In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You quench my thirsting soul and you fill my appetite
I give myself to you because you treat me right
Put my trust in the world and the world gets tight
Shift my trust to you it's like a crystal clear night
Expand in all directions get the sections to unite
Hashem's rays fire blaze light my way light of my life
And these days well wait no longer night
reaching for my G-d like skyscrapers in the night
I said I know its hard inside is empty galus (exile) cuts like a knife
Internalize torah vibes bound to feel alright
Chorus:
Whirlwind of praise from below to above
Take flight in the sky got wings like a dove,
Soaring to shamayim (heaven) where the angels call in love
And the glory of Hashem fits like a glove
Hashem rules the world and Israel is his wife
Love you yes my G-d with all my heart my soul and my might
When I feel you by my side yes I'm flying like a kite
You open up my eyes and give me sight
Super energized and everyday I feel you give me life
I seen the ways of the world intoxifying on pride
Young man don't you know drugs impurify your mind
When Israel left mitzrayim four fifths got left behind
If you got no water how you gonna survive
Roots lead you to the well springs so you could stay alive
Pharaoh claimed to be a G-d and claimed to make the Nile
A crocodile could smile and show his teeth
You could see beauty shining externally but that's the story of Greece
Inside America bleeds, Israel won't you get up from your knees
Its just lies in disguise Torah's truth won't you please realize
Given to the humble one on Mt. Sinai
Chorus
Shma Y'sroel, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad
(Hear Israel, the lord is our G-d, the lord is one)
The world could just crumble to dust its just us it's not two it's just one
The middle road called truth, Torah you sooth my brain bruise
Open up peruse with knowledge of G-d
And move up an arousal from below till the secrets start to ooze
Don't snooze it's pure light the most high wants us alive
What's the proof?
We got life!
Chabad philosophy that's the deepest well-spring
Gaining knowledge of G-d while your gaining money
Fill up yourself with the light of his majesty
In a world of separation that's the only way to be
It's time we leave we won't flee just walk out easily
If you got no water how you gonna survive
Chorus
I give myself to you because you treat me right
Put my trust in the world and the world gets tight
Shift my trust to you it's like a crystal clear night
Expand in all directions get the sections to unite
Hashem's rays fire blaze light my way light of my life
And these days well wait no longer night
reaching for my G-d like skyscrapers in the night
I said I know its hard inside is empty galus (exile) cuts like a knife
Internalize torah vibes bound to feel alright
Chorus:
Whirlwind of praise from below to above
Take flight in the sky got wings like a dove,
Soaring to shamayim (heaven) where the angels call in love
And the glory of Hashem fits like a glove
Hashem rules the world and Israel is his wife
Love you yes my G-d with all my heart my soul and my might
When I feel you by my side yes I'm flying like a kite
You open up my eyes and give me sight
Super energized and everyday I feel you give me life
I seen the ways of the world intoxifying on pride
Young man don't you know drugs impurify your mind
When Israel left mitzrayim four fifths got left behind
If you got no water how you gonna survive
Roots lead you to the well springs so you could stay alive
Pharaoh claimed to be a G-d and claimed to make the Nile
A crocodile could smile and show his teeth
You could see beauty shining externally but that's the story of Greece
Inside America bleeds, Israel won't you get up from your knees
Its just lies in disguise Torah's truth won't you please realize
Given to the humble one on Mt. Sinai
Chorus
Shma Y'sroel, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad
(Hear Israel, the lord is our G-d, the lord is one)
The world could just crumble to dust its just us it's not two it's just one
The middle road called truth, Torah you sooth my brain bruise
Open up peruse with knowledge of G-d
And move up an arousal from below till the secrets start to ooze
Don't snooze it's pure light the most high wants us alive
What's the proof?
We got life!
Chabad philosophy that's the deepest well-spring
Gaining knowledge of G-d while your gaining money
Fill up yourself with the light of his majesty
In a world of separation that's the only way to be
It's time we leave we won't flee just walk out easily
If you got no water how you gonna survive
Chorus
Lyrics submitted by brian
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this dude is sick...and this song is even sicker...a must listen!
His songs are hard to interpet but many contain Jewish stuff and many stories from the bible.
yeah this song is really beautiful
i'm not religious at all but i still think matisyahu is amazing and i love the fact that what he's rapping about doesn't offend me like many other rapper's subjects do
he is definitely one of the best artists out today. everyone of his songs is amazing, and this is just one of the many that are instant classics.
he is a hasidic jew, meaning he is a strict follower of mosaic law, and would be considered orthodox, so he doesn't cut the locks of his hair, and wears the fringe outside his clothes, and also follows the dietary laws stated in the old testament or jewish Bible. all of his songs have some sort of religious meaning behind them, some coming directly out of the torah and telling the stories of the hebrew people through song.
but yeah, awesome music.
this guy is fukn amazing. the best reggae out there
I love Matisyahu, Thank god we have some one in the industry who is aware of the raising consciousness of humanity. In order to create a new world we need more people like him living in the now and in agape love
i think this song is about having faith in the only one YAHWEH and that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven if we have no faith, when we sin we fall from his grace and only YAHWEH can save us
Matisyahu uses lots of Biblical imagery in his songs, and especially in this one. The way I see it, a lot of it is his personal relationship with god with references to the Bible within the song. For example, he uses the word Hashem, meaning 'the name' in Hebrew in place of the name of G-d and references heavily to the Exodus of the Jews of Egypt, or Mitzrayim as he calls it, meaning Egypt in Hebrew. He also references the Exodus through the story of the Nile, the role of the Pharoah within traditional Egyptology, and the reference to the 'humble one on Mt Sinai'. Within Exodus it is written that Moses had the two tablets of the 10 Commandments bestowed upon him on Mount Sinai in the Sinai peninisula. He also says the Shma, the first prayer in the song 'Shma, Yisraeyael etc' with the translation given. He encourages to find God and reveals it's the Chabad, or the Orthodox Judaism, which is the deepest 'well spring'.
@taffistani Chabad isnt akin to Orthodox judaism. Rather, it's a very specific sub-branch of the Hassidic movement. a Popular one indeed, yet still a sub-branch. The Orthodox movement as a whole is gigantic, and a lot of it dissmisses the very basic notions of Hassidut (Hassidism) - no guru (rebbe), and far more strict studying.
okay, let's try and dissect this beautiful song through its jewish sources.
"You quench my thirsting soul" - the first line is a direct reference to the second track in the album - Tz'ama lecha nafshi - a psalm text which is translated as.. "my soul is thirsty to you". so, he startes by concluding that. BTW, the way Matisyahu is chanting is an old Chabbadic Niggun (melody). Very beloved by the famous Rebbe.
"Hashem's rays fire blaze light my way light of my life" - Matisyahu uses that verse (kinda) also in "King without a crown". I.. Can't seem to find any source indicating it. There are several psalms regarding Hashem's usage of fire but... I dont know. Doesnt seem to fit the scriptures but I simply LOVE that verse. Maybe this psalm - Psalm 18:8, NASB: "Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth was devouring; Coals burned from it."
"Soaring to shamayim (heaven) where the angels call in love" Reminds me of the "sanctus" version in the prayer-of-18, but not quite
"Hashem rules the world and Israel is his wife" - That's a very chassidic-kabbalistic way of expression. According to most branches of Kabbalah, the spirit of the people of Israel is embodied as the feminine version of G-d, named "Sechina" (perhaps might be translated as - place of being, place of belonging).
"Love you yes my G-d with all my heart my soul and my might" The first verse of the first Parsha of the complete Shma Israel prayer (which is chanted next, and with proper usage of G-ds name, since Matisyahu isn't using the full name which is done only during pray time, but rather he uses the proper term - Hashem - "The Name". "Veahavtha et hashem elokeicha, bechol levavecha u-vechol nafshecha u-vechol meodecha" - ואהבת את ה' אלוקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך which is... exactly what's written here.
"When Israel left mitzrayim four fifths got left behind" - famous Rashi on Exodus. Accodring to this important interperter (Rashi, that's a name of wonderus dude from... the tenth century AD? no google!). Apart from Cohen brother's "a Serious Man" that's like the only time I witness someone in media addressing him.
"Pharaoh claimed to be a G-d and claimed to make the Nile" That's actually probably from of the late Midrash (a fable-legend-commentary piece) from the "Midrash Tanhuma", of Parashat Va'Era (exodus), Siman H'e (5).
"You could see beauty shining externally but that's the story of Greece" All across the Babylonian Talmud and in various other sources you can find that... animosity of religious scholars and ancient rabbies scolding the greek ideals of beauty as superficial and pagan. I personally am not a fan of xenophobia and belittlement...
"Inside America bleeds, Israel won't you get up from your knees" Several verses can apply for the knees part... but none too good here.
"Given to the humble one on Mt. Sinai" Several places indicate that the prophet Moses was a humble one, though I would use my favourite, from the famous hymn/piyuut "Shir HaKavod" or "song of honor/respect/praise" - "The Tefilin knot he had shown to the humble one, the image of good in front of his eyes"
"Shma Y'sroel, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad (Hear Israel, the lord is our G-d, the lord is one)"
Damn, Matisyahu, singing this song is almost akin to the fast track obligatory prayers - The Shma reading, the first verse and some Torah teaching. Damn.
"Chabad philosophy that's the deepest well-spring" ach, typical hassid! 70 faces doth the torah has and your'e saying Chabbad's the best? Yalla :)
"Gaining knowledge of G-d while your gaining money" Okay. I'm quite familiar with the teachings of Chabbad (Tania, etc.). I cannot understand where's the money part is coming, but come to think about it that... almost sounds racist :|
"In a world of separation that's the only way to be" According to several branches in Kabbalah, our world is one of four different worlds, from the lowest to the highest: A'asiyah - The world of "doing" Yetzira - The world of "creation" Briaah - The world of "creatio ex nihilo" (no proper word in english, but it means - creation out of nothing. When god created the world in genesis, well, that was the verb "Bara" - created out of nothing) Atziluth - The world of Nobility, the highest form, where god is one and all is one with god... WHERE THERE IS NO SEPERATION. In this world, the world of A'asiyah... we are but seperated.
God bless, enjoy :)