The Sign Of The Southern Cross Lyrics
Then how can I know what you might believe?
A story told that can't be real
Somehow must reflect the truth we feel, yeah
Vanish into smoke
Fade away, fade away
Break the crystal ball oh!
Feels like the time!
Somewhere, nowhere, oh
There's a rainbow that will shimmer
When the summer falls
If an echo doesn't answer
When it hears a certain sound
Then the beast is free to wander
But never is seen around
It's the sign of the southern cross
All right
Sail away
To the sign
Oh
Whispers from forgotten psalms
Gather all around the young ones
They will make us strong
Reach above your dreams of pleasure
Giving life to those who died
Look beyond your own horizons
Sail the ship of signs
It's the sign of the southern cross
Fade away, fade away
Break the crystal ball
Fade away, fade away
I can't accept it anymore
Somewhere, nowhere all
There's a rainbow, see it shimmer
When the summer falls
From the book, the word is spoken
Whispers from forgotten psalms
Gather all around the young ones
They will make us strong!
It's the sign of the southern cross
Make life your treasure
Fade away!
Eight miles high, about to fall
And no one there to catch you
Look for the sign, the time
The sign of the southern cross, yeah
This is possibly the most underrated Black Sabbath song ever. It's also possibly their most epic song ever. I think the song is about not conforming and being your true self.
"If there isn't light ..." I think the first verse means that no matter what, what we say or do will always reflect how we feel and what we believe to some extent. And that other people can see what's inside us by our actions. To some extent, we can't wear a mask of conformity and "coolness" all the time.
"Fade away..." Fade away from the false happiness of being "cool" and be yourself. Society puts so many useless limits on us, and we need to get around those and show the world who we really are.
"On a small world..." This part is describing a paradise. As soon as one good thing ends "the summer falls," another begins "there's a rainbow..." This paradise is actually an emotional and mental one. It is the happiness we feel when we our ourselves.
"If an echo doesn't..." If when we are ourselves and are rejected, then we are disappointed, of course. However, our disappointment won't obstruct us, because few people will even notice it unless you bring it up.
"And it's the sign..." The Southern Cross is a constellation seen only in the Southern Hemisphere, which is sought by people from the Northern Hemisphere who can't see it back home. It is barely visible to the naked eye, but it is still there. The Southern Cross is a metaphor for the true happiness that we feel when we are our real selves. We are the northerners, and we have to go quite a long way just to find it, and even then we have to look hard for it. But, like all the stars in general, it is definitely worth looking for. The stars are actually quite beautiful. Just like true happiness.
"From the book..." Young people are the strongest because they haven't been corrupted by the horrors of life and society. Young people are more likely to be able to be themselves because society isn't completely done warping us into machines. This has been said by many other people, but none of them are remembered specifically for saying that. Society is trying to crush their voices about non-conformity.
"Reach above your dreams..." We need to look outside our own selfish desires and help the people who need our help the most.
"Don't live for pleasure..." This, like the "fade away" part, tells us not to fit in, but to live life to the fullest and be yourself whenever you can.
"Eight miles high..." This is a warning. What goes up must come down. And if you forced other people down on your way up (which it seems is implied here), then no one will want to help stop your fall. They would probably prefer to laugh at you in your agony.
i like it
i like it
AWESOME!!!
AWESOME!!!
The first Sabbath w/Dio I ever heard back in High and wow is all could say then and today it still moves me. The depth of the song so dark and deep into search for the truth is right on. When all hope is gone because you were trying to be the person you are not go back to the true you and stop letting the southern cross bring uyou down. Stop yourself from "Falling of the Edge of the world. ERANUS11290 is right on.
I think erasmus is definitely in the ballpark.
While listening to this song for the bazillionth time, I had a day dream. It was a viking chief funeral...his body was being burned at sea. The burning mast cross was the sign of the southern cross...symbolizing the destination of a true warrior: Vahalla (small world west of wonder)...a place where northerners see the wonders of the world (epitomized by the Southern Cross star constellation that previous traveling vikings told stories about). The vikings were masters of the sea and, thus, their heaven would reflect that.
Also, the funeral is the chief's final lesson to the young: "Don't live for pleasure, make your life a treasure".
There's more to the day dream, but hey, it's just a day dream...fan fic of the song if you will.
well, erasmus11290, i can agree with you to a certain extent. I live in Australia, and as you may already know, the southern cross is on our flag, and also it's not 'barely visible to the naked eye', at least not in Australia, where for most of the year it is one of the most visible constelations in the sky. enough of the hoo ha, this song absolutely rocks, and is one of their alltime greatest. Dio, although not the character or frontman campared to Osbourne, he had a much better voice.
This song is generally about life and the human condition. It's also about the bible and that it's misinterpreted and misused by about 98% of people. And if people can find their way, as it's every individual's journey, to understand the truths found in the bible allegories, we will find peace. Of course, it's not only the Christian bible that contains these truths. It's all of them, as they're one and the same, and it's every person's journey to find the truths therein. The lyrics, like the bible, are to be interpreted through knowledge and understanding. Otherwise, it's just a really cool song with cool sounding words.
One line that EVERYONE has gotten wrong is, "given (or give a) life to those who died." It's "give a knife to those who died."
In many culture's ancient folklore, giving the gift of a knife is considered bad as it will severe the relationship between giver and recipient.
In the case of this song the line, "Give a knife to those who died." is preceded by, "Reach above your dreams of pleasure." The entire meaning of both lines together being, "live not your life through sin (a doomed or dead soul) and sever yourself from the relationships with those who have."
Oh, and by the way, the southern cross, here, is the inverted cross - the rejection of christ and his message of light and innocence (prominent in the young). Song message: Be warned and make sure you are not part of the time of the southern cross.
And no I'm not religious. But I do study up on it all (and I do mean ALL) ... and I know how to interpret lyrics. ;)
@TheMagnificentVoid Just a thought, but there could be a problem with seeing the inverted cross as a rejection of Christ. The inverted cross, traditionally, is a Christian symbol normally referred to as the Petrine Cross or the Cross of St. Peter. It's one of the more meaningful Christian emblems signifying Peter's rejection to even be executed in the way Christ was preferring to be crucified upside down i.e. "I am not even worthy to be executed like Christ".
@TheMagnificentVoid Just a thought, but there could be a problem with seeing the inverted cross as a rejection of Christ. The inverted cross, traditionally, is a Christian symbol normally referred to as the Petrine Cross or the Cross of St. Peter. It's one of the more meaningful Christian emblems signifying Peter's rejection to even be executed in the way Christ was preferring to be crucified upside down i.e. "I am not even worthy to be executed like Christ".
One can argue that the author didn't know this to be the case, but from what I've read, the...
One can argue that the author didn't know this to be the case, but from what I've read, the author(s) were relatively well educated including theology. I kind of doubt they wouldn't have known the real meaning of the inverted cross.
Granted, here as of late the inverted cross has taken on different meaning, but in my opinion, it's been more for shock than an actual meaningful symbol. Since this song isn't for shock value, I lean more towards the reference being more likely star related and not religious, per se.
Other positive references to "psalms" and "rainbow" (another Jewish-Christian symbol) influence my thought, as well.
I'm NOT saying the author endorsed religion of any sorts. The "reject Christ" inference you refer to here, though, just doesn't really pan out to me. Besides, I'm not sure the author would reject Christ as much as he would reject those who would force Christ onto others.
Oh, hey, and thanks for catching that missed lyric! Good references there! I'm probably right with you on your interpretation.
@TheMagnificentVoid I'm inclined to agree with you regarding the knife. But I'm not sure the southern cross IS a religious symbol.
@TheMagnificentVoid I'm inclined to agree with you regarding the knife. But I'm not sure the southern cross IS a religious symbol.
I've come back to this song after doing much research on the happenings in Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's (Manson-Tate murders-Bands of non-musicians hitting super stardom weeks after forming-Jim Morrison son of Real Admiral Morrison, fleet commander during Gulf of Tonkin-etc.) Th Byrds, the first band out of the weird Laurel Canyon factory, had their first hit song "Eight Miles High". I'd always wondered where that came from, even though I'm 50 now, I was unfamiliar with...
I've come back to this song after doing much research on the happenings in Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's (Manson-Tate murders-Bands of non-musicians hitting super stardom weeks after forming-Jim Morrison son of Real Admiral Morrison, fleet commander during Gulf of Tonkin-etc.) Th Byrds, the first band out of the weird Laurel Canyon factory, had their first hit song "Eight Miles High". I'd always wondered where that came from, even though I'm 50 now, I was unfamiliar with the Byrds work, except very casually. That is an important clue here. Dio had for a long time LOATHED the Hollywood machine. Check out his album Strange Highways for more. Anyway, suffice it to say that the Official History of events are fiction. Likely many of the "dead" from that era headed south of the equator where they could see the "Sign of the Southern Cross" in the sky (it's a constellation). Since these supposedly dead people are traitors they would have no problem giving a knife to those that DID actually die. One more: "On a real world, west of wonder Somewhere, nowhere all There's a rainbow, see it shimmer When the summer falls" The Tate murders occured August 8, 1969 (and are considered the end of the peace/hippie movement by the movements' biggest REAL players) which is when summer --> falls. And the events and news frenzy went well into the fall. Also, a large number of events in Laurel Canyon happened in and around Worderland Ranch. Tate was "murdered" in a house of Benedict Canyon, a small canyon west of WONDERland ranch.
Tinfoil hat firmly on head.
@TheMagnificentVoid I'm inclined to agree with you regarding the knife. But I'm not sure the southern cross IS a religious symbol.
@TheMagnificentVoid I'm inclined to agree with you regarding the knife. But I'm not sure the southern cross IS a religious symbol.
I've come back to this song after doing much research on the happenings in Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's (Manson-Tate murders-Bands of non-musicians hitting super stardom weeks after forming-Jim Morrison son of Real Admiral Morrison, fleet commander during Gulf of Tonkin-etc.) Th Byrds, the first band out of the weird Laurel Canyon factory, had their first hit song "Eight Miles High". I'd always wondered where that came from, even though I'm 50 now, I was unfamiliar with...
I've come back to this song after doing much research on the happenings in Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's (Manson-Tate murders-Bands of non-musicians hitting super stardom weeks after forming-Jim Morrison son of Real Admiral Morrison, fleet commander during Gulf of Tonkin-etc.) Th Byrds, the first band out of the weird Laurel Canyon factory, had their first hit song "Eight Miles High". I'd always wondered where that came from, even though I'm 50 now, I was unfamiliar with the Byrds work, except very casually. That is an important clue here. Dio had for a long time LOATHED the Hollywood machine. Check out his album Strange Highways for more. Anyway, suffice it to say that the Official History of events are fiction. Likely many of the "dead" from that era headed south of the equator where they could see the "Sign of the Southern Cross" in the sky (it's a constellation). Since these supposedly dead people are traitors they would have no problem giving a knife to those that DID actually die. One more: "On a real world, west of wonder Somewhere, nowhere all There's a rainbow, see it shimmer When the summer falls" The Tate murders occured August 8, 1969 (and are considered the end of the peace/hippie movement by the movements' biggest REAL players) which is when summer --> falls. And the events and news frenzy went well into the fall. Also, a large number of events in Laurel Canyon happened in and around Worderland Ranch. Tate was "murdered" in a house of Benedict Canyon, a small canyon west of WONDERland ranch.
EDIT: Oh and I'm not the only one to note the use of the "8 Miles High" refetence to the Byrds and that era. From American Pie, which chronicled that era as well "Helter skelter in a summer swelter The birds flew off with a fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast" http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/don+mclean/american+pie_20042099.html
Tinfoil hat firmly on head.
nice interpretation
i gotta admit thats very in depth and i agree this song is MASSIVLY underrated...while not sabbaths best song it is certainly up there
This song MIGHT BE about Women's reproductive rights.
I always took this song as the opposite of "Don't live for pleasure, make life your treasure!"...maybe because of the "fade away!" (like f*** off) that comes afterwards. Or it's just me thinking that "Don't live for treasure, make life your pleasure!" is the right "message". Anyway, POWERFUL song.