Heywood Banks’ “Big Butter Jesus” is a comic song about the 60-foot Jesus statue formerly located beside the expressway in southern Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. The song humorously compares the monument to butter, fairground sculptures, dairy products, molded food, and other oversized creations.
The statue became especially associated with the song after a June 14, 2010 lightning strike burned it to the ground. Banks later added an updated verse describing the fire and the statue’s destruction through a series of deliberately exaggerated food-related images.
The original song
In southern Ohio, just north of Cincinnati I beheld a vision, next to the expressway. Was a 60 foot jesus, with his hands in the air looks like he’s carved out of butter, just like at the state fair.
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
The statue beside the expressway
Well you see him from the chest up like he’s about to do a back flip, like he scored a touchdown or maybe melting or about to drown.
The song focuses on the unusual appearance of the statue: only the upper part of the figure was visible, while the raised arms created several comic interpretations. The pose could suggest a religious gesture, a sports celebration, an acrobatic movement, or a figure in distress.
Well I’ve been to the state fair seen a cow made out of corn cobs Garth Brooks made of string cheese and the virgin out of olives.
These fairground comparisons establish the song’s central joke: the monument is treated as though it were another enormous sculpture made from food. The references to corn cobs, string cheese, and olives extend the parody beyond butter and create a catalogue of imaginary religious and cultural figures made from unusual materials.
The chorus
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
The repeated chorus uses the language of butter brands and spreads to create a deliberately absurd collection of names. “Sweet cream,” “country fresh,” “unsalted,” “Imperial,” and “Oleo” make the religious image sound like a grocery product rather than a roadside monument.
The statue’s journey
Shipped in pieces on a flatbed staring backwards was his big head Driver stuck in traffic backups desperately avoiding eye contact
This verse imagines the monument being transported in sections on a flatbed truck. The oversized head facing backward becomes the source of another visual joke, while the driver’s supposed attempt to avoid eye contact adds a comic human reaction to the unusual cargo.
Religious imagery and comic wordplay
Well don’t make no graven images. That’s one of the 10 commandments I hope the grading curve is kindly You get to heaven with a 90
The lyrics connect the statue to the biblical prohibition against graven images and then turn religious judgment into the language of school grading. The line about reaching heaven with a 90 treats salvation as though it depended on passing an examination.
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus, Oh spread the word.
The 2010 lightning strike verse
One night Big Butter got hit by lightning It burned to the frame wire like a giant grease fire Some blamed it on Satan, and boy, that would be frightening But I thought it was Jesus’ father who was in charge of lightning
The updated verse follows the June 14, 2010 lightning strike that burned the statue to the ground. It preserves the song’s original style by treating the destruction as both a dramatic religious event and a cooking accident involving grease, fire, and an overcooked food item.
Extra crispy Jesus, Flaming shot Jesus
Fireball Jesus
Opa Jesus
Charbroiled marshmallow Jesus
Bananas foster Jesus
I’m put out it’s not Jesus
Charcoaly lord
The new names replace butter and dairy imagery with references to burning, roasting, flambéing, and charring. “Extra crispy,” “charbroiled marshmallow,” and “Bananas foster” continue the song’s food-based wordplay while reflecting the statue’s destruction by fire.
Lyrics and song structure
| Section | Main subject | Comic device |
|---|---|---|
| Opening verse | The roadside statue in southern Ohio | Comparing Jesus to a butter sculpture |
| First chorus | Alternative names for the statue | Butter, dairy, and spread-related language |
| Second verse | The statue’s appearance | Comparisons with a back flip, touchdown, melting, or drowning |
| Third verse | The statue being transported | An oversized head on a flatbed truck |
| Religious verse | Graven images and heaven | Turning commandments and salvation into grading jokes |
| Updated verse | The 2010 lightning strike | Fire, cooking, and charred-food imagery |
Complete lyric sequence
In southern Ohio, just north of Cincinnati I beheld a vision, next to the expressway. Was a 60 foot jesus, with his hands in the air looks like he’s carved out of butter, just like at the state fair.
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
Well you see him from the chest up like he’s about to do a back flip, like he scored a touchdown or maybe melting or about to drown. Well I’ve been to the state fair seen a cow made out of corn cobs Garth Brooks made of string cheese and the virgin out of olives.
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
Shipped in pieces on a flatbed staring backwards was his big head Driver stuck in traffic backups desperately avoiding eye contact
Well don’t make no graven images. That’s one of the 10 commandments I hope the grading curve is kindly You get to heaven with a 90
Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus, Oh spread the word.
One night Big Butter got hit by lightning It burned to the frame wire like a giant grease fire Some blamed it on Satan, and boy, that would be frightening But I thought it was Jesus’ father who was in charge of lightning
Extra crispy Jesus, Flaming shot Jesus
Fireball Jesus
Opa Jesus
Charbroiled marshmallow Jesus
Bananas foster Jesus
I’m put out it’s not Jesus
Charcoaly lord