In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Oh, my God, please help me—
Knee-deep in the river tryin’ to get clean.
He says, “Wash your hands; get out the stains,
“But you best believe, boy, there’s hell to pay.
“Yeah, you best believe, boy, there’s hell to pay,” sayin’,
(Come on.)
Oh, my God, please help me—
Waist-deep in the river; can you hear my plea?
He says, “Son, you come like a beggar in the streets.
“You might make it, boy, but by the skin of your teeth.
“You might make it, boy, but by the skin of your teeth,” sayin’,
I reveled with the worst of them:
Fell in love with a harlequin;
Saw the darkest hearts of men.
And I saw myself starin’ back again,
And I saw myself starin’ back again.
Oh, my God, please help me—
Neck-deep in the river screamin’ for relief.
He says, “It’s mine to give, but it’s yours to choose.
“You’re gonna sink or swim; you’re gonna learn the Truth.
“No matter what you do, you’re gonna learn the Truth,” sayin’,
Ate the bread that once was stone;
Fell from a cliff—never broke a bone;
Bowed down to get the kings overthrown.
And I’m all alone, and the fire grows,
And I’m all alone, and the fire grows.
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
Sing, sweet Charity.
Take what’s left of me.
A new beginning? Or is this the end?
Sing, sweet Seraphim.
Take me back again,
Or watch me make messes of men.
Knee-deep in the river tryin’ to get clean.
He says, “Wash your hands; get out the stains,
“But you best believe, boy, there’s hell to pay.
“Yeah, you best believe, boy, there’s hell to pay,” sayin’,
(Come on.)
Oh, my God, please help me—
Waist-deep in the river; can you hear my plea?
He says, “Son, you come like a beggar in the streets.
“You might make it, boy, but by the skin of your teeth.
“You might make it, boy, but by the skin of your teeth,” sayin’,
I reveled with the worst of them:
Fell in love with a harlequin;
Saw the darkest hearts of men.
And I saw myself starin’ back again,
And I saw myself starin’ back again.
Oh, my God, please help me—
Neck-deep in the river screamin’ for relief.
He says, “It’s mine to give, but it’s yours to choose.
“You’re gonna sink or swim; you’re gonna learn the Truth.
“No matter what you do, you’re gonna learn the Truth,” sayin’,
Ate the bread that once was stone;
Fell from a cliff—never broke a bone;
Bowed down to get the kings overthrown.
And I’m all alone, and the fire grows,
And I’m all alone, and the fire grows.
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
Sing, sweet Charity.
Take what’s left of me.
A new beginning? Or is this the end?
Sing, sweet Seraphim.
Take me back again,
Or watch me make messes of men.
Lyrics submitted by DayWeMet, edited by BlueMerle, JAlPrufrock
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The song is about a man who has had a troubled past riddled with sin and he his trying to make amends for all of it but it is never as simple as just asking for forgiveness because the memories will usually haunt you.
"Oh my god please help me knee deep in the river trying to get clean He says wash your hands get out the stains but you best believe boy there's hell to pay yeah you best believe boy there's hell to pay"
He is only partially in sin trying to get rid of it and God is saying you can get forgiveness but you will have to pay a price.
"Oh my God please help me waist deep in the river can you hear my plea He says son you come like a begger in the streets you might make it boy but by the skin of your teeth."
Once again he is getting deeper in sin and is trying to get rid of it and God is once again saying he can but it won't be easy.
"I rambled with the worst of them fell in love with a harlequin Saw the darkest hearts of men And I saw myself staring back again and I saw myself staring back again"
This is just him explaining the wrongs he has done in his life.
"Oh my God please help me neck deep in the river screaming for relief He says it's mine to give but it's yours to choose you gonna sink or swim you gonna learn the truth no matter what you do your gonna learn the truth saying"
Now he is almost consumed by sin and God is basically saying he can give forgiveness but only if he really wants it and to do so he must know the truth of all the bad he has done and what kind of person he made himself.
"Ate the bread that once was stones Fell from a cliff never broke a bone Bowed down to get the kings overthrown Now I'm all alone and the fires grows and I'm all alone and the fires grows"
Not sure what the first line is but fell from a cliff most likely meant he tried committing suicide and failed. Bowed down means he used deceit and betrayal to get what he wanted. The last line is a reference to where all these bad things have lead him, alone and in pain.
"Swing sweet charity take what's left of me A new beginning or is this the end Swing sweet Seraphim take me back again or watch me make the messes of men"
This is his last wish for him to be saved. Seraphims are fiery six winged beings that constantly sing "holy holy holy". Their jobs are to watch God's throne and to keep order so he is hoping they will take him and return order or he will just end up going back to his wicked ways.
Also the name of the song "Batholomew" refers to Saint Bartholomew whose death is accounted to being skinned alive which can be seen as shedding old life and beginning anew.
Ok first off, great explanation, but I want to clarify. "Ate the bread that once was stones<br /> Fell from a cliff never broke a bone<br /> Bowed down to get the kings overthrown<br /> Now I'm all alone and the fires grows and I'm all alone and the fires grows"<br /> This is an illusion to Jesus Christ. The first line talks about when Jesus was in the desert and was temped by the devil. The devil told Jesus to command a stone to turn to bread so that Jesus would break his oath of fasting and eat. The second line is another temptation. The devil said to Jesus, "If you are truly the son of God, then jump from this cliff and have the angels catch you, for surely God would not let his only son be harmed." The next line was I believe the last temptation. The devil told Jesus that he had the power to rule all of man, to avoid death, and be all powerful; all Jesus would have to do is bow to Satan and the kings of the world would be cast from their thrones.<br /> "Ate the bread that once was stones<br /> Fell from a cliff never broke a bone<br /> Bowed down to get the kings overthrown"<br /> These lines show how faulty a life the man in the song lived. He gave into every temptation the devil put before him and did not live like Jesus. The last line could be talking about many things, either the Burning Bush, the Holy Spirit, or Hell. Probably Hell since he is all alone and surrounded by fire.<br /> Now I'm all alone and the fires grows and I'm all alone and the fires grows"<br /> Just wanted to add that.<br />
I completely agree with you except for <br /> <br /> "Ate the bread that once was stones<br /> Fell from a cliff never broke a bone<br /> Bowed down to get the kings overthrown<br /> Now I'm all alone and the fires grows and I'm all alone and the fires grows"<br /> <br /> this is a clear allusion to Jesus' temptations from the devil meaning that the character gave into all the temptations the devil threw at him and now finds himself in hell
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a harelquin usually a mute who is masked?<br /> If we're going with the religious tone, Satan may mask himself but would he really be a mute?
@Wolf1178 While your information is correct, I don't think that usage of Harlequin fits this context. If he fell in love with a harlequin, then it is more likely a reference to a harlequin girl (who are eager to please, but characteristically left playing the fool); thus the irony being that even a fool has gotten the better of him.
Man realizes his sin and is trying to wash himself clean of it, but then realizes he cant do it alone so he is asking God to help him to get clean. Its like when someone is guilty and say they have blood on their hands. God answers and tells him to wash the blood off his hands but it wont be easy.
Man gets dirty again; so, he is still trying to cleanse himself of sin doesn't feel like God can hear or should hear him this time so he wonders if God hears him begging. Again God answers, acknowledging that he hears him begging and tells him he can get clean but he will barely make it.
Man is confessing his sins when he says " I rambled with the worst of them, fell in love with a harlequin;
Saw the darkest hearts of men; And I saw myself staring back again and I saw myself staring back again. With these last two lines he is saying that though he seen the worst of men himself included he still found himself looking back and going back and getting dirty again.
So again he is asking God for help and relief from all the pain his sin is causing him. God now tells him that He can give that relief but the man has to choose it. To choose it the must dive in (dive into faith) and he may either sink or swim.
Still confessing the man explains that when devil tempted him, he yielded to all of his temptations, he is only human. These following lines referred to when Satan tempted Christ. Christ resisted temptation but the man being mere mortal said, " he ate the bread that once was stones, he fell from a cliff never broke a bone, he bowed down to get the kings overthrown. He further explains after he yielded to temptation hell fire grows and he feels alone only he alone can bear his cross
Now the man is begging God to take what's left of him seeing in spite that its not much. He still has doubt that this will be the end or another beginning. The man is begging God to take him back one more time or God will have to watch him make another mess.
When I experienced a quite difficult situation in my life I made that plea "God please help me". I tried so hard to see the good that might come out of it. I said things are bad but they could be worse, and then they WERE. I still feel “Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?”
@RonLee God will never give up on you; it is only you who can give up on Him. He speaks to you daily. Open your heart and listen. \r\nGod bless you! \r\nThomasEdwardKovarik@gmail.com\r\n
to me its a man that tries to run from his past. however no one can truly run from their past.
"Ate the bread that once was stones Fell from a cliff never broke a bone Bowed down to get the kings overthrown
These refer to the three temptations Jesus faced when confronted by Satan. his means that the man fell into the temptations and was not like Jesus in that regard
I think this song has something to do with growing desperation. The singer is desperate to get the hell out of the water and clean himself off.
i read this lyrics as if it is about a man who has murdered somebody and is desperate to be forgiven for his sins and wash of the blood and guilt.
I mostly agree with interpretation, however, I'm reasonably certain you have bread to stones, clipp, kings wrong. Thus us an echo of Christ temptation in the desert. While he did not give in, narrator did and us blemished by temptation.
Here's how I see it. The guy has led a bad life for sure. But unlike Dman3981, I'm seeing it exactly opposite (That is not a slam just letting people know, this is a different opinion of a fully thought out answer byu Dman). In christianty, you get baptized in water/born again. The person is getting deeper into the water but at each section he's essentially asking is this enough? He is being told basically, Not enough yet. So he goes deeper. Some churches do a "sprinkle" for baptism, many do a full immersion. In the Bible there are many stories of people wanting to do what they are supposed to but then then doing it little by little, trying to get away with the minimum). I see God telling him you have to commit all the way (full immersion). this ties in nicely with the sink or swim. Get all the way in, commit and you will either sink or swim ~ either way he'll learn the truth (can he be saved or not?). That is leading him to have faith in God's promises. If he already had that he'd plunge right in.
"Swing sweet charity take what's left of me A new beginning or is this the end Swing sweet Seraphim take me back again or watch me make the messes of men"
I'm looking at this like a twist on the song "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" with the first line "Swing low sweet chariot coming for to carry me home." That's asking to be taken home to heaven. The line in Bartholomew "Swing sweet charity take what's left of me" says to me he's asking for charity or mercy (two meanings for the price of one, I think) and wants to be taken to heaven, whatever redeeming part of him there is.
Hes asking the Seraphim to take him home (heaven) or if he's left behind he'll continue the bad life not only harming himself but others. (See I agree with Dman on that).
Great song but it was written about a crazy mma fighter from the east coast. He was religious. Song was based around his personality.