| Grateful Dead – Franklin's Tower Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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dead on |
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| Grateful Dead – Fire On The Mountain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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First off, I am not going to try to say that it means any specific thing, or that it targets a specific situation because that’s not the way this song was written. These lyrics flow straight from the soul, and there are infinite situations that the meaning applies to. So from what I understand this song was written when some members of the grateful dead were literally witnessing a forest fire climbing up a mountain from their recording studio. There is no question that this was literally inspired by a fire on a mountain, however there is still a metaphorical meaning behind the literal fire. As Mickey Hart, the songwriter, stared at this forest fire, he saw how the fire consumed one tree after another insatiably as it climbed for the top. The fire seems to be trying to reach a goal of some sort, but when it finally reaches the top of the mountain with no more trees to burn, it withers away into the air. Now there are people who try to connect the "long distance runner" to the fire on the same plane, and try to make some kind of story involving the two, but the intention of Mickey Hart was to connect them metaphorically. You see, the insatiability of the “long distance runner” is the fire on the mountain. He strives, he gives all he has to the fire, but the fire is hungry for more. This theme of insatiability is expressed in the song as a whole, but I am just going to point out a few lines that point out the insatiability. “The flame from your stage has now spread to the floor. ” This line is particularly amazing because it seems to have achieved the status as a double metaphor. It expresses the tendency of music to spread emotion like fire from the source to the listeners, and then it takes that metaphor, and uses it to express the insatiable nature of humanity. Because the flame is spreading to the floor, it is not satisfied. If this Idea confuses you, seriously come and talk to me about it. Here is another line that may clear things up a little bit, “The more that you give, the more it will take.” This line, plain and simple, just reinforces the message that the more you try to prove yourself through plain achievement, the less satisfied you will be with yourself. In other words, feeding the fire just burns the wood. |
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