Wake Up

Yoav has stated an interview that this song is about people not being mindful of the consequences of their actions - not just the obvious actions like hate, but the everyday actions that we all do without understanding how those actions enable hate and death. It is about waking up in a society where humanity is lost...Where people who don't realize that the path they have been following results in a meaningless life and contributes further to a corrupt society. We are already at a point where it is nearly impossible to live up to society's standards without having contributed to the loss of hope, to inequality, to death, to war, and destitution and despair. The complexities of how the average person's life is intertwined with all that dread is not obvious. Even when you think you understand, years later, you'll realize another layer to the onion that can be peeled back. It's a beautiful song with a strong message that change must happen.

If you are interested in understanding some of these complexities and learning how to make a change in the world, I recommend reading "The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World" by Michael Nagler.

I wake up, In the middle of the night, I shiver in a state of fright, And the dream in my head doesn't fade, It gets clearer instead, In my dream people are slaves, False prophets on the airwaves, And every channel, every station, Preaches to our separation, I'm dreaming, Oh, I'm dreaming,

Both literal and metaphoric at the same time - This person is dreaming about his world as it already exists - The world that the average person sees on a daily basis - But he "wakes up" in the sense that something in his subconscience (dream state) clicked and the world that he he was seeing suddenly had more meaning - The people in his world (including himself and each of us) are slaves to the will of others who do not have humanity as their interest - slaves because we are trapped in a world where money, buildings and power are more important than love and compassion. The media (television and radio) contributes to the suffering of the poor and to a greater divide amongst us through its "prophets" (celebrities, advertisements, news anchors, etc.).

Oh, I wake up, In the middle of the night, I found my dream in the coat of light, (not sure here...cloak of night? cold half light?) A brave new world in my head, Ruled by monkeys and the living dead, I see power for power, Money for money, Fame for fame's sake, A new religion for the human race.

The world he previously saw as normal is now obviously a world of craziness...Where people have rulers and leaders making decisions that may wind up to be no better for humanity than decisions made by a monkey...A world where people are scientifically alive but dead to mindfulness...A world where power is coveted solely for the sake of being powerful (for self-serving purposes rather than the good of those who will be without the power - which just results in more power struggles and "self" becoming the focus - an immature and harmful focus that we should be moving beyond by puberty)...A world where money is coveted without thinking about why and what made money more important and desirable than true happiness...A world where fame is sought solely to be the center of attention - again a mentality of "self." A new religion for the human race where worship is truly of the self, where regardless of the words we say, our actions are primarily self-serving...And it is impossible to have a world of love and compassion when self is the focus. (Slightly oversimplifying this philosophy...But...There are three possible focuses - self, others, and reality - and maturity progresses in that order - Attitudes of our current society can keep us locked in the focus of self and lead to our demise.)

But if all the walls go down tonight, What if all the walls go down tonight, Tonight, tonight, And if all the walls go down tonight, It would be okay, I would be alright.

The thought of all the walls going down in our world could escalate this dream to a nightmare for the person who does not see beyond the facade of our modern world, but this is a hopeful, prayerful verse. If all the walls were to collapse, this person who sees the facade knows that he would be okay...And sees that as frightening as the thought is, humanity would actually be alright.

Oh, I wake up, in the middle of the night, My senses screaming 'something's not right,' There's a shadow on the wall, Doesn't look like my shadow at all, I wake up, in the middle of the night, My senses screaming 'something's not right,' There's a shadow in my bed, I'm not alive, but I'm not dead.

Describing the act of waking up again...recognizing that the thoughts that so many of us have that "something is just not right" are thoughts that exist for very good reasons...The evil becomes recognizable as evil...He is able to see that the life he has been living is really no life at all. He's not alive (not living a purposeful life), but he's not dead (there's still a chance to make a change).

Every empire falls, into the sea, Oh, and fades away, from memory, Eventually, Oh, eventually, Everything just fades away, Oh, eventually.

Empires are self-serving by nature. Historically, empires die. Some disappear completely (literally, have disappeared into the sea) and we don't even have historical records - and may not know about one until we discover buried ruins. Other empires disappear as they are replaced by new empires. The history of the old empire becomes lost in biased accounts of history. The world we live in today is comprised of numerous "empires" (countries, religions, corporations) struggling for power. We are currently in this dream. We are at a crossroads where we can make a change that will result in the end of empires while humanity thrives...or we can continue to value superficiality, worship money and power more than God, and also result in the end of empires - but possibly at the cost of all human life as well thru something as insane as nuclear war.