| Evanescence – Field Of Innocence Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This is a song about the shut-down we experience in the connection to all things with which we're born. As we grow up, society expects us to conform and adopt the same view of reality as that of the "sleeping-masses," and that means anything that won't fit, must go. Our senses dull and we become numb as we train ourselves to limit our perception to only that which our peers, parents, etc deem "real." We "fall asleep." This is an unnatural state, of course, and we aren't meant to exist in this way, so something inside us reminds us of what we've lost so we can wake-up and get it back. This was the feeling that Amy Lee et al were experiencing while writing this song. What's ironic is that one of the biggest contributors to the aforementioned mental and spiritual shut-down (religion) is something that Lee and Evanescence chose to weave into this song. The Latin words in the bridge are a hymn praising Jesus as "king." With its demand that we surrender what's rightfully ours (our will) to someone external ("God," "Jesus," etc) religion causes us to become drones and slaves who require someone else to "save us from ourselves." This isn't actually how we are, but those of us who believe that it is will unconsciously use their personal power to manifest a reality where it seems like the absolute truth they believe it to be, and as they see these results they will use it to further validate these unhealthy beliefs. This is how religion destroys our mental and spiritual sovereignty and enslaves us to itself. It further shuts-down our minds and spirits by facilitating an obsessive, ritualistic playback-loop of the lowest-frequency experiences available in this reality - shame, guilt, fear, etc - and this also destroys our self-esteem, which makes us even more desperate for the acceptance of religious authorities and religious characters. This pattern plays itself out in other parts of society too - like abusive marriages and relationships. Abusive spouses will almost always tear-down their partner's self-esteem in order to ensure that they'll stick-around, thinking "who else is going to put up with me?" etc, etc. Somehow it's much easier for most people to see that this is abusive behavior when it comes from humans than when it comes from "holy men," or "deities," but it's the same thing either way. Many religious people will tell you that they're exempt from all this because they "choose not to focus on 'those parts' of the religion." This is not the case. Religion (especially abrahamic religion) is a package-deal. The scripture even says so. Even if you "focus on the good parts," its ultimate nature is still intact and it will have embedded those nasty, self-deprecating principles in your unconscious mind. Their presence there will act as a barrier to your ability to manifest your own life under your own power, whether you are consciously aware of it or not. You also may or may not be able to tell what "the good parts" really are. From a certain point of view, wouldn't it be wonderful to have someone who's always there for you and accepts you no matter what you've done? Wouldn't you owe that person everything if they were willing to be a part of your life? Religion is tricky that way. It is a disease that disguises itself as a cure. As someone who figured out what was being done to me by religion, and seen the larger picture that it could never deliver to us, I find it really sad to watch as others do this to themselves. The CD booklet for "Origin" has a bunch of perfunctory scriptural quotation, and the praise of religious figures and people who participate in religion. It's disgusting, but as Voltaire said, "it is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." That said, Amy Lee is a truly talented musician and I genuinely hope some day she frees her mind from religion and finally learns to live for herself. In the meantime, many of her lyrics are a perfect example of the desperately co-dependent, hopelessly self-despising state of being that religion engenders. If you are feeling what this song describes - that you've lost your connection with everything and that parts of you have died - what you are suffering from is called "being asleep." You are in a low-frequency state where your sensory perception is diminished because the parts of your body and mind that normally facilitate their use are malnourished with "negativity." The answer/cure comes from expanding your consciousness and taking responsibility for yourself, and by reclaiming your personal power and rebuilding your self-esteem. Religion may or may not be the thing holding you down (the word "religion" comes from the Latin word that means "to restrain," by the way...) but in any case, you need to know that not only *can* you have back your connection with the universe, but it is your birthright to have. If you have been participating in religion, start by de-programming yourself through any healthy means you can find. There *will* be scary moments where you feel like you are very clearly making a big mistake. You may have nightmares about it or have sudden attacks of dread in your waking moments, but this is just the product of your mind challenging the assessments on which you have based your reality in the past. Don't repress the fear. Let yourself feel it, and then let it go and remind yourself that you are the master or mistress of your reality. Remember the sensible thing - that if there is a divine force out there that truly loves you, then it would want you to grow strong and independent and able to make your own way. |
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| Staind – Paper Jesus Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This is one of at least two songs Staind has written against religion, by my count. "They've made a corporation out of desperate people's feelings of fear" describes religious institutions to a T. "They're keeping you distracted just long enough to bleed you dry" refers to the way religions keep people too preoccupied (with the hate of other religions, the fear of sin, devils, hell and other perceived evils, etc) as a means to acquire their money and loyalty, and to get them to serve religion at their (the practitioner's) own expense. These people are being infantilized with low-frequency emotions like fear and guilt, slowing-down their energy and thereby precluding real spiritual progress. As I've said earlier, the "Paper Jesus" in this song is probably a reference to the bible's account of Jesus (or "Jesus-on-paper,") the validity of which is being challenged due to its having been so heavily twisted around in editing by authority figures with hidden agendas. This would make sense when you also consider the lyric "somebody chose these words for you - interpretations of the truth." This song is encouraging people to question religion, especially the notion of its necessity in our lives which was (conveniently) invented by religions themselves. The main message of this song as I see it, is that religion sells fear - not because it's useful or beneficial, but because it benefits religion. People who live in fear will naturally and always seek remedy from the things they fear and will gladly gratify anyone and anything they believe can relieve the danger in which they believe themselves to be. When you think about it, this should be enough to show anyone that religion (or at least abrahamic religion) is false. If they had anything of greater value to offer, why would they need to keep people feeling afraid and guilty? It's like a politician who spends their time smearing his or her opponent in an election because they know it's the only way to get elected, because although they want the title/status/power, they themselves don't really have anything to offer others in terms of the proper and beneficial use of those things. I don't see how people are saying this isn't about religion. It obviously is. And if christians complained that this song was offensive to their religion and got it removed, then shame on them. They have no right to censure people who speak out against the cruelty and corruption of religion, whether christendom or anything else, and the fact that they even feel the need to try just proves they know deep down that their religion is false and they're feeling insecure because someone else is willing to admit it and say it out loud. If the things people say against religion were untrue, what would it matter? "Religion is seen by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." -Seneca the Younger |
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| Staind – Paper Jesus Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| (AKA "Jesus on Paper.") | |
| Staind – Paper Jesus Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| "Paper Jesus" is more than likely a reference to the biblical version of Jesus, which can't be trusted as valid because it's been censured by religious authorities so many times. | |
| Staind – Paper Jesus Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[dmk89:12878] - Of course it has to do with religion. How could "they've made a corporation out of desperate people's feelings of fear" and "somebody chose these words for you - interpretations of the truth. Somewhere behind your fear they hide, to fill the holes inside" possibly be referring to money? Or really to anything other than some abusive authoritarian institution (of which, let's face it, religious institutions are the uncontested epitome.) | |
| Antimatter – Psalms Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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The name of this track (obviously) comes from the chapter of the bible which is of the same name. This is a song about a boy (or perhaps a man, whose intellectual development is being likened to that of a boy) who is struggling between the need to live a normal, healthy life by modern standards, and the unrealistic requirements programmed into his mind through religious indoctrination. "Poor boy, he knows he's alive. He's afraid to learn. He don't want to get where he's going 'cause he thinks he's gonna burn." It refers to the struggle to live in-keeping with archaic religious doctrines whose standards are even more unlivable today than they were when they were written, because the majority of society has evolved away from them. This "boy" is afraid of going to "Hell" for living a modern life which contradicts religious dogma. For instance, there's an islamic terror group out there whose name means "Western Education is Forbidden" (I think it's "Boko-Haram," but I'm not sure.) They believe in rigorous adherence to the koran and shun modern ways of thought and living. Contrary to the common perception by people who call themselves religious but don't actually read scripture, regardless of whether you believe in the bible, tanak or koran, most of it *is* in a state of contradiction with modern thought, and even modern standards of common decency. The lyrics "close your eyes when you feel you're going under... Close your eyes, you can make it through the world" refers to the way that people who pretend to live pious lives perpetually ignore the mass of contradictions between their actions and daily lives, and the dictates of their creed. Where it says "Poor boy, he knows in this life, he'll get hunted down..." it's probably referring to the increasingly aggressive way that society reacts to religiosity as we begin to realize exactly how much harm it's done. Finally, "You can't wash the canvas now 'cause it's full of dye..." is likening the difficulty freeing one's mind from religious indoctrination to that of making a stained canvas as blank and pure as it was before the dye touched it. This is why I love Antimatter. They see through society's nonsense, and they tear it apart with an eloquent, thought-provoking style that still needs very little interpretation by the listener. |
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