| As I Lay Dying – Upside Down Kingdom Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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My interpratation of this song is that it is a piece on the clash between the western religions, their influence on society and the former owner of Standard Oil, John D. Rockafeller. Or Carnegie and US Steel. Or even Microsoft's Bill Gates, though he is certainly much more charitable then the other two of his own volition. The teachings of the judeo-christian religion are filled with preaching about how one must not put themselves first, but instead be concerned about one's neighbor. One must be humble. One must self-sacrifice now and give to others so that they may attain Heaven. So we sit here, while we are biologically alive, concerned with the 'whats next" that our faith teaches us to anticipate. And we live in fear. Fear of things we cannot see, cannot touch, taste, or feel. Words triumph over our spirit, over our minds. What if we do something wrong? That depends on your faith. What if you choose to not be humble? What if you use the mind that God gave you and attain greatness through honest means? What if you amass a huge fortune by legitimate methods? Are you evil? What if you decide to enjoy the fruits of your labor, you are no longer humble. But you are attaining Heaven before death. The blessings of excess. However, what about thy neighbor? What if he suffers and you do not? What if he is lazy, conniving, and jealous of your success? By whose authority must you share with him? Today's society demands that you do so, society's irrational theory that need is greater than achievement. If you don't share, you are vilified and labeled greedy and unaltruistic. The evil barons of industry, and their money. They should be put in their place, and share what they have with the rest of us. Taxes and tariffs and unionization see to it. The powerless inherit the powerful's success without lifting a finger. If helplessness is our current system (and we know where that's taking us, just look at the west's economies, and the welfare states we are all sliding into), then we're better off upside-down. Atleast the barons didn't give our rightfully earned awards away when they had power. Suffering can end, if only everyone were willing to work toward that end. If the meak shall inherit the earth, it will only be when they help themselves and put forth the honest effort to attain it, only then will they be powerful. |
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