| Blind Guardian – Precious Jerusalem Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Going from the title "Precious Jerusalem," we are at least hinted that it has some connection with Jerusalem. Now, Jerusalem was the holy city of the Jews, God's chosen people, and tradition held it to be the location of the mountain where God spoke to Abraham, where David built his city, and where Solomon built his temple. In Christian belief, Jerusalem is also representative of the Church, whose doors are open by extension to the whole world. OK. So, what about Jerusalem? The adjective used in the title and throughout the song is "precious"; but precious to whom? Well, that is the question. I would submit--and I don't think I am alone in this--that this song is from the perspective of Jesus, and it is about his longing for his love for "Jerusalem" to be reciprocated, and his undertaking of the task he set out to complete as told in the Gospels: Redemption. That seems to be the main thrust of the chorus, and of the whole song: "I turn to you oh my precious Jerusalem Deny your prophets their passion and treat them like fools I turn to you oh my poor old Jerusalem Deny my love but you can't change fate" This echoes, as has already been pointed out: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (Lk 13:34) Further, the following is actually a pretty handy distillation of Christian theology: "Words will heal it Love will conquer the Hearts of the hopeless The almighty is still alive" "Words will heal it" - Words will heal what? What is there to heal? Human wickedness, and unfaithfulness to God. Thats pretty much the whole thread of drama throughout the old testament: the Jews repeatedly straying from God. And "words" will heal this? Sounds about right: "The truth shall set you free" = the Gospel (literally "good news"). "Love will conquer the hearts of the hopeless" - Amen. Not really much to add to that. Thats pretty much the heart of Christianity. "The almighty is still alive" - "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Mt 22:35) "I've gone beyond but there's no life And there is nothing how it seems I've gone beyond but there's no life There is no healing rain in Eden The empty barren wasted paradise Let's celebrate the dawning of the Sun" This is pretty much consistent with the whole idea of the world being full of human iniquity and needing to be healed. After the fall, humans must suffer the consequences of sin, primarily death. They are banished from Eden and barred from eternal life, and the consequences of the fall spread over all of creation - the "empty barren wasted paradise". There is no "healing rain" or redemption for man in the fallen paradise. That's what Jesus came to do, hence: "Let's celebrate the dawning of the Sun" which is an analogy for the coming of Jesus who will bring light and life to the world. In light of this, the following from later in the song makes perfect sense: "Rise up and follow me cause I will bring the light Rise up and follow me wake up and clear your mind I try to bring it back the seed of life I try to bring it back the seal of light" Also, "I've been caught in wilderness in wilderness I've get out well I found myself in desert lands in desert lands But you've been on my mind" This seems to be a reference to Jesus's fasting for 40 days in the wilderness. These are just a few comments in passing, and not a complete analysis of the lyrics. Still, the meaning of the song seems pretty clear to me. It's about Jesus coming to redeem mankind after ages of living under the shadow of evil seemingly without hope of deliverance. the center stage for this is Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jews, where he goes to proclaim his teaching, and ultimately to die on the cross and be resurrected. Maybe you believe that, maybe you do not. But if one sees the narrative thread it is certainly an incredible story, and makes for the powerful song. I think BG did a brilliant job with this. |
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| Demons and Wizards – Seize The Day Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I am inclined to think it is about Frodo's inner struggle with his task as Ringbearer and the temptations of the Ring. Further, a couple lyrical references seem to be clearly derived from Tolkien's own verses. "On and on this is my way I've made up mind But I will find what I search for Soon I will reach the western shore Far behind in the distance Lie the fires of doom There's a voice deep inside me The tower knows who you are" If we are to entertain the idea that this is about Frodo, this seems to be a reference to Frodo's decision as a former ringbearer to leave Middle Earth and sail West to the Undying Lands--his last journey. This is consistent with the lyrical reference to reaching the Western shore, as well as that made to the "fires of doom" (the "Crack of Doom" in Mordor) that are "far behind in the distance." The "voice deep inside" in this interpretation would of course be the dark voice of the Ring (and of it's Master, Sauron, lord of the Dark Tower), which has left deep scars. "The tower knows who you are," suggests the fact that Sauron had become aware of Frodo through Frodo's use and posesson of the Ring, just in the same way that the dark power of the Ring had controlled and almost completely taken over the identity of Smeagol/Gollum. "The road goes on and on Tomorrow I'll be gone The road goes on and on Tomorrow I'll be gone" This seems to be almost a direct quote from one of Tolkien's songs in the Lord of the Rings, "The Road Goes Ever On." "I hear him say We'll seize the day Too many roads we've travelled on We'll seize the day Home lies behind The world lies straight ahead We'll seize the day Now there's one thing left to do Destiny we hold in hand We'll seize the day Until the end we'll carry on Home lies behind the world lies straight ahead We'll seize the day Now there's thing left to do We'll seize the day" The "him" referenced seems to be the dark voice of the Ring tempring Frodo to abandon his quest ("Too many roads we've travelled on") and seize the dominating power of the Ring for himself: "Destiny we hold in hand"--literally. Also of note is that whenever the perspective of this tempting vocie is taken in the lyrics, it takes the perspective of the first person plural "we", like Smeagol's Ring-created shadow identity Gollum which always speaks with its quasi-demonic "we/us" (Our name is Legion for we are many). In addition, the lines "Home lies behind/The world lies straight ahead" echo the lines from another song in The Lord of the Rings: "Home is behind, the world ahead/And there are many paths to tread." "All along this is my way I better move on Pure in heart and fair-minded For strength and truth I'll keep on Keep the one that has passed on And leave the others behind All alone and without me" This may be Frodo holding onto the good that is still in him moving on with his destiny to sail into the West and leave the rest of the hobbits from the fellowhip behind (Along with Bilbo, the Ringbearer who freely "passed on" the Ring?) This is my interpretation, and I may be wrong about this being D&W's intent behind the lyrics. But even so, the interpretation is applicable, which if nothing else indicates the fact that BG and D&W often use archetypal lyrics and themes that can have many applications. |
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