Shed a tear for the criminal, give him something to believe
Light a fire for the miserable, give the darkness some meaning
Closed wounds harbor pestilence, when you lick them from within
Charity has a redolence chastity cannot rescind

Spirit shine, it's a sign
Of a troubled mind (tortured mind)
Spirit shine all the time
Can render you blind

You can take it all to heart or throw it all away
You can give until you're dry and sucked of all your gleam
You can fake another cry and compromise your dream

Cling tight to the parable - let it dominate your life
Create a god who's infallible - give your leader some respite
Clouds wounds harbor pestilence - when you lick them from within
Rosy smiles lose their radience - when you take it on the chin


Lyrics submitted by gymclasshero

Spirit Shine Lyrics as written by Greg Graffin Brian Champtaloup Baker

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Spirit Shine song meanings
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    General Comment

    I think that "spirit shine" is Greg's term for people that always seem to be motivated by their religious beliefs. Like someone who is "on fire" for Jesus; everything they do is dictated by their beliefs.

    some qualities of someone who has the "spirit shine":

    1. will turn the other cheek
    2. will give away any excess money
    3. lives unselfishly (I think that in Graffin's view, some selfishness is a good thing)
    4. Lives by faith.

    I think what BR was trying to say is that this behavior suggests an underlying problem. (tortured mind) and that ultimately it's effect is bad (render you blind)

    Convergenceon December 07, 2010   Link

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