This song seems to be an articulation of the feelings that come up when a person begins to find themselves, and more importantly their purpose in life.
"You hear the calling, You want to spread the word
Your prophecy gun's crying to be heard"
Your calling in life is what you feel your purpose in life is. The purpose of ones life is absolutely not easy to find, but everyone has an innate desire to fulfill that purpose. The use of the word calling feels to me like the singer is knows he is destined for greatness, which is reaffirmed by the "prophecy gun" that is "crying to be heard" from deep inside him. He may not yet know his purpose, but he knows that finding it is the most important thing for him to figure out.
Also, calling it a gun is interesting, suggesting that once he finds meaning in his life, the prophecy gun will go off with a bang, and he can begin a new chapter. A gun has alot of potential, but it does nothing unless you take hold of it and shoot it. But even then, the gun itself does nothing; the bullet is what hits the target. He must find the 'target' and hit it with the 'bullet', so to speak.
"You must know my lack of devotion,
Don't want your white clouds, Celibate oceans"
This sounds like he is talking about growing up and moving out. His lack of devotion is him rebelling against the standard ways of his upbringing and society. He is not devoted to the ways of those before him because he wants what will make him happy. He doesn't want "your white clouds" or "celibate oceans" because those standards make him feel trapped and unhappy.
"The sky is falling, into the world to come
Abraham's bosom can't include everyone"
This verse seems to say: "hardships are coming and I can't stop time. I'll make choices according to my purpose. Not everyone goes to heaven and I can't let the fear of death and judgement consume my life." Death is inevitable, if he spends his life in fear of his unavoidable demise, that struggle will become the only thing that defines him. Not everyone can go to heaven (Abraham's bosom) and he cannot let his fear of being judged by God and/or society influence his choices, he must live for himself (are we seeing a theme now?).
"So while you dream of Blonde Eschatology
Ezekiel's sermons seem so unreal to me"
Eschatology means the study of the end of human life. Ezekiel was a prophet who had an encounter with God. He is saying that society and possibly his parents bought into the dream of "blonde eschatology". What he means is buying into that dream is following the path outlined by religion and society instead of carving out a path for himself. He's seen that most people clamor to be recognized by society or their religion, following the rules and living by standards other than their own. Simply put, he thinks that kind of life is bullshit and will lead to the demise of his own being. He has to be himself. A life of conformity seems "so unreal" to him.
The song has a pretty hedonistic view of life, but the theme seems to me that it's more about being content with your own existence and the choices you make. He feels if he follows his prophecy, he can be content with himself. He won't mull over the hardships to come because he trusts and believes in himself. He won't worry about the inevitably of death because he lives for the moment and chooses himself over a way of life that will crush his happiness.
This song seems to be an articulation of the feelings that come up when a person begins to find themselves, and more importantly their purpose in life.
"You hear the calling, You want to spread the word Your prophecy gun's crying to be heard" Your calling in life is what you feel your purpose in life is. The purpose of ones life is absolutely not easy to find, but everyone has an innate desire to fulfill that purpose. The use of the word calling feels to me like the singer is knows he is destined for greatness, which is reaffirmed by the "prophecy gun" that is "crying to be heard" from deep inside him. He may not yet know his purpose, but he knows that finding it is the most important thing for him to figure out. Also, calling it a gun is interesting, suggesting that once he finds meaning in his life, the prophecy gun will go off with a bang, and he can begin a new chapter. A gun has alot of potential, but it does nothing unless you take hold of it and shoot it. But even then, the gun itself does nothing; the bullet is what hits the target. He must find the 'target' and hit it with the 'bullet', so to speak.
"You must know my lack of devotion, Don't want your white clouds, Celibate oceans" This sounds like he is talking about growing up and moving out. His lack of devotion is him rebelling against the standard ways of his upbringing and society. He is not devoted to the ways of those before him because he wants what will make him happy. He doesn't want "your white clouds" or "celibate oceans" because those standards make him feel trapped and unhappy.
"The sky is falling, into the world to come Abraham's bosom can't include everyone" This verse seems to say: "hardships are coming and I can't stop time. I'll make choices according to my purpose. Not everyone goes to heaven and I can't let the fear of death and judgement consume my life." Death is inevitable, if he spends his life in fear of his unavoidable demise, that struggle will become the only thing that defines him. Not everyone can go to heaven (Abraham's bosom) and he cannot let his fear of being judged by God and/or society influence his choices, he must live for himself (are we seeing a theme now?).
"So while you dream of Blonde Eschatology Ezekiel's sermons seem so unreal to me" Eschatology means the study of the end of human life. Ezekiel was a prophet who had an encounter with God. He is saying that society and possibly his parents bought into the dream of "blonde eschatology". What he means is buying into that dream is following the path outlined by religion and society instead of carving out a path for himself. He's seen that most people clamor to be recognized by society or their religion, following the rules and living by standards other than their own. Simply put, he thinks that kind of life is bullshit and will lead to the demise of his own being. He has to be himself. A life of conformity seems "so unreal" to him.
Really simple, yet such a beautiful song.