This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
As through a glass darkly you seek yourself,
But the light grows weak while under Yggsdrasil.
A basket of eggs may you count your days.
Though your gut lies filled, only shells remain.
I can tell you've been drinking by the scent of your breath.
Another little sip, a bit deeper in debt.
You can rest your head in your wrinkled hands.
But when you awake, you're in another land.
In fields of green rolling on endlessly
You find a fallen nest where there is no tree.
Mark the brown furred hound tied to the mandrake root.
Dare you carve a face in that virtue food?
I can tell what you're thinking. I see it everyday.
I'll help you with your coat, see you on your way.
Sure you want to go walking on a night like this?
Look, there goes another one now. One day I swear they will not miss.
As through a glass darkly you seek yourself,
But the light grows weak while under Yggsdrasil.
A basket of eggs may you count your days.
Though your gut lies filled, only shells remain.
But the light grows weak while under Yggsdrasil.
A basket of eggs may you count your days.
Though your gut lies filled, only shells remain.
I can tell you've been drinking by the scent of your breath.
Another little sip, a bit deeper in debt.
You can rest your head in your wrinkled hands.
But when you awake, you're in another land.
In fields of green rolling on endlessly
You find a fallen nest where there is no tree.
Mark the brown furred hound tied to the mandrake root.
Dare you carve a face in that virtue food?
I can tell what you're thinking. I see it everyday.
I'll help you with your coat, see you on your way.
Sure you want to go walking on a night like this?
Look, there goes another one now. One day I swear they will not miss.
As through a glass darkly you seek yourself,
But the light grows weak while under Yggsdrasil.
A basket of eggs may you count your days.
Though your gut lies filled, only shells remain.
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
I think OpinionHead was closer to the true meaning of this song than jchvoid. Although I see the despair, I think the drinking and debt are only a symptom and not the cause.
I know my interpretation cannot be correct, as it is contradictory of the religious perspective so many other Clutch songs take; however, I think this might be closer than anything presented so far:
The opening line references 1 Corinthians 13:12 ("For now we see through a glass, darkly"), which attests to the lack of introspective clarity.
Yggdrasil is the name of the Norse "world tree," which supports the Heavens and connects them to the Earth. Yggdrasil is directly linked to Odin, who can be seen as an analogue to the Christian God. There is even a story of Odin hanging from the tree, having been wounded by a spear, as a dedication to himself. I hope I don't have to draw the connection to Jesus and his cross for you.
While in the influence of Yggdrasil, insight is hindered, the world seems grim, and debt and despair grasps the narrator. Until finally the narrator loses faith and awakens to a beautiful new world where the tree does not exist.
I'm not entirely sure about the brown furred hound. In keeping with the Norse motif, it may be a reference to Fenrir, the legendary wolf involved with bringing about Ragnarok. The mandrake root is an interesting addition to the song. It's of course most widely known for its vaguely human shape and shamanistic fertility-inducing properties. Although it's not directly linked to Yggdrasil as far as I know, it does hold significance in modern Odinism. I see the mandrake root as a diminution of Yggdrasil.
The titular eggs, I think, are the deepest symbol in the song and provide a link between Yggdrasil and the mandrake root. The berries of the Mandragora officinarum are called "djinn's eggs" in Arabic culture, and being in the nightshade family, are poisonous. Each time Neil sings "Yggdrasil," it sounds to me as if he's pronouncing it "egg-drasil." In the first verse, the narrator seems unsatisfied with the eggs, as if dependent upon them. In the second verse, the eggs drop from the disappeared tree and lie smashed and unappealing on the ground. I would say the (djinn's) eggs are being used to drug the narrator into complacency under Yghdrasil.
I think the line about carving a face on the mandrake root refers to personifying God. In the above context and especially bearing in mind the mandrake's toxicity, the bit about it being "virtue food" is an ironic statement and may be saying "this is the poison that the 'virtuous' are swallowing."
So there's that. Thoughts? Questions? Emotional outbursts?
Oh! Some detail about the dog just dawned on me!<br /> <br /> There's a myth that says the mandrake root emits a scream when it's uprooted that kills anything within earshot. In order to harvest the root without dying, people would dig around the root to loosen it up, then tie a dog to it. The person would run for safety and the dog would follow. When the dog got to the end of the rope, the mandrake would be uprooted and the dog would die, but not the person.<br /> <br /> The brown furred hound that you are meant to mark is likely dead after having uprooted Yggdrasil and breaking its spell over the narrator.