It's A Sin

The speaker looks back on life with shame and feels personally responsible for failing to meet moral expectations. The repeated claim that everything is “a sin” makes the guilt feel sweeping and hard to escape. The mood shifts from regret about the past to a confession addressed to “Father,” then returns to the same judgment, suggesting that the speaker has not found relief or certainty.

“Turned over a new leaf” is an idiom meaning to try to change one’s behavior. The speaker says they tried, but then “tore right through it,” an image that suggests the fresh start did not last. The repeated list of actions, places, and future plans also widens the sense of guilt: it seems to cover not only what the speaker has done, but who they are and what they might do.

The song can be read as a struggle between personal desires and rules learned at school or from a religious authority. The speaker admits not believing or caring about those teachings, yet still feels shame and asks forgiveness. This tension leaves the source of the guilt somewhat unclear: the speaker may accept the idea of sin, resent being judged by it, or feel caught between both responses.