He had a thousand ideas
You might have heard his name
He lived alone with his vision
Not looking for fortune and fame
Never said too much to speak of
He was off on another plane
The words that he said were a mystery
Nobody's sure he was sane

But he knew
Knew more than me or you
No one could see his view
Where was he going to?

He was in search of an answer
The nature of what we are
He was trying to do it a new way
He was bright as a star

But nobody understood him
His numbers are not the way
He's lost in the deepest enigma
That no one's unraveled today

But he knew
He knew more than me or you
No one could see his view
Oh, where was he going to?
And he tried
But before he could tell us he died
When he left us, the people cried
Where was he going to? Oh

He had a different idea
A glimpse of the master plan
He could see into the future
A true visionary man
But there's something he never told us
It died when he went away
If only he could have been with us
No telling what he might say

But he knew
He knew more than me or you
No one could see his view
Where was he going to?
But he knew
You could tell by the picture he drew
It was totally something new
Oh, where was he going to? Ooh


Lyrics submitted by Idan

Portrait (He Knew) Lyrics as written by Steve Walsh Kerry Livgren

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Portrait (He Knew) song meanings
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22 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Definately Einstien. Livgren said so himself. He wrote Ballads to Einstien and Hughes and put them back to back on the Album Point of Know Return. Kickass album, one of those where you can listen from beginning to end without coming across a bad song.

    WYWHon May 04, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    First, this song is written by Livgren and Walsh, with both writing the lyrics. So, we can't really know, unless they clarify for us, who is responsible for what part. This song has never seemed like it's really about Einstein, so it was no surprise to me that Livgren "updated" it on his Prime Mover album to be about Jesus, with some select lines modified. For example, the only change in the lines here ("He had a different idea / A glimpse of the master plan / He could see into the future / A true visionary man") is "the Master knew the Plan." It is obvious that in his later work, Livgren is Protestant-certain he has finally found the truth (or, more exactly, returned to his youthful religion because he felt he found nothing better). Other lines are modified as well, of course.

    This song was always about Jesus, but under the collaboration with Walsh, who has his share of religious references despite not moving the direction of Livgren and Dave Hope in Kansas, and maybe to avoid "controversy" of being branded Christian rock at the time, they "muted" the fact. All the places that qualify or question the divine truth of Jesus in the first version are "corrected" in the later version.

    Moreover, Einstein certainly did not know and could not see into the future. He was wrong about quantum physics in his own day and the cosmological constant later. None of this makes sense about Einstein: "And he tried, but before he could tell us he died When he left us the people cried Where was he going to?"

    In the original, Jesus is just a man, a true visionary man who was trying something new, but not the Son of God yet in Livgren's or Livgren's & Walsh's estimation. In the redo, Livgren plainly makes it that the song is about Jesus.

    [Edit: left out a word]
    Talastraon June 27, 2023   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Alot of Livegren's music was on face value about earthly things such as Albert Einstein's life, war, etc. However, he was a very religious person at points in his life though, if i remember correctly, he did go through a phase where he questioned many religions and which ones were right and wrong for him and why...much of his music is an expression of this period and despite face value alot of it has deeper meanings about religions (not neccessarily christian...see Incommudro- Hymn to Atman) that he put in both intentionally and unintentionally....also if i remember correctly he did say this song was about the life of albert einstein....but he never said it was NOT about Jesus either

    myrdhynon February 10, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I never knew who it was about. It could be Einstein. That'd make sense. Nobody really understood him, and "portrait" of course could mean not only just a portrait of his life, but also it could represent something. Like his work or something. And nobody's really unraveled it today, because, well, we still don't get it. Some of the lines sound like they could be about Jesus, I guess, but mostly not. It COULD be about DaVinci if you wanted it to be. Actually - it could be about most anyone you wanted it to be. And we can leave it so.

    Pippin the Mercuryon July 18, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm not sure where folks get their "facts" from, but it's pretty clear to me (and maybe you, now?) that the song is about Nikola Tesla, Not Einstein. Many people have put forth the "he said it was about Einstein" theory, but it doesn't make any sense. Einstein didn't leave anything 'unfinished', unless you count the 'Unified Field Theory', but he dismissed the part of Tesla's work - the real mystery - as 'spooky action at a distance.' He was perfectly satisfied to admit he did not know the answer(s) to the phenomenon of quantum entanglement.

    Nikola, on the other hand, DID know. He tried to tell us, but before he was 'allowed' to do so, he died. Penniless and shunned by the people he made rich - he knew things about the Field, about the Force, that the 'science' of the day SUPRESSED. So they could charge you for your energy usage.

    Energy is FREE. Some folks would rather you NOT know this. You may now move freely about the cabin. <grin>

    rob1099155on April 06, 2021   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hmmm, since Kerry Livgren was a deeply religous man, I althoughs felt that many of his songs were about Jesus. This one, as well as Nobody's Home.

    Fein Messon February 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I dunno, I think Leonardo da Vinci. The song is called "Portrait" after all.

    neotemplaron September 15, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I thought of Da Vinci too, i even made a poster where i pasted these lyrics next to a printout of Da Vinci's self-portrait.

    i don't think this song is about Jesus, becuse the person in this song is looking for the answers and searching. Jesus already had all the answers, that is why he came to earth. And Jesus did not "live alone with his vision", he preached to many and spoke in a clear, easily understood manner, not "The words that he said were a mystery".

    as for the person being Einstein, the mention of 'numbers' seems to support this theory, but what was the picture that he drew? Da Vinci was an artist, so it could be any of his works(i think the portrait was his self-portrait).

    findsomepeaceon December 08, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Classic album. The song is about Einstien, though. Portrait means like... "portrait of Einstien's life" instead of just picture.

    Zorgnon July 31, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Growing up, Nostradamus was the obvious guess of who this song would have been about...or someone like him. But I think the song is really about you, me, each individual one of us.

    Regardless, it's a great song.

    mmclaughon January 22, 2014   Link

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