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The Richest Man In Babylon Lyrics
There is no quidance in your kingdom
Your wicked walk in Babylon
There is no wisdom to your freedom
The richest man in babylon
Your beggars sleep outside your doorway
Your prophets leave to wonder on
You fall asleep at night with worry
The saddest man in Babylon
The wicked stench of exploitation
Hangs in the air and fingers on
Beneath the praise and admiration
The weakest man in Babylon
There is no hope left in your kingdom
Your servants have burned all their songs
Nobody here remembers freedom
The richest man in Babylon
Your wicked walk in Babylon
There is no wisdom to your freedom
The richest man in babylon
Your prophets leave to wonder on
You fall asleep at night with worry
The saddest man in Babylon
Hangs in the air and fingers on
Beneath the praise and admiration
The weakest man in Babylon
Your servants have burned all their songs
Nobody here remembers freedom
The richest man in Babylon
Song Info
Submitted by
playgroundlove On Nov 07, 2004
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a great song...
literally... it's about unfairness, explotation and social inequality in the socio-economic system our world is living in. Taking in account that the song was released pretty much close to the US invasion to Iraq (the territory where the old Babylon used to stand), it could also be seen as a direct criticism to the Bush regime.
Bah! Corrections to the lyrics... there is no such thing as quidance. Its Guidance. Hangs in the air and LINGERS on not FINGERS on. Not so obvious: you fall asleep at night with WORRIES.
Missing Lyrics:
(scat) babylon no get rich again but to end up sick again and you end up weak again babylon (scat)
babylon you run that car you better know you you better understand the rancher man you better hear what we say babylon this is your final day babylon this is your final call read the writing that's on the wall see divided we stand and together we fall you never know that you not gon' catch me in a rat pack we not gon' fall away from it jah no way
No one's commented... but this is a good song
This song is deep. But as a man that fought in Iraq, I believe that the song is more about Saddam Hussein. Baghdad is Babylon. The richest man in Babylon was Saddam Hussein before OIF. His sons would torture the innocent and helpless. No bigger celebratory fire that I seen in my life until the day of their dead. The masses were in pain and divided (Sunnies, Shiashs, and Kurds dislike each other due to the infused rivalries and preferencial treatment of Sunnies). Anybody with brains left (hence the prophets left to wonder on). President Bush (the Rancher Man) warned Saddam Hussein (Richest Man in Babylon) many of times to give in before he saw his final day. Well, when that day came, Saddam Hussein was the saddest man of Babylon when American Troops found in a hole. Keep in mind that song are prophetic as well, so even it if was written before the war kicked off, it is my opinion that a good song or epic can transcend time.
@alejandrod Completely wrong, I don't think you know what Babylon really means. Its the fake world placed in front of us when we are born. The one that pushes us to work hard, work for a corporation and enslave and bomb others around the world. We are Babylon, slaves to Babylon and you are its armed mercenary. Wake up.
@alejandrod Completely wrong, I don't think you know what Babylon really means. Its the fake world placed in front of us when we are born. The one that pushes us to work hard, work for a corporation and enslave and bomb others around the world. We are Babylon, slaves to Babylon and you are its armed mercenary. Wake up.
@alejandrod not sure it is a definitive choice between one or the other, but I lean towards your assertion that there is a metaphorical meaning that transcends current events. Generally speaking, I imagine the artistic process to emerge from intuition, but a lot of times - depending on the individual - the artistic expression is in some way connected to actual world events. Sometimes the individual might be personally impacted, and expressing emotions based on something that is happening in the world around him and in a way that is shared collectively. Other times, some artists lean towards activism, and...
@alejandrod not sure it is a definitive choice between one or the other, but I lean towards your assertion that there is a metaphorical meaning that transcends current events. Generally speaking, I imagine the artistic process to emerge from intuition, but a lot of times - depending on the individual - the artistic expression is in some way connected to actual world events. Sometimes the individual might be personally impacted, and expressing emotions based on something that is happening in the world around him and in a way that is shared collectively. Other times, some artists lean towards activism, and the metaphor has a cognitive element to it that is a way of transposing that intuitive metaphor onto world events, as more of a "statement" or a kind of activism & protest. I have a couple of their albums, and they seem more activism (cognitive) oriented, but I am not versed enough on the band members and their politics, nor on world events, to draw specific parallels between their lyrics and potential targets of criticism. It would surprise me if their lyrics didn't contain at least 2 layers of meaning, and potentially - like Shakespeare - target 3 levels of interpretation. It seems to go without saying that on the simple layer, they are just talking about the eternal disparity between rich and poor, and that emotional impact on the poor themselves, and the blatant meanness and lack of humanity that propels most of us to do mean things to achieve wealth - some with greater success than others. On the other hand, there are definitely some world events in the English speaking culture that could fall into the target of the lyrical criticisms. Whether it is "the West" or Iraq, I don't know, but the interpretations are very thoughtful, I love having lightbulb moments to ideas not previously considered. I also think it goes without saying the lyrical capabilities of Thievery Corporation is pretty brilliant, and it is unlikely they are just rehashing some eternal state of man, and more likely they are making a political commentary, however abstract. Thanks for the insights.