| Athlete – Yesterday Threw Everything At Me Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I have to agree with beni, this is the best song on the album. But I also have to disagree with the assessment of this song's meaning, I shall enlighten you! If I tell you that all the members of Athlete went to the same church together and this is how they came to form a band, that should be enough for you to get what this lyric is about (the only thing it could possibly be about). I found all this out in this month's Q Magazine; Athlete are not a typical big drinking, womanising rock and roll band. Although most of the lads no longer go to Church, they have strong Christian faith and believe in a personal relationship with Jesus and the big man. Before you all think I am using this opportunity to save your souls, I'm as damned as most of us in the eyes of the good book. Basically because i havent given my life over to the Lord. All this that i am writing is making me cringe a bit, the sort of rhetoric you hear from good-intentioned Christian friends etc. But think of Athlete in this context, and you will find that a few of their song's meanings can be reassessed, and suddenly it seems obvious the song is not about a relationship with a girl or love of that kind. Obviously Wires is self explanatory and we all know what that's about (baby in intensive care), but Yesterday Threw Everything at Me, which before I had thought was a tradional love song, has the most pointed Christian-message in any of their songs. And so I will lay it out for you..... It is a quite simply a song about someone becoming a 'new born christian' and the type of awakening that the person goes through as a result of this (I guess). 'Switch on the light between each other' The saying "Jesus is the light of the world", need I say more? 'Elevated to your side, now Im nervous' If someone gives up their old ways, it is going to be a nervous, painful time for them as their friends, often even family, will be baffled, even ridicule someone who declares they have found Jesus. 'It's time to tell you honestly, so we can alter history' As much as others say this is about a girl he loves, we aint in the late 60s any more and noone really believes the love between a man and a woman will be a force for change in the world. When this is taken as someone talkng to God, in christian teachings someone has to pour their hearts out to God and hide nothing for their hearts to become pure, and then he can help to spread the word John-the-Baptist like and 'alter history'. The chorus is pointedly about the end of the world 'when everything is gone' 'when everything is shown up for what it is' , and that Christ and God must come first with Christians 'You are the first on my list'. The next verse is also pretty straight forward, basically outlining the transience and ever changing nature of things which are valued in the world (fame) or beautiful (flowers). Once we get to the line 'and I will run with it', it is clear that the new born christian is growing in his faith, and his life has taken on a positive aspect as he starts to 'run with it' (his calling), with God and no doubt the Gospels/Bible being a constant replenishing force in his life and for the world ' 'And it seems like you plugged the world in 'Cause sunlight is streaming from your eyes' The last verse is the only one that makes me doubt my interpretation, the reference to 'we' and 'our' would suggest he talking to an actual person, although I suppose having grown in his faith he is one of Christ's disciples and can speak to God/Jesus as his equal. There we go.....this is my first post on this site by the way. i am currently listening to Athlete play 'Shake those Windows' at Glastonbury 2005.....they are a fine band. Saying that, putting a religious/christian message into a indie pop son is simply not acceptable - Throw them to the Lions I say!!! ;-) |
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