Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)

I love this song; it's one of my favorites. I don't think this song is speaking only to Jews, but to the the whole world, trying to get them to understand the Jewish mindset, as a lot of negative media attention is given to Jews/State of Israel today regarding the Palestinian conflict. There are a lot of Jewish motifs in the song that a goy might not understand, which is what makes this song so special to Jews, too. As a Jew, I'll try to explain it best I can.

As stated above, the chorus is derived from Scripture, specifically Tehilim (Psalms) 137. Jerusalem is not just the capital of Israel, it is the holiest city in the world and most important place for Jews. Our temple once stood there, it is the place where earth meets Heaven, the place where the G-d of the universe chose to make Himself dwell among His people on earth. This is why a Jew can never forget Jerusalem; the city is woven into the very fabric of our being and our history as a people.

Verse 1:

"In the ancient days, we will return with no delay Picking up the bounty and the spoils on our way"

The stories of the Israelites in the Old Testament when they came into Canaan and conquered the land from several different peoples.

"We've been traveling from state to state And them don't understand what they say"

Reference to the experiences of Jews after the diaspora (when Jews were scattered across the world). They traveled and lived in many different nations but no one accepted them (ex. Spanish Inquisition, Russian anti-semitism).

"3,000 years with no place to be And they want me to give up my milk and honey"

Again referring to the diaspora when Jews were without a homeland for 3,000 years. Now that they finally have one, the world wants them to give it up to Palestinians (milk & honey refers to teh land of Israel, the Bible describes it as a land flowing with milk and honey).

"Don't you see, it's not about the land or the sea Not the country but the dwelling of his majesty"

Again, Matisyahu wants the world to see the mindset of Jews. The conflict isn't just about property ownership, it's about something much, much deeper: Israel being the dwelling place for G-d, making a reference back to the chorus as Jerusalem is G-d's dwelling place on earth.

"Rebuild the temple and the crown of glory"

Jews want to restore the temple that once stood in Jerusalem to its former glory.

"Years gone by, about sixty Burn in the oven in this century And the gas tried to choke, but it couldn't choke me"

A reference to the holocaust and the millions that died in the gas chambers and were thrown into ovens to be cremated. They tried to destroy all the Jews but they couldn't.

"I will not lie down, I will not fall asleep They come overseas, yes they're trying to be free Erase the demons out of our memory Change your name and your identity Afraid of the truth and our dark history Why is everybody always chasing we Cut off the roots of your family tree Don't you know that's not the way to be"

Many Jews before and after the holocaust hid their Jewish identity for fear of persecution. Many of them assimilated into the societies where they lived and no longer considered themselves Jewish. Matisyahu is telling us to be strong and proud of our heritage and never forget our past and our ancestors who went before us.

"Caught up in these ways, and the worlds gone craze Don't you know it's just a phase Case of the Simon says"

A lot of people today believe whatever they hear on tv without even knowing the real facts themselves. They do whatever the media and society tells them to without knowing why (case of the simon says"

"If I forget the truth then my words won't penetrate Babylon burning in the place, can't see through the haze"

Babylon refers to the entire population of the world that seeks to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. It may very blunt such as muslim extremists but also not so much such as the European Union supporting Palestine. Through all this Matisyahu is telling Jews never to forget the truth.

"Chop down all of them dirty ways, That's the price that you pay for selling lies to the youth No way, not ok, oh no way, not ok, hey"

A direct attack on Arab terrorists trying to destroy Israel and countries where young youth & elementary school students are taught things like "Jews are pigs and dogs" and "Kill all Jews."

"Ain't no one gonna break my stride Ain't no one gonna pull me down Oh no, I got to keep on moving Stay alive"

Matisyahu is not only talking about himself but the Jewish people as a whole. We must continue on, we must strive, we must do everything we can to survive. I love this song. It makes me so proud to be Jewish. I hope this helps some people who might have had a hard time understanding this song.