This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
My back is so full of scrapes
With the miles I've walked of waste
Fade and fall away against
And numb my hunger to taste
What's the basis for change?
Excuses to feed my ego's rage?
I cling to my comfort to quench because
I'm content with my sadistic wretch
Find every reason not to kill the halfway beast
that steals my only peace
Don't expect it to rest
Until its home is a naturalistic nest
But there is no coincidence
But there is no compromise
Rise.
Close my grip on the floodgates and lean on the back of
the covenant sealed in dreams
Anticipate the backlash
Uncountable grins fade to screams
Doubt's an ocean away on a sea that my last mistake drowned unwillingly
I don't have the trust to float inside the waves that seek to spill me.
Rise.
Unrealistic ideals
Promises I can't keep
I don't have those luxuries
I don't have the time you do to sleep
So now it starts and now it begins
I've waited too long for this for your fear to interfere again
So now my vision's secured.
With the miles I've walked of waste
Fade and fall away against
And numb my hunger to taste
What's the basis for change?
Excuses to feed my ego's rage?
I cling to my comfort to quench because
I'm content with my sadistic wretch
Find every reason not to kill the halfway beast
that steals my only peace
Don't expect it to rest
Until its home is a naturalistic nest
But there is no coincidence
But there is no compromise
Rise.
Close my grip on the floodgates and lean on the back of
the covenant sealed in dreams
Anticipate the backlash
Uncountable grins fade to screams
Doubt's an ocean away on a sea that my last mistake drowned unwillingly
I don't have the trust to float inside the waves that seek to spill me.
Rise.
Unrealistic ideals
Promises I can't keep
I don't have those luxuries
I don't have the time you do to sleep
So now it starts and now it begins
I've waited too long for this for your fear to interfere again
So now my vision's secured.
Lyrics submitted by joshbert13
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I have no freaking idea...
I believe this song is about fighting the "old man" and living the "new man," having been transformed by Christ.
This task is obviously not easy, because Schwab states that his back is "so full of scrapes." His journey to Christ seems to have been a long one ("with the miles I've walked of waste").
Verse one describes struggles with the old man. Before coming to Christ, Schwab changed only to "feed [his] ego's rage." He felt quite content just with the depraved state he was in ("I cling to my comfort," "I'm content with my sadistic wretch.") He doesn't want to put off the old man ("find every reason not to kill the halfway beast"), but realizes that it is stealing his peace and disturbing him. Eventually, it wants to convert him to naturalism ("til its home is a naturalistic nest"). Such a worldview has no place for God.
Schwab then acknowledges the everything worked out for good in his journey to Christ, and nothing happened just coincidentally ("there is no conincidence"). The next statement is a recurring theme in project 86: there are no shades of grey, just black and white ("there is no compromise"). I.e. there is nothing in between.
The next verse describes Schwab's experience once he started to put off the old man. He shut it off ("close my grip on the floodgates") and trusted only in God's covenant ("the covenant sealed in dreams"). He knew it wouldn't be easy to put it off ("anticipate the backlash") and endured severe trials trying to keep it dead ("uncountable grins fade to screams"). The next two lines outline the previously mentioned philosophy of naturalism. It is characterized by doubt ("doubt's an ocean away"), but it's consequences are always bad ("my last mistake drowned unwillingly"). He states he is not willing to embrace naturalism, stating that it would "spill him" and (implied) result in his destruction.
The word "Rise" is a call to rise to the occasion, take a stand, and fight the old man.
The next verse/bridge/whatever shows some of the things that Schwab has put off. It's pretty self explanatory. He has been changed, and has started his new life ("now it starts, and now it begins"). He has relentlessly decided to follow his new vision ("so now my vision's secured) - he is permanently fixed on Christ.
I was wondering why only two comments were made on this one, and now I see that no more are really necessary because the previous comment summed it up pretty good. this is the first Project song I heard. masterfully done