Marys of the Sea

Not DaVinci Code, but Amos's freaking neverending obsession with Mary Magdalene, and Holy Blood, Holy Grail. (Other examples: Past the Mission, Muhammed My Friend, and Mary, for god's sake). At least she's helping to keep interesting mythology alive. It's a good song.

the first verse references how christianity has different interpretations and how the writer feels her views are not the accepted version, but how its universal. the second verse references how the three marys surrounding christ { the three women who discovered him out of his tomb after his death}escaped to southern france {gaull} to a town called le st marie de la mer or the town of the marys by the sea. the unborn seed probably references the child of christ in mary magdelines womb, later in her life to be called the black madonna. dance the ring is a jewish wedding dance. mary magdeline and christ now you have hyjacked the son, clearly means taken over the message of christ. relax love paragraph is what he has said to mary. red of a rose is something no man can divide, means love is indivisible the same as trying to remove the red from a rose. St Jermaine {germaine} is the person who has lived many lives, staging deaths, has god like powers, escapes the confines of mortality

Well, one of the few songs The Beekeeper is worth of. Really nice musical structure, both rhythmic and harmonical.

But, what about the lyrics? The only reference I found is at http://www.aimeemann.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=3765&page=2#pid39758 towards the end. I hope that "Mary Magelane" is "Mary Magdalene" (in Italian we say only "Maria Maddalena"... so...?). In this key, the song is about a love story between Jesus and her:

Hey I am not in your way Hey no need to push me again I know it's your day in the sun

I think it talks to the persons who want to chase her since she's a sinner.

Last time I checked he came to light the lamp for everyone

Talks about Jesus; the parallel is between the sun and the lamp lighted up. So, does it mean perhaps that Jesus tries to give a "day in the sun" for everyone, and, perhaps, if he can't give so much, at least he "lights a lamp"?

"relax Love" he said before he left "take those hands away from your eyes from where I stand you're in my sky"

So, that would clearly be about their relationship. Jesus tells her to relax (perhaps because he has given her forgiveness for her sins too?) and to take "those hands away" (it's about the men she was in affairs with?), and says that she's in "my sky" (the heaven, I think).

you must go must flee for they will hunt you down you and your unborn seed in all of Gaul is there safety?

Uh, hot stuff in here. Says that people will hunt her (as in fact it will happen), talking about her and her unborn seed - so, she has a child, perhaps Jesus' one? But I have not the slightest idea of what (where?) Gaul is and what it refers too. It doesn't come as a surprise - I'm agnostic and know the Bible very little. Oh, yeah, and I'm bad at geography too :-)

Les Saint Marie de la Mer you will dance the ring Marys of the Sea the lost bride weeps Les Saint Marie de la Mer We will dance your ring

Ok. So, why does Tori call her "Les Saint Marie de la Mer"? What does mean that she will "dance the ring"? The "lost bride" perhaps is about the fact that she and Jesus will never get married? :-/

Hey there's a new Jerusalem Hey you built a rock that's on sand For now you have hijacked the Son Last time I checked he came to light the lamp for everyone

Again, I admit I have no big clues about this. Any idea?

Obviously, this is simply my opinion, and the very fundamental idea can be perfectly wrong :-)

Well, just a little piece about Gaul I found digging the web (at http://www.greatdreams.com/feb2001.htm):

The Holy Grail Bloodline

So, in September AD 33, the first child of Jesus and Mary Magdalene was born, and Jesus duly entered the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no reference to this child being a son (as there is for the two subsequent births), and given that Jesus returned three years later, in AD 36, we know that Mary must have had a daughter.

It was to Gaul that Mary was said to have carried the Sangréal (the Blood Royal, the Holy Grail); and it was in Gaul that the famous line of Jesus and Mary's immediate descendant heirs, the Fisher Kings, flourished for 300 years.

http://www.nexusmagazine.com/holygrail3.html

Ok, I got it, in Italian "Gaul" is "Gallia", which is France nowadays. What a stupid I am :-P. So, perhaps, is it all dated later than the famous events about Mary Magdalene we all know about, and here Tori talks about when she goes to France and starts the myth?

"Les Saint Marie de la Mer" - that's the place where she had gone in France.

DaVinci code anyone?

In Non-denominational character: "It's like in every song she's throwing a golden apple around! Why isn't anyone shutting her up?!?!?!" All kidding aside, I think this is one of Ms. Amos' most passionate songs. -Nick

This song can also be interpreted about slavery and voodoo. (She does like voodoo too.)

When slaves were brought to the Americas they were forced to give up their religion and adopt Christianity, specifically Catholicism by the Spaniards. Since you can't actually force someone to give up their beliefs the slaves gave their gods corresponding saints, and the Virgin Mary became Mami Wata, the female god who is shaped like a mermaid and rules the sea. I think she could very easily be called a "Mary of the sea"

Anyway, some of the other verses can fit very easily as well - for example being hunted down, along with any babies you will have.

After reading tchgrif's comment I think that is what Tori meant it to be about, but until I thought to that other Mary it all seemed to fit for me.