| Talking Heads – Pull Up the Roots Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I think the lyrics of this song are about the conflicting feelings brought about by profound spiritual revelation and at the same time a sense of how limited we are in our understanding. The recognition that we are but a small part of something much larger, that we can never understand, but that our minds are an integral part of that. The lyrics constantly shift between this naive understanding, and godlike statements of grandeur. The line "Baby likes to keep on playing, what do I know, what do I know" likens us to a child, who cannot fully grasp what is going on around it. And yet statements like "And I know every living creature," and "Everything has been forgiven," suggests that we can attain higher states of enlightenment. Except when when we get there, Byrne implores us to "Pull up the roots" and essentially recognize that everything we have built up is still but a limited construct of our mind. Now this could be a pretty depressing realization but in fact I think it's the exact opposite. "I don't mind some slight disorder," I feel refers to this essential inability to fully grasp the whole of nature, but that this is ok, "whatever happens is fine." Letting go of this need to be right or wrong, or fully comprehend the universe, and just singing is where Byrne finds his peace. | |
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