodic, fierce] Low-budget Jesus, high-dollar lies Selling little pieces of a borrowed paradise Everybody kneeling to a fluorescent sky Nobody asking who turned out the light [Singer B — harsh rhythmic shout] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A — sustained melodic belt] It’s nothing but a screen! [Singer B — shouted] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A] Don’t sell your salvation to me! [Both — massive unison hook] LOW-BUDGET JESUS! HIGH-DOLLAR LIES! YOU CAN’T BUY A SOUL WITH A MILLION LIKES! [Verse 2 — Singer B, low rhythmic spoken growl; distorted slide guitar answers each phrase] TikTok shaman needs to be seen Burning sage in a sponsored scene Every mantra branded, tagged Every doubt in a shopping bag You sell my questions back as merch Call it a miracle, call it a church Your holy book is a comment thread Your promised land is a loading wheel [Singer A — quiet, bitter melodic interjection] And every time somebody asks you why You say the algorithm doesn’t lie [Pre-Chorus — Singer A, increasingly strained, industrial percussion rising] Is this devotion or just a scheme? Do you want meaning or just the meme? If every answer comes with a fee Who’s getting saved, and who’s getting fleeced? [Chorus — explosive half-time nu-metal groove, thick guitars, layered female harmonies] [Singer A] Low-budget Jesus, high-dollar lies Selling little pieces of a borrowed paradise Everybody kneeling to a fluorescent sky Nobody asking who turned out the light [Singer B] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A] It’s nothing but a screen! [Singer B] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A] Don’t sell your salvation to me! [Both] LOW-BUDGET JESUS! HIGH-DOLLAR LIES! YOU CAN’T BUY A SOUL WITH A MILLION LIKES! [Bridge — instruments drop to a single detuned acoustic guitar and sub-bass heartbeat] [Singer B — whispered, dry and close] Say my name. [Singer A — whispered] Feed the frame. [Singer B — rhythmic whisper] Who am I when nobody’s watching? [Singer A — low, mournful] Who am I when the picture fades? [Singer B] If every thought is a product to stream… [Singer A] Is any soul more than somebody’s theme? [Build — Appalachian slide guitar bends against rising industrial feedback] [Singer A — growing stronger] Tear down the shrine made of glass in your hand Step from the glow, feel the dirt, feel the land If this is faith, then it’s built on a beam Of blue-light ghosts and a dopamine dream [Breakdown — crushing syncopated drop-D riff, pounding kick, sudden rhythmic stops] [Singer B — harsh, syncopated] CLICK! PRAY! BUY! OBEY! CLICK! PRAY! BUY! OBEY! [Singer A — furious, sustained note over the riff] WHO TAUGHT YOU TO WORSHIP A MACHINE? [Final Chorus — Singer A leads, soaring melody over massive guitars; Singer B punctuates] Low-budget Jesus, high-dollar lies Selling little pieces of a borrowed paradise Everybody kneeling to a fluorescent sky Nobody asking who turned out the light [Singer B] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A] It’s nothing but a screen! [Singer B] KEEP YOUR HEAVEN! [Singer A] Don’t sell your salvation to me! [Both — final rhythmic refrain] LOW-BUDGET JESUS! HIGH-DOLLAR LIES! YOU CAN’T BUY A SOUL WITH A MILLION LIKES! [Final hit — guitars and drums stop together] [Singer A — quiet, exhausted] Amen.