The First Season

Those last two chords are so beautiful and cathartic. This was one of the first songs I learned to play and sing, which made me appreciate it more, and I've had a few years to meditate on John's words.

I've written out my interpretation of the lyrics for anyone willing to read it. In spite of its length, I tried to make it interesting by including John's words from his blog posts, and I also included some references to ideas and concepts by Carl Jung and Plato.

***I believe it's important to note that my interpretation is not John's interpretation, and it doesn't have to be yours. Same goes for any piece of art. Art is subjective. Please take it with a grain of salt. Thank you for reading.

Summary (or tl;dr version): The first season of the year is Spring, which symbolizes rebirth. The speaker is going through a paradigm shift, or a change in his or her way of thinking. Obstacles arise, such as the illusion of pain, the illusion of time, the illusion of separateness, and the natural tendency to resist change. During this metamorphosis, the speaker reminds the self to acknowledge these obstacles in order to accept change.

"Let the pretend take over And that season be the first. Shadows we're in become us So we set up interspersed Between here and away. Become your space every day."

In one of John's blog posts, he explained that "by making your own circular actions (doing some creative or educational activity consistently) you will naturally become more of what you really are. And you are that already. It's just a game to learn to be it more completely amidst environment and [amidst] the illusions of constant change and [the illusions of] separateness."

The first two lines make me think about birth: when one is introduced to the illusions of his or her surroundings, such as the illusion of pain. Also, the first season of the year is Spring, which suggest rebirth. The four lines after that seem to refer to the illusion of separation, which could be defined by our initial lack of insight and awareness of ourselves. Psychologist Carl Jung refers to the shadow as a manifestation of our unconscious, so "shadows we're in become us" may be interpreted as the feeling of involuntary isolation from other people. And by learning to believe that we are all alike or connected, you may gradually "become your space every day."

"When it changes up my row, It slates when time will turn to a room. Light starts being there to talk about All he's feeling for the moon: 'To even the lie, damn him.'"

I interpret the first two lines as a paradigm shift in one's way of seeing the world. "It" may refer to the newly presented way of thinking, which "slates" (solidifies like metamorphic rocks, or begins anew like "a clean slate") as one sees that time is an illusion that can be exited like a room.

The idea of a "row" and a "room" (as well as "shadow") remind me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave). Based on this, "Light" could be the Sun, who talks about the Moon by saying: "To even the lie, damn him." If "To even the lie" means to reveal the truth, then the Sun could be referring to the Moon as one who conceals the shadow, or the illusion of separateness (or any illusion). "To even the lie, damn him" could also mean that the Sun is condemning both the Moon and "the lie", or the illusion.

"In that halo: evil. Around that halo: evil. It hangs by evil."

I interpret this as the speaker acknowledging his or her demons, amidst this change that is occurring. Like an addict who claims sudden sobriety, there could be overconfidence and lies in the addict's mind and/or behavior.

"You revolve now with my echo: You rose interwound-- Actually, people in the wrong Come through and go on."

The first line reminds me of another excerpt from John's blog posts: "As long as the message you send yourself is that it is important to you to be guided by the creative force inside you, in the long run you are on the same path as the sun. Of course you'll seem to go up and down, and be in darkness and light. That's life. The reality of it is that you are a shining star circling through space all the time." The speaker may be reminding the self or someone else that success and failure are illusions. "Echo" may refer to the song, the lyrics, or the conscious mind.

The second line may imply the collective unconscious, and the two lines after that may explain that everyone who appears to be "in the wrong" (unaware, immature, etc.) is just going through phases, and will continue to "go on" after they "come through" your life.

"Leave my lonely mind a cell. Keep flowing on a drill. I keep holding on to myself."

The first line could be a resistance to change. The second line may be a reminder to continue embracing change. The third line may be a realization that resistance to change is a natural tendency.

"Be humble, take it the slow way, As I'm allowed; Even holding on (to myself)."

This stanza could be a reminder to relax and be open-minded during feelings of resistance.

"Even holding on [to] My cell of space that holds me."

The "cell of space" may refer to the shadow, or it may refer to the body if one believes that the only way to be free is through death.