Robsun is correct - on both counts. Written by Julie Gold, best performance by Nanci Griffith, on her live album "One Fair Summer Evening." She performs it very heartfelt and with incredible musicianship and emotion. Highly recommended.
Now for some meaning and interpretation. I have a somewhat dark and cynical theory about this song. It's probably not what Julie Gold was thinking when she wrote it, as the song itself is purely heartfelt and uplifting.
There's an implication in this whole "from a distance" metaphor. From far away, the world looks perfect–she describes all of the great things that humanity is capable of when given all the right conditions and all the right goals. "There is harmony, and it echoes through the land." Such an uplifting thought, that the "voice of hope, the voice of peace" can be heard if you look for it. "We all have enough," and "no one is in need," and there are "no hungry mouths to feed." Everything is perfect.
Except–it's not always that way.
And then, the final thread, "God is watching us from a distance." So what is He seeing? He's seeing a perfect world, a people in harmony, the mountains and rivers and oceans, exactly like she described. The implication is that he's not there to help us out with the details, he's there to make sure the big picture looks right and we all have the capability to lead it in the right direction–to sing our song, "the song of every man." Now, I'm not a religious person, but it seems to me she's either saying that God isn't seeing all the horrible things in the world and we're sort of on our own, or that he's not concerned with them, because overall it's looking pretty darn good.
I like to think it's the latter. She's saying that it's important to look at the big picture, to see humanity as a whole and not just as individuals, to even look at war as a necessary evil to protect the peace of the free world–and what's more, she's saying that God is looking at it in the same way, and if you do too, look at all the amazing beautiful things in this world, that you might understand humanity and our place on the world a little better and have the power to push forward, to keep going toward a better world, one in which all of the things in this song are more true, and more accessible to all people, not just a few. Maybe the song is just to say that it's possible at all, and we should continue seeking it out. It's a heartwarming sentiment and a beautiful song, and if you think about the metaphor and what she's really implying, it's quite deep and enlightening as well.
Robsun is correct - on both counts. Written by Julie Gold, best performance by Nanci Griffith, on her live album "One Fair Summer Evening." She performs it very heartfelt and with incredible musicianship and emotion. Highly recommended.
Now for some meaning and interpretation. I have a somewhat dark and cynical theory about this song. It's probably not what Julie Gold was thinking when she wrote it, as the song itself is purely heartfelt and uplifting.
There's an implication in this whole "from a distance" metaphor. From far away, the world looks perfect–she describes all of the great things that humanity is capable of when given all the right conditions and all the right goals. "There is harmony, and it echoes through the land." Such an uplifting thought, that the "voice of hope, the voice of peace" can be heard if you look for it. "We all have enough," and "no one is in need," and there are "no hungry mouths to feed." Everything is perfect.
Except–it's not always that way.
And then, the final thread, "God is watching us from a distance." So what is He seeing? He's seeing a perfect world, a people in harmony, the mountains and rivers and oceans, exactly like she described. The implication is that he's not there to help us out with the details, he's there to make sure the big picture looks right and we all have the capability to lead it in the right direction–to sing our song, "the song of every man." Now, I'm not a religious person, but it seems to me she's either saying that God isn't seeing all the horrible things in the world and we're sort of on our own, or that he's not concerned with them, because overall it's looking pretty darn good.
I like to think it's the latter. She's saying that it's important to look at the big picture, to see humanity as a whole and not just as individuals, to even look at war as a necessary evil to protect the peace of the free world–and what's more, she's saying that God is looking at it in the same way, and if you do too, look at all the amazing beautiful things in this world, that you might understand humanity and our place on the world a little better and have the power to push forward, to keep going toward a better world, one in which all of the things in this song are more true, and more accessible to all people, not just a few. Maybe the song is just to say that it's possible at all, and we should continue seeking it out. It's a heartwarming sentiment and a beautiful song, and if you think about the metaphor and what she's really implying, it's quite deep and enlightening as well.