--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm…" description: "\"The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case, we better get a bomb.\" — Tom Lehrer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg" --- # The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case… ![“The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case, we better get a bomb.” quote by Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg) > “The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case, we better get a bomb.” [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The line juxtaposes a biblical metaphor of guidance with a darkly humorous suggestion of violence, satirizing blind faith and absurdity. **In simple terms:** It mixes a comforting religious image with a violent twist for humor. Key Takeaway Question the seriousness of literal interpretations. Themes religion humor absurdity Mood ironic playful Type satirical musical When to use this quote - political commentary - religious critique - comedic performance Key Concepts satire parody Questions to Reflect On - Does the shock value enhance the message? - Is satire an effective tool for critique? A Different Perspective The humor may offend those with sincere beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psalm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psalm/) [Psalms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psalms/) [Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherd/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) ## Related quotes > [“God ordained the days of your life, just like it says in Psalm 139. The story you so desperately wanted to hear was written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-starns-clark/god-ordained-the-days-of-your-life-just-like-it-says-in-psalm-139-the/) [Mindy Starns Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-starns-clark/) > [Quality is better seen up at the timberline than here obscured by smoky windows and oceans of words, and he sees that what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/quality-is-better-seen-up-at-the-timberline-than-here-obscured-by/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [As my son Frankie put it, Humanism has changed the Twenty-third Psalm: They began - I am my shepherd. Then - Sheep are my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-my-son-frankie-put-it-humanism-has-changed-the-twenty-third-psalm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-for-man-his-days-are-like-grass-he-flourishes-like-a-flower-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Psalms are much more than poetry. Many of them bear the title, Maskil, or teaching psalm. They are thus intended to instruct the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stedman/the-psalms-are-much-more-than-poetry-many-of-them-bear-the-title/) [Ray Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stedman/) > [The whole wide world is a cathedral; I stand inside, the air is calm, And from afar at times there reaches My ear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/the-whole-wide-world-is-a-cathedral-i-stand-inside-the-air-is-calm/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [My mother told me, "Memorize the hymnbook and the Psalms of David, and you'll find them to be the greatest help in preaching and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-barrows/my-mother-told-me-memorize-the-hymnbook-and-the-psalms-of-david-and/) [Cliff Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-barrows/) > [It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me the most to learn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-strange-that-of-all-the-pieces-of-the-bible-which-my-mother/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“Psalm 5 Song of the Clouded Dawn For the Pure and Shining One, for her who receives the inheritance.11 By King David. 1Listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-simmons/psalm-5-song-of-the-clouded-dawn-for-the-pure-and-shining-one-for-her/) [Brian Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-simmons/) > [What a psalm the storm was singing, and how fresh the smell of the washed earth and leaves, and how sweet the still small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/what-a-psalm-the-storm-was-singing-and-how-fresh-the-smell-of-the/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [For a long time—always, in fact—I have known that life here on earth is not what I needed and that I wasn’t able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-a-long-time-always-in-fact-i-have-known-that-life-here-on-earth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lord-makes-firm-the-steps-of-the-one-who-delights-in-him-though/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Come, let us sing a psalm, and drive away the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/come-let-us-sing-a-psalm-and-drive-away-the-devil/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Her prose was a hammer; Darwin’s was a psalm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/her-prose-was-a-hammer-darwin-s-was-a-psalm/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent forth his word and healed them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/psalm-107-20-says-he-sent-forth-his-word-and-healed-them/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) ## More by Tom Lehrer > [Plagiarize, plagiarize, / Let no man's work evade your eyes, / Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, / Don't shade your eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/plagiarize-plagiarize-let-no-man-s-work-evade-your-eyes-remember-why/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When someone makes a move Of which we don't approve, Who is it that always intervenes? U.N. and O.A.S., They have their place, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/when-someone-makes-a-move-of-which-we-don-t-approve-who-is-it-that/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't solicit for your sister, it's not nice. Unless you get a good percentage of her price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-solicit-for-your-sister-it-s-not-nice-unless-you-get-a-good/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/it-is-a-sobering-thought-that-when-mozart-was-my-age-he-had-been-dead/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [“I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-am-never-forget-the-day-i-first-meet-the-great-lobachevsky-in-one/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Counting in octal is just likst counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/counting-in-octal-is-just-likst-counting-in-decimal-if-you-don-t-use/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/disclaimer-if-anyone-disagrees-with-anything-i-say-i-am-quite/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-write-naughty-words-on-the-wall-if-you-can-t-spell/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-want-to-satirise-george-bush-and-his-puppeteers-i-want-to/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [On Christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to cheat him all the more The other three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/on-christmas-day-you-can-t-get-sore-your-fellow-man-you-must-adore/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/be-prepared-and-be-careful-not-to-do-your-good-deeds-when-there-s-no/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [There's something mathematically satisfying about music: notes fit together and harmony and all that. And mathematics has to do with abstractions and making connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/there-s-something-mathematically-satisfying-about-music-notes-fit/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Explore all 130 Tom Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## More Bombs quotes > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/) [Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case, we better get a bomb.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Lehrer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-but-just-in-case-we-better-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-but-just-in-case-we-better-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/tom-lehrer-3442_bombs_the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-b_935047.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm. But just in case, we better get a bomb.” — Tom Lehrer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Lehrer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Lord's our shepherd, says the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-but-just-in-case-we-better-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/the-lord-s-our-shepherd-says-the-psalm-but-just-in-case-we-better-get/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```