The first time i heard this song I was in awe. There's so much more to it than appears. Here's my take on it, Jack Wilson, for those of you who are up to date on Native American history, was a Pauite prophet. He created the Ghost Dance religion in the late 19th century right around the time the real "cowboys and injuns" was going down. After reaching diestic acclaim among fellow natives and commanding fear from the white folks, he dropped into obscurity. I personally think that this song is Jack Wilson's (aka Wovoka) descent into a hellish madness. If you'll notice, the only consistent part of the entire song is the guitar. It's there in the beginning and can faintly be heard to the end. This represents sanity. The ominously growing drums represent madness. This madness eventually consumes and the drums seem chaotic and out of sync. I get this great mental image of Jack Wilson, enthralled with fantastic and lucid visions, at the center of a circle of dancing indians (or demons?). I doubt this is what Zao had in mind, but hey it fits right?
The first time i heard this song I was in awe. There's so much more to it than appears. Here's my take on it, Jack Wilson, for those of you who are up to date on Native American history, was a Pauite prophet. He created the Ghost Dance religion in the late 19th century right around the time the real "cowboys and injuns" was going down. After reaching diestic acclaim among fellow natives and commanding fear from the white folks, he dropped into obscurity. I personally think that this song is Jack Wilson's (aka Wovoka) descent into a hellish madness. If you'll notice, the only consistent part of the entire song is the guitar. It's there in the beginning and can faintly be heard to the end. This represents sanity. The ominously growing drums represent madness. This madness eventually consumes and the drums seem chaotic and out of sync. I get this great mental image of Jack Wilson, enthralled with fantastic and lucid visions, at the center of a circle of dancing indians (or demons?). I doubt this is what Zao had in mind, but hey it fits right?