| The Mountain Goats – Matthew 25:21 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think this line makes the most direct connection to the Bible verse: "And you were a presence full of light upon this earth And I am a witness to your life and to it's worth" The "good and faithful servant" has taken what "the master" has given him and increased it, so the Bible verse is meant to encourage us to use our talents, whatever they may be, to make a positive difference in the world. The lyric seems to say that the person John is singing to (his mother-in-law, based on yer_ma's post) has been the good an faithful servant who has used her talent to make the world a better place. Which is about the best thing you can say about someone, when it comes right down to it. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Psalms 40:2 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I get the sense of a religious fanatic trying to send a message to mainstream worshipers, kind of like a modern day Martin Luther, but instead of nailing his complaints to the church doors, he's using spray paint, "tagging for the Lord," you might say. The music matches so well the sense that the narrator feels that he really has found the answer to things the rest of us don't understand, and that he has a duty (and desperate need) to share it with us. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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If you read Ezekiel 7, it is about God's retribution. I think he is describing something like a drug-related kidnapping/murder, as previous posts have mentioned, as a reference to the growing lawlessness in the world as a corollary to Ezekiel 7 (see excerpt below). In a general way, it reminds me of the feeling you get from "No Country for Old Men" that the bad guys are really in charge, so it is just a matter of time. From Ezekiel 7: "I (God) will hand it all over as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, and they will defile it. I will turn my face away from them, and they will desecrate my treasured place; robbers will enter it and desecrate it." "Prepare chains, because the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of violence. I will bring the most wicked of the nations to take possession of their houses; I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated. When terror comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none." |
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