I believe this song is a response to spiritual oppression by religion.
The song begins by asking us if we can see the greatness of the morning sky, or whether we are afraid to 'enter life,' as if refusing to see it is somehow a refusal of life.
The next verse emphasizes how the listener is 'free' of 'your world's' obligations. Someone is imposing rules and regulations that belie freedom.
The prechorus implies that the listener is trying to AVOID the 'land of order,' as if excess structure is to be avoided. They are in the 'hand of shelter,' as if someone is trying to protect them, but they roam around in it, as if trying to find a place, and 'beyond the mountains,' which I interpret as being that hand's fingers, is a 'light' that they are trying to get to. In short, they are trying to get free of a tyrannical order that attempts to smother them even as it protects.
The chorus brings it home. Who is this 'Maker?' Obviously some authority figure, who in this song, is ruining everything. However, the 'unbelievers' LEAVE the boat, and swim away into light, together. This suggests a joyous rejection of the failing dominance.
The song rejects any notion of leisurely paradise, and that 'labour and guilt' will always rule the 'realm' mentioned before.
The terms 'unbeliever' and 'Maker' (especially capitalized) suggest that it was a religion that they are rejecting. In the last verse, they emphasize how preachers are imposing 'laws and rules' on the 'fools,' and that the unbeliever is blamed for something, but refuses to buy into their ideology.
I believe this song is a response to spiritual oppression by religion.
The song begins by asking us if we can see the greatness of the morning sky, or whether we are afraid to 'enter life,' as if refusing to see it is somehow a refusal of life. The next verse emphasizes how the listener is 'free' of 'your world's' obligations. Someone is imposing rules and regulations that belie freedom.
The prechorus implies that the listener is trying to AVOID the 'land of order,' as if excess structure is to be avoided. They are in the 'hand of shelter,' as if someone is trying to protect them, but they roam around in it, as if trying to find a place, and 'beyond the mountains,' which I interpret as being that hand's fingers, is a 'light' that they are trying to get to. In short, they are trying to get free of a tyrannical order that attempts to smother them even as it protects.
The chorus brings it home. Who is this 'Maker?' Obviously some authority figure, who in this song, is ruining everything. However, the 'unbelievers' LEAVE the boat, and swim away into light, together. This suggests a joyous rejection of the failing dominance.
The song rejects any notion of leisurely paradise, and that 'labour and guilt' will always rule the 'realm' mentioned before.
The terms 'unbeliever' and 'Maker' (especially capitalized) suggest that it was a religion that they are rejecting. In the last verse, they emphasize how preachers are imposing 'laws and rules' on the 'fools,' and that the unbeliever is blamed for something, but refuses to buy into their ideology.