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Jesus of the Moon Lyrics
I stepped out of the St. James hotel
And I left you behind curled up like a child
A change is gonna come
And as the door whispered shut
I walked on down the high-windowed hall
You lay sleeping on the unmade bed
The weatherman on the television in the St. James hotel said
That the rains are gonna come
And I stepped out on the streets
All sparkling clean with the early morning dew
Maybe it was you or maybe it was me?
You came on like a punch in the heart
Lying there with the light on your hair
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
Well, I kept thinking about what the weatherman said
And if the voices of the living can be heard by the dead
Well, the day is gonna come when we find out
And in some kind of way I take a little comfort from that
Now and then
'Cause people often talk about being scared of change
But for me I'm more afraid of things staying the same
'Cause the game is never won
By standing in any one place
For too long
Maybe it was you or maybe it was me?
But there was a chord in you that I could not find to strike
You lying there with all the light in your hair
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
I see the many girls walking down the empty streets
Maybe once or twice one of them smiles at me
You can't blame anyone for saying hello
I say hey
I say hello� I say hello�
Will it be me or will it be you?
One must stay and one must depart
You lying there in the St. James hotel bed
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
I say hello... hello... hello...
And I left you behind curled up like a child
A change is gonna come
And as the door whispered shut
I walked on down the high-windowed hall
The weatherman on the television in the St. James hotel said
That the rains are gonna come
And I stepped out on the streets
All sparkling clean with the early morning dew
You came on like a punch in the heart
Lying there with the light on your hair
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
And if the voices of the living can be heard by the dead
Well, the day is gonna come when we find out
And in some kind of way I take a little comfort from that
Now and then
But for me I'm more afraid of things staying the same
'Cause the game is never won
By standing in any one place
For too long
But there was a chord in you that I could not find to strike
You lying there with all the light in your hair
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
Maybe once or twice one of them smiles at me
You can't blame anyone for saying hello
I say hey
I say hello� I say hello�
One must stay and one must depart
You lying there in the St. James hotel bed
Like a Jesus of the moon
A Jesus of the planets and the stars
Song Info
Submitted by
mutinyinheaven_x On Mar 08, 2008
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This is magnificent... Everything about the song is perfect. The lyrics I believe are quite self-explanatory and very poignant. The way Nick Cave delivers the lyrics leaves me speechless...
Oh man! "The rains are gonna come" is in We Call Upon The Author, as well! Gotta love Nick Cave's penchant for concept albums. Is it anywhere else, too?
I love everything about this song.
Very unsettling. It could almost be a straightforward love song. Theres references to Jesus and the planets throughout the album, which I guess is about finding some kind of salvation or guiding force. The problem is he just can't find it. Theres a 'chord' in her 'that he could not find to strike' and 'One must stay and one must depart' and he walks away. The rain (referred to more then once as Appers66 points out) is like the threat of an oncoming storm or even biblical style flood. She may look like a 'Jesus of the moon' but he still fails to make any sense or meaning out of life. Appropriate that the album ends on the song 'More news from nowhere'. He's not the first to worry about drifting though a life that may proves futile, pointless and lonely. The most surprising thing though is that the album is still pretty funny. Cave hits 50 and faces a mid-life crisis with characteristically wry humour.
I think another parallel between this lyric and 'We Call Upon The Author To Explain' is the idea that change must come, in the circumstances he describes ('socio-economic divisions' etc)
I find it interesting that Nick repeats a lot of lyrics in songs....check out how many times, "oh my lord" is used on No More Shall We Part. He often uses the same imagery, which I assume is not laziness but just his themes. In reference to the rains are gonna come, there is It Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore.
I find it interesting that Nick repeats a lot of lyrics in songs....check out how many times, "oh my lord" is used on No More Shall We Part. He often uses the same imagery, which I assume is not laziness but just his themes. In reference to the rains are gonna come, there is It Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore.
I started with Moonland has my fav on the new CD but have switched to JOTM.
I started with Moonland has my fav on the new CD but have switched to JOTM.
Ahh, a new Bad Seeds album - always look forward to this, but have been largely disappointed with the last two efforts. They finally seem to have found groove as a band in Blixa's absence with this album though.
And I think this song here is the best thing going on DLD. Lyrically, Nick is commanding in a way he hasn't been since, i'd say NMSWP. Muscially this is haunting in a way they haven't been since - hell, i'll say Boatman's for this one. Is that flute going there during the solo? You guys made a flute eerie - well done.
I hate reposting lyrics in comments - particularly if it's a huge block - so i'll just say the whole verse about whether the voices of the living can be heard by the dead is amazing.
Have you ever just felt like it wasn't gonna work out. That something was seriously broken and beyond repair - not exclusively but perhaps specifically with a loved one - maybe not even a loved one - maybe just someone you had a one night stand with - as i'm not sure there's much indication here as to the extent of their relasonship - if so, then this song will nail your heart to the back of your rib cage and make you grab a claw hammer and remove it yourself. And while you're at it make you realize you need some fucking change too - so go make it happen. Thanks Nick - i'm working on it.
As far as themes and repeated lyrics, i have "All things move toward their end" tattooed on my arm, and that puppy shows up on 2 separate albums! I love that he reuses lyrics and imagery - Tupelo is practically the first third of his novel "And the Ass Saw the Angel," (which should be read by any die hard nick fans, and or fans of good literature.)
"Cause the game is never won By standing in any one place For too long"... is so true !!
but i still cant understand whats the final point...help!
:(((
i think this song is simply about that they should and their relationship and they both know that, but he still wonders who will make the final step. or maybe he already did it, but he is not sure