It's very interesting to see these interpretations - most of them anyway. I loathe the satanic interpretations put forward by people who misinterpret Jimmy Page's interest in the occult and those who make the more outrageous claim to be able to make out satanic lines only after first being told what to listen for (and thus bias themselves in doing so) in a backmasking of "Stairway to Heaven". The political connections to the Middle East, even if unintended I find relevant and the religious interpretations are very interesting, too. To me, this song has a blatant religious meaning and that is a struggling for the connection with the supernatural. I don't think it is, as has been suggestion, a mockery of Christianity or faith in general, but much the opposite, a struggle for faith rather than a sardonic or sarcastic declaration against it.
Look at the lyrics:
[] Who guards the truth
Oh lord most high
A frightened dove in a starless sky, oh-oh, oh oh oh
So high, most high, so high
Who hides the east from the blind man's eye
In the land of peace
Where the righteous cry, oh-oh, oh oh oh
So high, most high, so high []
The first two verses seem, to me anyway, to be an expression of the unknowable about the supernatural and specifically the vulnerability so many of us feel, especially the innocent. "Who guards the truth" and "Who hides the east" describe that God is keeping Himself unknown or as One disconnected from us all(I will use the masculine form for ease) as a part of His Will or at the very least, that we, as humans, have a hard time finding Him. The "Truth" is just that, the actual nature of God and His Will, and similarly "the East", the direction from which the sun (and light with it_ rises each day (to free us from the darkness of night), is meant to represent security in knowledge and trust in God. "A frightened dove in the starless sky" represents the person seeking God and this is, for me, is an especially brilliant line that compares an innocent human searching for God to a dove (recognized symbol of peace and hope) and the state of uncertainty about God and trusting in His Will to the darkness of night (remember stars were once used as the main source of navigation at night). The dove is helpless to find its way home just as we feel often helpless to find our way to God.
[] Where are the words of the king
Who moves the stars and then the sun
To the light where my spirit was born
Bring this wanderer home []
This verse is a continuation of the same frustration and fear and confusion perpetuated by the first two verses and which continues throughout the song. Plant is asking "Where are the words of God? I cannot hear Him." He is marveling in the creation and power of God while simultaneously lamenting the distance he feels between himself and his Creator. The last line implores God to reach out to him and help him find his way back to God. This verse is repeated later on with the "Plantations" of "come on, come on" which serve to express an urgency in wanting to find this connection.
[] While mercy sleeps in the hearts of liars
And the olive tree is consumed by fire, oh-oh, oh oh oh
So high, most high, so high []
Here is an elaboration of why it is so hard for this person to find God by basically describing that evil exists in the world and it is hard to reconcile an omnibenevolent God as Creator with people themselves being capable of such evil. It may also be somewhat of a plea for God to reach out to humanity as a whole to stop such destruction. The line "while mercy sleeps in the hearts of liars" could refer to the fact that people choose to do evil (lie, cheat, steal, harm, kil, etc.) when they know right from wrong and have the ability to understand the harm they inflict and empathize with those they are harming. "And the olive tree is consumed by fire" is the flip side. Where the first line of this verse refers to those who do the evil, the olive tree being consumed by fire represents the peaceful and innocent being harmed. So this verse, in continuation of the overall message is like saying, "Help me find you and understand your will. I don't understand why someone would want to harm a good person and why a good person is allowed to be harmed."
[] When David's seed talks
Through his paper crown
And he spits hot steel
See all the kids fall down []
This is probably the most complex verse of the song, I think. Mobo was definitely onto something when he made the direct connection to the Bible. I think Mobo was specifically referring to David killing the army of the Syrians (circa 2 Samuel 10:18) which I believe is being alluded to by the last two lines "And he spits hot steel, see all the kids fall down", but I don't think, besides the allusion, that is what is being discussed. Why say, David's seed, if you're talking about David? "David's seed" is described as Jesus Christ in the New Testament, but here I believe its used to specifically discuss Christians who do violence in the name of their belief. The lines "When David's seed talks through his paper crown" could aptly be applied to the Catholic Church or any house of worship really that has abused their faith for political and societal control of the masses. "And he spits hot steel, see all the kids fall down" translates into the evil that is done by the religious extremists - very much still relevant today. So, in my view, in a nutshell, overall the song has progressed from "Where are you God? I cannot find you" to "I know you are all-powerful and believe you are Good but yet Evil exists" to "and in fact, some people even do evil in Your name."
It's very interesting to see these interpretations - most of them anyway. I loathe the satanic interpretations put forward by people who misinterpret Jimmy Page's interest in the occult and those who make the more outrageous claim to be able to make out satanic lines only after first being told what to listen for (and thus bias themselves in doing so) in a backmasking of "Stairway to Heaven". The political connections to the Middle East, even if unintended I find relevant and the religious interpretations are very interesting, too. To me, this song has a blatant religious meaning and that is a struggling for the connection with the supernatural. I don't think it is, as has been suggestion, a mockery of Christianity or faith in general, but much the opposite, a struggle for faith rather than a sardonic or sarcastic declaration against it.
Look at the lyrics:
[] Who guards the truth Oh lord most high A frightened dove in a starless sky, oh-oh, oh oh oh So high, most high, so high
Who hides the east from the blind man's eye In the land of peace Where the righteous cry, oh-oh, oh oh oh So high, most high, so high []
The first two verses seem, to me anyway, to be an expression of the unknowable about the supernatural and specifically the vulnerability so many of us feel, especially the innocent. "Who guards the truth" and "Who hides the east" describe that God is keeping Himself unknown or as One disconnected from us all(I will use the masculine form for ease) as a part of His Will or at the very least, that we, as humans, have a hard time finding Him. The "Truth" is just that, the actual nature of God and His Will, and similarly "the East", the direction from which the sun (and light with it_ rises each day (to free us from the darkness of night), is meant to represent security in knowledge and trust in God. "A frightened dove in the starless sky" represents the person seeking God and this is, for me, is an especially brilliant line that compares an innocent human searching for God to a dove (recognized symbol of peace and hope) and the state of uncertainty about God and trusting in His Will to the darkness of night (remember stars were once used as the main source of navigation at night). The dove is helpless to find its way home just as we feel often helpless to find our way to God.
[] Where are the words of the king Who moves the stars and then the sun To the light where my spirit was born Bring this wanderer home []
This verse is a continuation of the same frustration and fear and confusion perpetuated by the first two verses and which continues throughout the song. Plant is asking "Where are the words of God? I cannot hear Him." He is marveling in the creation and power of God while simultaneously lamenting the distance he feels between himself and his Creator. The last line implores God to reach out to him and help him find his way back to God. This verse is repeated later on with the "Plantations" of "come on, come on" which serve to express an urgency in wanting to find this connection.
[] While mercy sleeps in the hearts of liars And the olive tree is consumed by fire, oh-oh, oh oh oh So high, most high, so high []
Here is an elaboration of why it is so hard for this person to find God by basically describing that evil exists in the world and it is hard to reconcile an omnibenevolent God as Creator with people themselves being capable of such evil. It may also be somewhat of a plea for God to reach out to humanity as a whole to stop such destruction. The line "while mercy sleeps in the hearts of liars" could refer to the fact that people choose to do evil (lie, cheat, steal, harm, kil, etc.) when they know right from wrong and have the ability to understand the harm they inflict and empathize with those they are harming. "And the olive tree is consumed by fire" is the flip side. Where the first line of this verse refers to those who do the evil, the olive tree being consumed by fire represents the peaceful and innocent being harmed. So this verse, in continuation of the overall message is like saying, "Help me find you and understand your will. I don't understand why someone would want to harm a good person and why a good person is allowed to be harmed."
[] When David's seed talks Through his paper crown And he spits hot steel See all the kids fall down []
This is probably the most complex verse of the song, I think. Mobo was definitely onto something when he made the direct connection to the Bible. I think Mobo was specifically referring to David killing the army of the Syrians (circa 2 Samuel 10:18) which I believe is being alluded to by the last two lines "And he spits hot steel, see all the kids fall down", but I don't think, besides the allusion, that is what is being discussed. Why say, David's seed, if you're talking about David? "David's seed" is described as Jesus Christ in the New Testament, but here I believe its used to specifically discuss Christians who do violence in the name of their belief. The lines "When David's seed talks through his paper crown" could aptly be applied to the Catholic Church or any house of worship really that has abused their faith for political and societal control of the masses. "And he spits hot steel, see all the kids fall down" translates into the evil that is done by the religious extremists - very much still relevant today. So, in my view, in a nutshell, overall the song has progressed from "Where are you God? I cannot find you" to "I know you are all-powerful and believe you are Good but yet Evil exists" to "and in fact, some people even do evil in Your name."
That's just my take though.