| Joe Pug – Hymn #35 Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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This, along with "Hymn #101" and "Hymn #76", is part of a series of lyrics written to some imagined, much larger hymnal. Hymn #101 largely discusses the life of Jesus from his perspective, but this seems to be more from the "Father's" perspective. The interpretation of "YWVH" is generally "I Am that I Am". Joe Pug's lyric for this song attempt to capture all of that. Since it's pretty difficult to interpret these lyrics individually, I'll try to do so overall. Most verses are composed of some statement about God, followed by a contradiction. This is a common notion in religious mythology, where a deity is both a creative and destructive force. Whereas in Hinduism where the creative and destructive are treated as aspects, the creative and destructive force of the Christian god is unitary. This is often seen as a great mystery; there's a whole field of philosophy related to it called Theodicy. If God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why does evil exist? This could also be interpreted as contradictory statements that people CLAIM about God. Maybe Joe Pug is saying, "How can these all be true? But yet they are." These contradictory themes include time (e.g., dawn, day, and darkness; the past, the present, and the unknown future; birth, rebirth, and eternity), danger and safety (a fence pasture, "dakota thunder raging"), morality and amorality ("I have done wrong, I will do wrong, there's nothing wrong with doing wrong"), power and weakness ("the teeth of champions", "rust of water rot"), creation and destruction ("I am the brush, I am the strokes/ I'm sickness come to the best of folks"). My feeling towards all this is that Joe Pug isn't trying to solve these mysteries, only evoke them. |
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| Joe Pug – Hymn #101 Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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As Bymmas has noted previously, this is a deeply metaphorical song about the life of Jesus, written in the first person perspective. Their interpretation is good, but I'd like to add mine as well. The title, "Hymn #101" alludes to the common American Christian practice, both Catholic and Protestant, to denote songs sung during the service by their number in a hymnal book. This, along with "Hymn #35" and "Hymn #76", can be imagined to belong to a hymnal of unknown size. It's unlikely Joe Pug will ever fill it, but there will probably be more. The lyrics read at times like statements made to his disciples, or to a witness who is writing it down. The "wishlist of my father" clearly refers to the plans of the Christian deity. The "shipwrecks" could refer to failures of humanity and God's wish to see those righted. Or it could refer to God's own failures, which is a very humanizing idea. "Wishing aloud" is the preaching or sermonizing, probably most of all the Sermon on the Mount, and the "overdressed crowd" refers to the audience. I agree with Bymmas that "overdressed" probably refers to their ideas and notions rather than their clothing. The "sinking ship" may be the Old Covenant to be replaced by the New Covenant that Jesus is bringing. Jesus is a witness, but he's not alarmed, he's "throwing pennies", seemingly cheering it on. The "forest" in the second verse is the wilderness in which he wandered, or simply his nomadal lifestyle. The "dozen lazy horses" are almost certainly the twelve apostles. Jesus often rebukes them for their laziness in the gospels, even going so far once as to call them the "salt of the earth", which, contrary to popular opinion, is not a complement. The lyrics here say "I've come here to get eyed", but in Joe's official lyrics "eyed" is "high"; the line is probably not referring to drugs but to spiritual fulfillment. A common theme in the Gnostic gospels is Jesus yelling at his disciples for being drunk all the time, and there's nothing to suggest that Jesus went along with John the Baptist's psychedelic eating. He's not here to simply live, but to fulfill prophecy. The last line in this verse is "I've come to test the t_______ of my heart", exactly as that. Joe doesn't reveal in his official lyrics the spelling of that word, he leaves it blank. This allows the meaning to be both "timbre", which refers to a testing of the strength of his heart, and "timber", so that it is also a pun referring both the the cross and his father's (Joseph) occupation as a carpenter. Jesus is "untroubled in [his] seeking" because he has spiritual awareness, and comes to find the purpose in everything. Yet, at the same time, he has to "reach out blind", because he's not omniscient, he can't know what the future has for him, and he has to reach out for other people to help him. Being a god made human is probably a confusing thing. And the more he seeks out his purpose, the more people flock to him. Jesus meets "the Sheriff and his posse", which could refer to both the Jewish Council of the time and also the Roman State and their officers. Jesus, of course, turns the other cheek ("offer him the broad side of my jaw"). He is an intentional beggar, implied by "come here to get broke" and "bum a smoke". The "drinking two towns over" refers to nomad movement of him and his friends/disciples, but could also refer to the Marriage at Cana where he allegedly turned water into wine. Here Jesus is addressing the rich, the "legendary takers". He is asking them a lot, because it is difficult for a rich person to enter Heaven. They say that he has "less than [he] should rightfully possess", befitting his status as a Rabbi with a large congregation, but he replies that the more he gives ("buy") the more he receives ("bought"), and the more he receives, the easier it is for him to give more ("the less I cost"). This feedback cycle of giving is a common theme in religion; it doesn't refer to goods and services but to spiritual riches. See the verses about "hiding your light under a bushel". Jesus has come to take everyone, the poor ("servants"), the forgotten ("surplus"), the beggars and homeless ("raincoats", referring to the clothing of those who live on the streets), and the addicted and criminal ("speed", aka methamphetamine). He has also come to "ransack and spill", referring to the line, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." It could also easily refer to his driving of the moneylenders out of the temple with cords, spilling money everywhere. He has come to take people ("the harvest"), not for anything physical, but for their spirits ("seed"). Jesus knows "the manger you sleep in", which refers to the phrase "the bed you sleep in", the consequences of your actions. It's also a nice reference to his birth. The "stranger you keep" is the company you keep, good and bad. It can also refer to your treatment of those who are strangers to society, all the people listed in the previous verse. The remainder of the verse refers to a sort of predestination. His "footsteps never slowed" because he doesn't tarry on his path, he knows he has to keep moving towards the plan his spiritual father intended him. Thus, "before I met I knew we would meet"; all of this was out of his hands. The second to last verse could refer to several things depending on who Jesus is addressing. But I think the best interpretation is that this is to his disciples. The "cries of heartache" are in response to his statement that one of them would betray him. He will "closely listen to [the betrayer] sing", he will allow the betrayal to happen. The kiss is of course the kiss of Judas at the time of the betrayal. Finally, what he has said is both exactly what he intended to say, and able to be interpreted more than one way. ("I come to say exactly what I mean, and I mean so many things.") This line, I think, is not only Jesus, but also Joe Pug. He is saying, "You can interpret my song in many ways." In the final verse, "as stubborn as a butcher" could refer to the relentless way a meat butcher will take apart an animal carcass. "Thankless as a guest" refers to unwanted guests that receive no thanks. He is determined in his task, despite that people curse him. He says to his disciples, will you recognize when I return ("when god's awful grace/ strips me of my jacket and my vest") and reveal myself as I truly am ("reveals all the treasures in my chest"). They didn't immediately recognize him after the resurrection. Overall, this is an absolutely amazing lyric, full of Christian metaphors and imagery. Even as a non-Christian, I deeply appreciate the skill with which this was written, how subtle it is, and how many potential interpretations can be drawn of it. It's one of the finest pieces of songwriting in recent times. |
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