Lost Pilgrim

eghh no. this whole album is more introspective

This song Im very sure is just about a hopeless person who disregarded his relations with his roots and abandoned everyone he knew and ventured out aimlessly in the world convinced he we would acquire something more and irrational to find nothing and being left all alone in senility and lonlyness; sobbing repentance and dissolussionment

I never believe a Bad Religion song is about one person, but more of an ideal represented through a character which can represent a multitude of people. I'd say this represents the Pilgrims coming to the Americas and losing their way. They escaped tyranny only for their children to recreate it years later. By opressing the Native People's, as well as their own descendants, and not excluding the people they've invited to this country. The country has lost it's way.

I don't believe that this is a song about Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of books but I like to think that it is, and there are many similarities.

For example the lines:

Pilgrim, those are dry and bitter tears And lonely eyes that look way beyond your years

• could refer to Roland of Gilead as he makes his way across the desert

Pilgrim will you ever find your call? Is truth so pure that you're willing to risk it all?

-could refer to the Dark Tower itself and the fact that it is in it's being the whole truth

I don't think it is a song about the dark tower but the references that match are quite strong

Pilgrim, when you left them all behind The loneliness destroyed your able mind

• could refer to when Roland left Susan Alain and Cuthbert behind - in the books the lack of any companionship almost destroys Roland.

Pilgrim, see the writing on the door? It's taking you back to a place you were before

-could refer to the 3 doors Roland finds on the Great Western Shore - 3 doors leading him back to New York and his destiny

"Pilgrim" seems to mean a person, i.e. you or me. The song seems to be about the "pilgrim" has been misled by the powers-that-be and "lost his way." And by losing the way has ignored many of the correctable woes in the world around them. Ignoring them because they have been told that everything is copacetic.

I think it's about a person that lost his confidence in what he believes in. After seen what's to be found in this world he is now striving for something else. A typical BR song to me, where it turns out that religion won't answer your questions. Great song.

The lines "Don't despair this world of toil and care. This pilgrim lost his way.", to me, say not to lose your head over the way things are looking, we've just wandered down the wrong path and will eventually get back on course.

I think this song is about a person that allowed himself to be destroyed by his own cynicism. This person sees the world and humanity as it really is (as do most Bad Religion fans), but he's having a hard time finding a bit of hope between all the negativity. Graffin is basically saying "Respect to you for not sticking your head in the sand, but cheer up and find perfection in the imperfection." Don't let it destroy you. That's my interpretation, maybe yours is different.

Bad Religion makes religious references constantly, and I think "Did you drink the mercury?" is referring to the idea that religion is the "opiate of the masses." Like Karl Marx, Bad Religion is questioning why people will "risk it all" or "march ahead" in the name of religion even to their deaths.

They are critical of organized religion and people with "pious eyes" who look down on others, "ignoring passersby."

On a side note, perhaps "see the writing on the door?" is referring to Martin Luther's 95 Theses and how the Pilgrims may have not heeded Martin Luther's calls to change challenge the state religion. Pilgrims, in effect, created colonies like "a place you were before."

Maybe I'm projecting my own beliefs or issues on this song, but it does remind me a lot of when I first decided that I no longer believed in the religion thing. I know normally Bad Religion would condone loss of religion, or consider it a good thing, but it's also an extremely tough life to deal with, especially if you were raised with a strong religious preference.

'Pilgrim lost his way' sounds much like what a religious person would say to someone who has given up religion, and he may be using that statement as a symbol of that, with a negative connotation on losing one's religion. For example, 'Is truth so pure you're willing to risk it all'. My personal life is much harder, just the way I live it, since I gave up religion. A lot of things make less 'sense', or have less worth, and it's really challenging compared to living the life of a religious person. But at the same time it makes a whole lot more sense, too.

"Pilgrim, those are dry and bitter tears And lonely eyes that look way beyond your years" A man that knows more than he should, when this society is so based on religion and beliefs and ignorance.

"You were too far gone to carry on, Now your life has stalled As you march ahead yet go no place at all

Pilgrim, when you left them all behind The loneliness destroyed your able mind" And the world is a lot more lonely without a belief in god if that's what you were raised to believe your whole life. It's like he has a lot less 'purpose' in life.. At least 'inane god-driven purpose'.

To me, this song speaks in contrast to most of Bad Religion trying to educate the masses, or at least make them 'think', of the toils of giving up so much emotion and security in your beliefs of god for truth. "Is truth so pure that you're willing to risk it all?" Reminds me a bit of 'Dearly Beloved'.

What i'm always thinking about when i hear this song isn't necessarily about religion, but could be a rebel/someone not religious believing in something looking for meaning e.t.c. Getting fucked up because of his believes even maybe, but still sticking to them and "marching on" getting sick of humanity or whatever even. And then what i find interesting is how he uses religious symbolism in it, and what i interpret from it at least, is that we're all searching for meaning, regardless if we're religious or not there's the same stuff and tendencies in both religious and non-religious people. Being a little sarcastic perhaps as well.