Oh I'm on my way, I know I am
Somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now
I feel the power growing in my hair
Sitting on my own, not by myself
Everybody's here with me
I don't need to touch your face to know
And I don't need to use my eyes to see
I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I always wake up the same or so?
I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I even wake up again or something?
Oh I'm on my way, I know I am
But times there were when thought not
Bleeding half my soul in bad company
I thank the moon I had the strength to stop
I'm not making love to anyone's wishes
Only for that guide I see
'Cause when I'm dead and lowered low in my grave
That's gonna be the only thing that's left of me
And if I make it to the waterside
Will I even find me a boat or so?
And I if I make it to the waterside
I'll be sure to write you note or something
Oh I'm on my way, I know I am
Somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now
I feel the power growing in my hair
Oh life is like a maze of doors
And they all open from the side you're on
Just keep on pushing hard boy, try as you may
You're going to wind up where you started from
You're going to wind up where you started from
Somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now
I feel the power growing in my hair
Sitting on my own, not by myself
Everybody's here with me
I don't need to touch your face to know
And I don't need to use my eyes to see
I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I always wake up the same or so?
I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I even wake up again or something?
Oh I'm on my way, I know I am
But times there were when thought not
Bleeding half my soul in bad company
I thank the moon I had the strength to stop
I'm not making love to anyone's wishes
Only for that guide I see
'Cause when I'm dead and lowered low in my grave
That's gonna be the only thing that's left of me
And if I make it to the waterside
Will I even find me a boat or so?
And I if I make it to the waterside
I'll be sure to write you note or something
Oh I'm on my way, I know I am
Somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now
I feel the power growing in my hair
Oh life is like a maze of doors
And they all open from the side you're on
Just keep on pushing hard boy, try as you may
You're going to wind up where you started from
You're going to wind up where you started from
Lyrics submitted by jontbarker, edited by traw
Sitting Lyrics as written by Yusuf Islam
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This one is about meditation. It is called Sitting. Most Buddhist centers (and many other religions, new age groups, and some yoga and even martial arts centers have group meditations. Many refer to them as Sittings.) Meditation is about clearing your mind and stop the brain from its’ incessant thinking. You first learn that things are not the problem, your reaction to the things are the problem. The only way to delve further is to start getting in touch with feelings which will tell you the truth about yourself. (Brains tend to justify and cannot be relied on for truth about oneself).
In the first verse Cat starts talking about feeling, All I know is all I feel right now. (meditation = feeling — thinking). The next verse he starts with, Sitting on my own not by myself. Everybody’s here with me. — He’s either referring to being part of a group meditation or during meditation one can get in touch with many aspects (some call sub-personalities) of oneself.
The next verse talks about sleeping several times. Many of these meditation styles are referred to as “awareness training”. When you start coming out of meditation the world looks different. You become more aware. At first, this awareness doesn’t last long; your conditioned mind will soon regain control. With more meditation comes more awareness. When you are in a more heightened state of awareness you look at how you were previously and those around you as being zombie-like. As if we are all going through life half asleep. I think the “power growing in my hair” could be a reference to Sampson (strength) or in deep meditation one can feel very subtle energy and things that our brain normally ignores. It could be referring to enlightenment. I think that is what he is referring to by “I’m on my way”. (on the right spiritual path or towards enlightenment) Except for the last verse the rest are just talking about death and the afterlife.
That’s my 2 cents.
The second verse seems to be a reference to the subject looking on (in a non physical form) over the living maybe at the funeral. The reference to not needing any physical body to see and touch would appear to emhasise this with the third verse questioning the state of being in this non physical state.
The fourth verse is an indication that this passage would not have been possible looking back at his behaviour in earlier years. A reference to Stevens’ decision to give up the pop star life he had been following.
The next verse is demonstrating his allegiance to God (the light) as the only word to be obeyed and the only thing left once he has passed over to the other side.
I wonder of the reference to the ‘waterside’ is again the Norse idea where the dead were sent off on boat at the funeral. The of course his comment about making contact once at the ‘other side’
A fascinating song showing Stevens’ belief in heaven and what is required to get there.
I agree 100%
"Oh I'm on my way I know I am,
somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now,
I feel the power growing In my hair"
well, i'm not totally sure if that^^^ is what Cat is referrig to, but if it is, well...that's interesting.
I've always thought that the waterside was the river styx. I agree more with ZeroOne's interpertation on the hair.
One of my favorite songs of all time. I've always wanted to do a cover of this with darker music, but not change a word.
He was uncertain about moving from the life he had known to that date, and where he was going... but knew he mad to make the move.
'I really didn't have my soul in their company, and I had the strength to stop'
When he says he 'feels the power growing in his hair', I have taken it to be a statement that hew felts his strength in his new faith growing as a result of the changes he is making...
I had never really seen the death reference until I read this page :)
Anyways, I think TPC has got it pretty much right. Cat was hurting in his old ways and was starting to change. I also took the hair reference the same way as TPC. Just a phrase indicating he's starting to feel the spirit moving strongly in him. I didn't and still don't read much more into it.
I do however wonder if Cat was into Buddhism before he converted to Islam, because this really screams Buddhist to me.