“White Crosses” is the titular song off of Against Me!’s 2010 White Crosses. Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has described the song as “in essence a pro-choice song,” but it also deals with the stress of keeping her trans identity a secret. Laura told Cosmopolitan:
I was numb. I couldn’t write; I could...
[Verse 1]
I wake up in the morning and I drink from the fountain
I wake up in the morning with the same unanswered questions
I don't know what's going to cure my unsettled stomach
Street kids collect spare change in a conch shell on the side walk
Their teeth are yellow, their hair is tangled
Their minds are vapid and they laugh wild in their depravity
[Chorus 1]
I'll make my way back home to you
Head north on San Marco Avenue
White crosses on the church lawn
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
[Verse 2]
Pony tails swinging back and forth behind
Beach-blonde college girls out for a jog
St. Augustine, shine your light down on me
Pop hits from the '90s echo out of tourist-filled bars
I am met with arms crossed under dirty looks
I am treated like a common thief
[Chorus 1]
I'll make my way back home to you
Head north on San Marco Avenue
White crosses on the church lawn
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
[Verse 3]
Eavesdropping in on conversation
I wander aimless leering at strangers
Strung out on the amphetamines that you gave to me
Eye-balled with suspicion by a pencil skirt in high heels
You realize that you're talking to yourself
Cannon fire explodes out over the bay
[Chorus 1]
I'll make my way back home to you
Head north on San Marco Avenue
White crosses on the church lawn
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
[Chorus 2]
Looking for context and perspective
Looking for some kind of distraction
White crosses on the church lawn
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
[Outro]
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
I want to smash them all
White Crosses was written by Laura Jane Grace.
White Crosses was produced by Butch Vig.
Against Me! released White Crosses on Tue Aug 31 2010.