Lyric discussion by joey108650 

Bernie Taupin has always had a fascination with the occult and sacred/secret knowledge and has even published a book of his poems titled "The Devil At High Noon". The song is riddled with a number of Occult (Which Simply Means Hidden Meaning) allegories and symbolism.

The Grey Seal is likely not a cute sea mammal but an Old (Grey) Seal (Symbol) and probably the Egyptian Eye Of Horus which is tens of thousands/millions of years old if not more. Students of occult knowledge use this symbol to meditate and ponder it's many meanings and the actual information it contains much like the back of the US dollar bill.

There are many people who freak out or fear the prospect of going around established religions to seek God/The Creator for themselves which is actually what the word "Mystic" alludes to. This song appears to be one man's attempt to unlock the secrets of the universe for himself.

Why's it never light on my lawn Why does it rain And never say good-day to the new-born On the big screen they showed us the sun But not as bright in life as the real one It's never quite the same as the real one (The light, awakening or realization of an expanded consciousness-- that state of consciousness in which illuminati refers to, is elusive and all the teachings and realizations of it haven't been as great to him as he feels they should be)

And tell me grey seal How does it feel To be so wise To see through eyes That only see what's real Tell me grey seal (The goal of an expanded consciousness is to tap into the universal mind and know the TRUTH about everything you seek to know about. "To be so wise To only see what's real")

I never learned why meteors were formed I only farmed in schools That were so warn and torn (He never learned about the true origins of the universe and only farmed/sought knowledge in schools that were old and useless when it comes to providing this type of information)

If anyone can cry then so can I I read books and draw life from the eye All my life is drawings from the eye (The eye is the symbol of consciousness. The lyric may also mean if anyone can seek this knowledge for themselves--then so can I, and by exploring and meditating on the true meaning and information the Eye of Horace he believes he can find the knowledge he is searching for)

And tell me grey seal How does it feel To be so wise To see through eyes That only see what's real Tell me grey seal (The great geniuses of the world all knew this knowledge and put it to use including Tesla, Henry Ford, All The Greatest Composers, And Great Conquerors as well that went wild with this ability and tried to take over the whole world by using it including Alexander the great, Napoleon, Hitler, etc. When you learn to draw from and listen to the universal mind you have can be incredibly creative as Bernie Taupin himself is. His attempts to become enlightened were likely more successful than he realized because is incredibly creative and he is one of the greatest lyricist of all time)

Your mission bells were wrought by ancient men The roots were formed by twisted roots Your roots were twisted then I was re-born before all life could die The Phoenix bird will leave this world to fly If the Phoenix bird can fly then so can I (This ancient way of seeking and finding the way to inner genius/creativity is millions of years old and requires certain steps before you can get there. First you have to lose all your previous beliefs and teachings of a lifetime and become mentally reborn with the new way of thinking not just some of the time but all of the time. This is an alchemist teaching and the real allegory meaning of the phoenix bird rising from the ashes)

And tell me grey seal How does it feel To be so wise To see through eyes That only see what's real Tell me grey seal (So tell me great ancient symbol how to obtain this great higher consciousness I have heard about)

It is likely Bernie knew exactly what he was writing about even if he never admitted it to himself. We all are born free and have the right to know the great secrets of the universe but it takes a burning desire to actually comprehend and ever become truly knowledgeable. This song is loaded with meaning but Lyrics often tell a story so condensed down to a minute amount of words to conform to music and to be pleasing to the ear. And many words are changed to rhyme with others so what you end up with is sometimes difficult to understand and leaves the meaning open to interpretation.

Who would have thought a song about a furry little sea creature was really about becoming personally acquainted with God and the Universe. (GREY SEAL = ANCIENT SYMBOL)

@joey108650

Yep... that's pretty much it. Like all great sages... Bernie didn't know what he was saying... just a conduit.

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