"Coming down from the mountain
I have seen the high and mighty
I will go again someday
But for now I'm coming down
Coming down from the mountain
I have seen the lofty glory
I will go again someday
But for now I'm coming down"
He's gone up on the mountain and had some sort of spiritual enlightening. But something caused him to believe he's not ready for the committment just yet, so he's coming back down from the mountain.
"I have seen their information
On the lighter side of dumbness
I have heard the new statistics
And the stomping on the ground"
Religion is the information on the 'lighter side of dumbness". Maybe whoever was enlightening him can quote the 'statistics' from the bible quite well. Maybe the stomping on the ground is those who he feels are trying to push him too quickly when he's already feeling overwhelmed.
"Picking slowly up the rockslide
One thing always seems apparent
If the climb becomes too much
I can always turn around "
He's reminding himself that his journey toward religion is in his own hands. The mountain he's climbing seems to crumble in some places and become a 'rockslide'. He doesn't have to continue if he so chooses....if it becomes too much for him he can turn around.
"Waking up from my slumber
To misunderstand another
Though they call it terra firma
It dissolves beneath my feet"
He's been 'asleep' to so many things in this regard, and he's having trouble understanding it. The religous may call faith their "terra firma"...solid ground, their foundation, but to him it still seems like shaky ground...new and frightening.
"Looking through a pile of garbage
For some worthless piece of paper
That's been hidden there for me
To give meaning to my day"
I think this may be referring to how believers can find faith or hope in any random item if they choose. Even if you happen to find something symbolic on a paper in the trash...it could turn your day around as a sign sent from above. He's questioning that logic.
"Going down to the desert
To the dirty filthy desert
I'll be crawling through the sand
For at least a couple days
Going down to the desert"
Crossing the desert definately has biblical connotations, but in this instance I think he's referring to his "old ways". Before he was climbing up the mountain, now he's going down to the desert. (I'm sure you can see the reference to hell...Down...heat of the desert, just as the mountain is a reference to Heaven) But the "dirty, filthy desert" is referring to his old bad habits or lifestyle. He's taken a backslide from the 'high and mighty', and the 'lofty glory'.
"other are things worth avoiding
And it always makes me cross
When those things get in my way."
There are many other words he could have chosen rather than cross, so I believe it is an intentional reference to the crucifiction cross. We'll just have to figure out what things are worth avoiding when they get in the way.
He ends the song by reminding us that he has seen the light on the mountain, and he will go again someday...he's just not ready for it yet. Hopeful, rather than lamenting.
I know some people HATE religious interpretations and I mean not to offend anyone. To me, this song is fairly blatant. To sum up, I actually think that he may mean that the spiritual experience is wonderful, but the "religion" was too much for him, and had to back off a bit.
This song is about a spiritual experience.
"Coming down from the mountain I have seen the high and mighty I will go again someday But for now I'm coming down Coming down from the mountain I have seen the lofty glory I will go again someday But for now I'm coming down"
He's gone up on the mountain and had some sort of spiritual enlightening. But something caused him to believe he's not ready for the committment just yet, so he's coming back down from the mountain.
"I have seen their information On the lighter side of dumbness I have heard the new statistics And the stomping on the ground"
Religion is the information on the 'lighter side of dumbness". Maybe whoever was enlightening him can quote the 'statistics' from the bible quite well. Maybe the stomping on the ground is those who he feels are trying to push him too quickly when he's already feeling overwhelmed.
"Picking slowly up the rockslide One thing always seems apparent If the climb becomes too much I can always turn around "
He's reminding himself that his journey toward religion is in his own hands. The mountain he's climbing seems to crumble in some places and become a 'rockslide'. He doesn't have to continue if he so chooses....if it becomes too much for him he can turn around.
"Waking up from my slumber To misunderstand another Though they call it terra firma It dissolves beneath my feet"
He's been 'asleep' to so many things in this regard, and he's having trouble understanding it. The religous may call faith their "terra firma"...solid ground, their foundation, but to him it still seems like shaky ground...new and frightening.
"Looking through a pile of garbage For some worthless piece of paper That's been hidden there for me To give meaning to my day"
I think this may be referring to how believers can find faith or hope in any random item if they choose. Even if you happen to find something symbolic on a paper in the trash...it could turn your day around as a sign sent from above. He's questioning that logic.
"Going down to the desert To the dirty filthy desert I'll be crawling through the sand For at least a couple days Going down to the desert"
Crossing the desert definately has biblical connotations, but in this instance I think he's referring to his "old ways". Before he was climbing up the mountain, now he's going down to the desert. (I'm sure you can see the reference to hell...Down...heat of the desert, just as the mountain is a reference to Heaven) But the "dirty, filthy desert" is referring to his old bad habits or lifestyle. He's taken a backslide from the 'high and mighty', and the 'lofty glory'.
"other are things worth avoiding And it always makes me cross When those things get in my way."
There are many other words he could have chosen rather than cross, so I believe it is an intentional reference to the crucifiction cross. We'll just have to figure out what things are worth avoiding when they get in the way.
He ends the song by reminding us that he has seen the light on the mountain, and he will go again someday...he's just not ready for it yet. Hopeful, rather than lamenting.
I know some people HATE religious interpretations and I mean not to offend anyone. To me, this song is fairly blatant. To sum up, I actually think that he may mean that the spiritual experience is wonderful, but the "religion" was too much for him, and had to back off a bit.