Well, I shook hands with the devil
Down on the south side
And he bought us both a drink
With a pad and a pencil, sat by his side
I said, "Tell me what you think"
[Pre-Chorus]
I've been looking for my savior
Looking for my truth
I even asked my shrink
He brought me down to his level
Said, "Son, you're not special
You won't find him where you think
[Chorus]
"You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream, you were just sixteen
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in LA
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in LA"
Took a sip of his whiskey
Said, "Now that you're with me
Well, I think that you should stay
Yeah, I know you've been busy
Searching through the city
So let me share the way
[Pre-Chorus]
"I know I'm not your savior
Know I'm not your truth
But I think we could be friends"
He said, "Come down to my level
Hang out with the devil
Let me tell you, in the end...
[Chorus]
"You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream, you were just sixteen
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in LA
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in LA"
And that is when I knew that it was time to go home
And that is when I realized that I was alone
And all the vibrant colors from the lights fade away
And I don't care what they say
[Chorus]
You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream, you were just sixteen
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in LA
I won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when I'm tripping on some pills
When they sold me the dream, I was just sixteen
Packed my bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame I came all this way
'Cause I won't find Jesus in LA
And it's a crying shame I came all this way
'Cause I won't find Jesus in LA
About
‘'Jesus In LA’‘ is a song by Alec Benjamin about the music industry. When he moved to LA and left his friends and family in Arizona, he thought he could find happiness. But when his label dropped him and he lost his way, he discovered that he had everything he needed within him all along.
In an earlier song by Alec, “Worst Day Of My Life, he mentions that he will always remember this part of his life, leading to betrayal and loneliness, which justifies “Jesus in LA” as second song about the same topic.
Alec first teased the song on his YouTube channel and his Instagram, both of which he deleted later. In early July 2019, he released a studio snippet of the song again on Instagram, along with an Instagram story explaining the meaning of the song, revealing that it would be available on streaming platforms on the 16th of July 2019. He released the single along with a music video on that day.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
When I was younger and I wanted to make music, I was always like, “Oh, man, it would be tight to go to LA. That’s where everything happens.” Then I got out there and I got dropped by my label. It didn’t work out for me. And so I had to face the reality that my perception of what LA was wasn’t what it actually turned out to be. It is not a religious song, but in Western culture, Jesus is synonymous with salvation, so it’s the idea that you won’t find what you’re looking for in Los Angeles. Oh, and that’s a song I chose to put out because I played it for John Mayer and he liked it.
Alec said on his Instagram story:
When I first got to LA, I thought that I was finally going to find the happiness that I had always been looking for. Not long after I arrived I got signed, dropped, lost all my friends, spent all my money. I had to move back in with my parents, and it was then that I realized the thing that I was looking for was in front of me the whole time: my true friends and family. Even though I was at my lowest point, being back home with my mom, my dad, and my sister made me truly happy.
- 2.Demons
- 3.Oh My God
- 6.Jesus in LA
- 8.Alamo
- 10.Just Like You
