| Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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For the religious and non-religious alike, there is one line to thoroughly prove that the song has nothing to do with religion. It's not proved with Biblical fact or scientific fact, but with English. I speak English, and I believe that Chris is compotent in his English writing ability, as well, so here we go: "Arms held out like it's the coming of the Lord" That right there is what we in the business of speaking English call illustration through 'simile'. It may not be an exact simile, but the context of the sentence is directed by an implied simile that requires some imagination on the part of the listener. "...but what does it all mean?" Well, quite simply, it means that the subject's hands are raised like they would be if the Lord were returning - NOT BECAUSE the Lord is returning. And because it's specifically not about the second coming of the Lord, we can instantly assume that the rest of the song isn't about the Lord, either. By the way, why would the Lord have his hands raised as if the Lord were coming, anyway? Give this man a little more credit in his writing. Then, you look at the rest of the song - especially the next four lines, and you see that it has more to do with somebody who is a "martyr for profit". And Christians know that Christians aren't martyrs. We had somebody else to take our blame on our behalf. Courtney Love is the perfect example of the type of character this song is about: someone who puts themself in the spotlight, 'glorifies' themself by making a martyr of themself, and then profits from that publicity. Wether that's by posing piously in French-cut boxers or by fighting tooth and nail to keep your recently deceased husband's personal property, and then selling it off, piece by piece to pay for your heroine, that's the caliber of person he's speaking to. Not a missionary, nor priest, nor pastor, nor his Messiah. PS: Chris Cornell has been delving into other facets of Christianity, on top of Catholicism. "...speaking in tongues" happens to be an aspect of slightly less orthodox churches, like the Pentecostal assembly. |
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| Pearl Jam – Come Back Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is a continuation of Army Reserve - much like the rest of the album, it keeps the war constantly in the background. It's a chat between the wife and the memory of her husband. ...the imagery of the broken roof in the family structure is pretty intense. A beautiful piece that's really reminiscent of '50s rock. It's got those Earth Angel qualities, and I suppose it's Pearl Jam's official take on Last Kiss, which is from the same era as the chord/melody structure in this song. |
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| Pearl Jam – Army Reserve Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is ghostly haunting. Beautiful lyrics, and very real. "How long must she stand Before the ground, it gives way To an endless fall" How long will she have to pretend to have things in order, before the bad news is inevitably broken to her, and everything falls apart... "She can feel this War on her face Stars on her pillow She's folding in darkness Begging for slumber" The most beautiful lyric I have ever read. I'm not even American, and it touches me.. ...burying her husband again and again in the recesses of her haunted mind, while dreaming of sleep. If she had another head on her pillow, or could bury him herself, at least she could close her eyes. "Her son's slanted Always giving her The sideways eye And empty chair where dad sits How loud can silence get?" The knowingly inquisitive look. The boy is a little too young to fully understand what's going on, but he knows that it isn't right. Mom's coming apart at the seams, and every time she reassures her son that everything's okay, she doubts it more and more. "I'm not blind I can see it coming Looks like lightning In my child's eye I'm not frantic I can feel it coming Darling you'll save me If you save yourself" Woman's intuition/premonition... ...she's talking to herself, bracing herself for the news that she is all too certain is coming. The lighting is the gut feeling she gets every time she sees the "where's daddy" look in her son's eye. The song's inevitable conclusion is that the husband is dead. The mother's self-dialogue is continued in the next song - "Come Back" |
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| Pearl Jam – World Wide Suicide Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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The lyrics are a little wonky. The paste from 10c is almost exactly straight from the booklet, down to punctuation. If you haven't noticed yet, the CD is a concept album. This part of the story is a man stepping out in the morning to find a friend's face in the morning paper. "It's the same everyday in a hell manmade What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her?" This fallen soldier is just business as usual for the paper, even though he's somebody I know... Is what he did over there as important as what he could have been doing here, with his wife and his life? "The whole world...World over. It's a worldwide suicide." The causeless 'war' is causing casualties on all sides, as brave men rush in to patriotically support their governments, whom obviously don't have their heads on straight. It's as good as running headlong into your own death. "Medals on a wooden mantle. Next to a handsome face. That the president took for granted. Writing checks that others pay." The check was paid by the soldier, not by the taxpayers. Eddie's a little more sensitive than that. America's continued 'freedom' is bought by Bush's 'war', but is paid for by the bodies of men and women dying for his purchase. "Laying claim to the take that our soldiers save Does not equate, and the truth's already out there" Talking about greed, here. Things like the Bin Laden family ties, but more readily, and more obviously Halliburton. Seems that some of those people laying claim to what the soldiers have taken, cleared and defended are getting rich... ...err, even richer than they are, already. "Looking in the eyes of the fallen You got to know there's another, another, another, another Another way" Cut back to the man, looking at all of the pictures appearing in the newspaper, shaking his head and cursing the war. |
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