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Big Hollow Man Lyrics
Hey yeah, walking in the valley of decision
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
A big hollow man
With a fistful of sham
Came a-walking across the sea
All leathery charms
As he pinwheeled his arms
And directed his gaze at me
(He said)
God will provide the way
You read about it every day
(I'm telling ya)
All you gotta do is pray
And furnish his house with silver
Hey yeah, walking in the valley of decision
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Liberty's daughter
Well primed for the slaughter
A space where her brains had been
All ribbons and curls
She's a good hearted girl
Broken by what she had seen
(She says)
Daddy don't you go away
Stay with me and we can play
(I'm begging ya)
Do it just like yesterday
And I can go home to Jesus
Hey yeah, walking in the valley of decision
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Hey yeah, walking in the valley of decision
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
A regular Joe
Who had nowhere to go
A space where his home had been
A bombing religion
A blight on the region
To fuel a pious dream
(And they said)
God will provide the way
You read about it every day
(I'm telling ya)
All you gotta do is pray
And furnish his house with silver
Hey yeah, walking in the valley of decision
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
With a fistful of sham
Came a-walking across the sea
All leathery charms
As he pinwheeled his arms
And directed his gaze at me
(He said)
God will provide the way
You read about it every day
(I'm telling ya)
All you gotta do is pray
And furnish his house with silver
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Well primed for the slaughter
A space where her brains had been
All ribbons and curls
She's a good hearted girl
Broken by what she had seen
(She says)
Daddy don't you go away
Stay with me and we can play
(I'm begging ya)
Do it just like yesterday
And I can go home to Jesus
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Who had nowhere to go
A space where his home had been
A bombing religion
A blight on the region
To fuel a pious dream
(And they said)
God will provide the way
You read about it every day
(I'm telling ya)
All you gotta do is pray
And furnish his house with silver
Hey yeah, reap all the wages of sin
Song Info
Submitted by
monster36604 On Jan 19, 2009
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I read it the other way around. She was mocking people who claim to represent or preach a religion while not really having any faith themselves - using religion to control people. Hence the Big Hollow Man has a fist full of sham - offers the path to salvation in one breath, but wants a house furnished with silver (symbol of power rather than literal meaning?). Maybe also mocking people who blindly follow the "Big Hollow Man" of religon while not truly thinking about faith in God. Although she mentions Jesus, I don't think this song is only about Christianity. Every religion has its share of false prophets and mindless followers.
SelfOptedPariah, I agree with your interpretation. I like the Bible imagery in her phrases, she seems to know the core text, but yes, she's making a point about the misappropriation of religion to justify business wealth, hence the 'hollow' it's all for show. Wonderful song and lyrics, I love this.
A criticism of organised religion.
I also agree with SelfOptedPariah. I would add that "the valley of decision" is the place of final judgement and "the wages of sin" is a metaphor for damnation. This is definitely condemning those who use religion to attain money or power, not specific to any one religion. The reference to terrorist bombing, for example, could refer to "the Troubles" in Ireland, to the Middle East, or to anywhere, really.
I like this song
Another example of someone mocking Christianity based on the actions of folks who clearly don't represent Christ. Anyone who's actually taken the time to READ the Bible would know that the requirement for salvation is belief in and submission to Christ, and not how much "silver" you give the church.
@sheph this song refers to evangelical terrorists and their bold hypocrisy. "Denial" isn't just a river in Egypt, no matter how much you may wish it were. If you're snowflaking out butthurt and offended by the truth, you should have a lot of fun trolling the Tori Amos or Diamanda Galas section. You probably already have.
@sheph this song refers to evangelical terrorists and their bold hypocrisy. "Denial" isn't just a river in Egypt, no matter how much you may wish it were. If you're snowflaking out butthurt and offended by the truth, you should have a lot of fun trolling the Tori Amos or Diamanda Galas section. You probably already have.