When you've tried most everything and nothing's taking you higher
When you've come to realise, you've been playing with fire
Hear me when I say to you, it's really down to your heart
It's the beginning of a new love in sight
You've got the way to make it all happen
Set it spinning turning roundabout
Create a new dimension
When we are winning we can stop and shout
Making love towards perfection
I've been all around the world and seen so many faces
Young and old a story told, filling in my spaces
Now without a trace of doubt, I feel it every hour
It's the beginning of a new love inside
Could be an ever opening flower
No hesitation when we're all about
To build a shining tower
No explanations, need to work it out
You know we've got the power
Parallel our sights
And we will find, that we, we need, to be, where we, belong
Parallel our heights
Display our rights and wrongs, and always, keep it strong
It's the beginning of a new love in sight
Could be an ever opening flower
No explanations, need to work it out
You know we've got the power
It's the beginning of a new love inside
You've got the way to make it all happen
Set it spinning turning roundabout
Create a new dimension
When we are winning we can stop and shout
Making love towards perfection
When you've come to realise, you've been playing with fire
Hear me when I say to you, it's really down to your heart
You've got the way to make it all happen
Set it spinning turning roundabout
Create a new dimension
When we are winning we can stop and shout
Making love towards perfection
Young and old a story told, filling in my spaces
Now without a trace of doubt, I feel it every hour
Could be an ever opening flower
No hesitation when we're all about
To build a shining tower
No explanations, need to work it out
You know we've got the power
And we will find, that we, we need, to be, where we, belong
Parallel our heights
Display our rights and wrongs, and always, keep it strong
Could be an ever opening flower
No explanations, need to work it out
You know we've got the power
You've got the way to make it all happen
Set it spinning turning roundabout
Create a new dimension
When we are winning we can stop and shout
Making love towards perfection
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This song is about God. "When you've tried most everything and nothings taking you higher" is about drugs, and how that is not the answer. "Create a new dimension" and the title of the song, "Parallels" means that God exists on a parallel dimension to ourselves. "You know we've got the power" means that everyone has the power inside of themselves to reach God, and "ever opening flower" and "Build a shining tower" means that God can help you reach new heights. The name of the group itself, "Yes" means that "Yes, God exists". Lots of their songs are about God.
I agree with rqfein. I'd only add that "playing with fire" is the looking for the ultimate joy elsewhere: Saying that it's good to be cruel, taking pleasure in arrogance or whatever. Yes has always been a very spiritual band.
I agree with rqfein. I'd only add that "playing with fire" is the looking for the ultimate joy elsewhere: Saying that it's good to be cruel, taking pleasure in arrogance or whatever. Yes has always been a very spiritual band.
This song is about Pinocchio. "When you've tried most everything and nothings taking you higher" is about drugs, and how that is not the answer. "Create a new dimension" and the title of the song, "Parallels" means that Pinocchio exists on a parallel dimension to ourselves. "You know we've got the power" means that everyone has the power inside of themselves to reach Pinocchio, and "ever opening flower" and "Build a shining tower" means that Pinocchio can help you reach new heights. The name of the group itself, "Yes" means that "Yes, God exists". Lots of their songs are about...
This song is about Pinocchio. "When you've tried most everything and nothings taking you higher" is about drugs, and how that is not the answer. "Create a new dimension" and the title of the song, "Parallels" means that Pinocchio exists on a parallel dimension to ourselves. "You know we've got the power" means that everyone has the power inside of themselves to reach Pinocchio, and "ever opening flower" and "Build a shining tower" means that Pinocchio can help you reach new heights. The name of the group itself, "Yes" means that "Yes, God exists". Lots of their songs are about Pinocchio.
This is by no means a trivial reply. 'God' should be considered a fantasy, just as much as 'Pinocchio' should be considered a fantasy.. Nothing wrong with fantasies, by the way. They show our human emotion, our human longing for 'fair' stories, and for happy endings. We want the world to be like in our happiest imagination.
But there is no more proof of God's existence than for Pinocchio's existence. Sad, but true. There is just a book written about each of them. That's fine. Why is it so hard to acknowledge that 'God', like 'Pinocchio', are among the most beautiful fruit of the human mind?
Thus, if anything, this song is about our illusions, about what motivates us, about the surrender to what deeply fulfills us. That could be illusion, or scepticism, or whatever human pleases you. And one day we may realise that we've been playing with fire. Open up to a new love, to a new dimension in your - human - thought, a new way of embracing the world and the beautiful people in it.
Religious scepticism is not negative. It is positive. It respects our own human value. I don't need some god to make my life worthwhile. Do you?
@rgfein No! Nonono! JonAnderson's views transcend Christianity. That is to say, he embraces a spirituality that cannot be described as simply Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. That is the point of the title of the song. Look at My Interpretation and let me know if you agree.
@rgfein No! Nonono! JonAnderson's views transcend Christianity. That is to say, he embraces a spirituality that cannot be described as simply Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. That is the point of the title of the song. Look at My Interpretation and let me know if you agree.
Parallels should have been on their 35th Anniversary CD set. It's just an awesome tune. I love the church organ. It's an inspirational song.
Recorded in some Swiss church? " A new love inside" - butterfly stomach, sunshine in my stomach, a new love, glorious
I absolutely love this song. One of my favorite Yes songs. To me, I think it's about someone going through rough times with a past relationship, hence the "playing with fire." We always find comfort in people's words when things happen, but it's really up to us to finally let things go. When we eventually let go of what has happened in the past, and open up our heart, we can learn to love again. Very inspirational song. I love it, every member plays their instrument with confidence and it all fits so well!
Steve Howe's solos both shine in this fine song, and I never tire of it.
yes, this is a great that has aged well. great riffs....there are a few coldplay songs that have an organ sound similar to this....i think we should hear this tune more often.
This album, "Going for The One", was released 40 years ago this week and still one of my top-ten all-time favorite albums, period. The idea that Wakeman performed on a church organ and transmitted the sound over a telephone line to a recording studio five miles away where the rest of the band was playing their instruments in synch is astounding to me. There is a video of Jon Anderson performing "Awaken" just a few years ago, and his voice does not seem to have changed a bit in the 35 years since he first sang it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Va3e_52TE&sns=em
Jon Anderson has consistently expressed his spirituality through songwriting. He has rejected the notion that any one religion has the Truth (please review My Interpretation of the song Going For The One, from the same album as Parallels).
Parallel Lines go in the same direction and do not intersect. So, if we have "parallel" views, we do not get in each other's way by arguing which religion is best. We are then able to move in the same direction and have goals that we can accomplish together.
"It's the beginning of a new love in sight". By accepting everyone else without challenging each other's views, we can love and accept our differences. "Display our Rights and Wrongs and keep it strong", none of us and none of our views are perfect, so we need not pick each other's religion apart, but together, we can strive toward perfection in harmony by "Making Love Toward Perfection", or embracing Love for others to make this a more perfect world.
"Parallel our sights and we will see that we, we need to be where we belong". We enjoy being able to fit in with others who can be supportive of our goals. Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs cites we have a Universal need for Love and Belonging as a society.
In summary, Parallels is simply about us not getting in each others' way of our desire to understand The Universe; to stop enforcing our views upon each other and accept that we can all move in the same direction...to say this song is about God is to say the Dictionary is about words that begin with the letter "A". Parallels is so much more.
@PsYcLONe I think this was a Chris Squire song.
@PsYcLONe I think this was a Chris Squire song.