| Josh Ritter – Girl In The War Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I'm surprised no one has brought up the fact that Peter (in the Bible) had a girl, whereas Paul did not. We know Peter was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law of an illness in Matthew 8:14-15. Paul, on the other hand, was single and clearly believed that to be the better way (1 Cor 7:7-8). In spite of their differences of opinion (see also Gal 2:11), Paul and Peter were united in the mission of spreading the gospel of Christ during the growth of the Christian church in the first century, a task that was in many ways like a war (both apostles experienced extreme persecution and eventual martrydom, and both were authors of books of the Bible in which they address the spiritual "battles" we are engaged in, so the war imagery in this song is definitely consistent with the reference to the biblical Peter & Paul). Peter seems to be confiding in Paul that he has difficulty at times engaging in this mission, since his interests are divided by "having a girl," and he possibly even regrets dragging her into this "war." In fact, this very division of interests is precisely why Paul holds that the single life is better (1 Cor 7:32-34). Paul tells Peter he's got to "rock" himself a little harder, an obvious reference to the name "Peter" meaning "rock" and Jesus himself stating of Peter that "upon this rock I will build my church." Paul tells him to pretend the dove from above is a dragon and his feet are on fire. The Holy Spirit, who prompts every action taken by the apostles as Christianity spreads in the book of Acts, is described at different times in the Bible both as descending upon people like a dove, and like fire. Peter was also given the metaphorical role by Christ as the keeper of the keys to the kingdom of heaven, so his predicament of having locked his keys inside the kingdom may allude to struggles with feelings of inadequacy or failure in the task he has been assigned. This isn't to suggest in the slightest that he has lost his faith, as others have posted. The Bible is full of moments in which God-fearing believers express raw and honest emotion about their struggles because that's how they're feeling in the moment. Jesus never promised that a life of following him would be easy or rosy - in fact, to his closest followers he often delivered promises quite contrary to that. The biblical imagery in this song is overwhelming and impossible to ignore. That's not to say it can't have a double meaning with a modern conversation between two friends or be in reference to another "war" as well, but it would be a mistake to discount the number of biblical references in this song to mere coincidence or an accident on Ritter's part. Clearly they are intentional. |
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| Sixpence None the Richer – Us Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The song seems to describe certain community dynamics. First clue is the title "Us". Granted, that could still pertain to just two people, but other clues that it's about a larger corporate community lie in the description of practical love that the first Christians in the book of Acts shared with one another: -Sharing things in common - "you give to me in my time of need" -The newness and mystery surrounding the Holy Spirit's spread of this new faith - "we live inside of a mystery that my heart often fails to contain" -The sacraficing of self being one of the central principles Christ taught his disciples as emulated by the chorus. -The idea of a socialist or communist community often associated with the first church in Acts - "I don't care if it's not fair (in other words, in context of the chorus, it's okay with me if I'm not getting my fair share)... now that I know the only thing that matters: us." The community is more important than the individual members. -The disciples never knew where they would be led to preach the gospel next, they were just following the Holy Spirit's leading, and oftentimes that led them to places where they endured harsh persecution - "It's hard to say what road we're traveling down, sometimes it leads us through some awful towns." -And finally, the last stanza seems to be speaking straight from the perspective of the apostle Paul, the greatest champion of the earliest Christian missionary endeavors who was blinded on the road to Damascus, where he realized how much of his former zealotry was wasted in persecuting the church before his conversion - "There was a time I lost my eyes. There was a day I wasted too much of your golden light." The evidence seems strong that this song describes several different facets of the early spread of Christianity from the book of Acts. |
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| Pearl Jam – Gone Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song is a sequel to "Go", written after Eddie finally got his truck running. It is part of the truckonian trilogy. | |
| Coldplay – Cemeteries of London Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I like your train of thought illjumpforyou. I think we have to remember Coldplay's use of metaphor in much of their lyrics to come to an accurate understanding of the song. The imagery of ghosts and witches is not likely literal, but rather a metaphor for those who are spiritually dead. They long for life and know there is something else out there, and are desperately looking for it, but in the meantime are perhaps embarrassed about the way in which they currently understand (or don't understand) God. The clue to this is that the dead only go on their search at night, they walk the streets in darkness when they can safely remain hidden, but they put this part of themselves to bed in the morning, afraid to let the light of day reveal just how vulnerable their spiritual longings make them. The writer observes there are ghost towns in the ocean. Indeed the ocean is full of graveyards in the literal sense of sunken ships, but I think the metaphor here might be that the sheer vastness of the ocean and way that it ties the whole world together with all its billions of people represents that this is not isolated to "my own garden" or even exclusively to his own town (i.e. London), but the writer is coming to an awareness that there are countless numbers in the world feeling this same sense of death inside. Quite a sad song, really. It does not resolve with a shred of hope of any kind, in fact ends with "there's no light over London today," as if saddened by the fact that no one is ever actually real with themselves about this hidden part of their soul as we put it to sleep in the day and only allow it to explore in the darkness of night. |
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| Sarah McLachlan – Full Of Grace Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I'm going to be the naysayer who deviates from the traditional "this is so depressing" take on this song. Although it has a somber and melancholy tone to it, I don't think it's ultimately depressing. The end of each chorus and the very title of the song give the clue to the glimmer of hope that is the aimed-for end, which is grace. We have to come to place of realization of how far we've fallen and are incapable of succeeding in relationships on our own merit and willpower, which is a painful process involving a deep brokenness of self. Ultimately, however, that is a good thing. It is only in that place of brokenness where we cease relying on our merits, and surrender to the power of grace, where relationships find redemption and new beginning, which ultimately makes the song leave you with a faint glimmer of hope. I've heard it said that a successful marriage involves two people who have become very good at forgiveness. I think the song spans a broader concept than marriage, but the message is along that same vein. Whether it's with our friends, family, lovers, or our God, true and lasting relationships rely on the power of grace to sustain them over the long haul. |
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