I read an interview with Alex about this song. He mentioned that the preacher is stumbling away from an institution, likely the Church (for which Alex has demonstrated a distaste), and has realized that what's left to believe in is love.
I'll go on further with my interpretation. The preacher, moving away from an institution, is stumbling against all of those who say the Church is the only way; essentially, he's feeling the pressure from society to believe in the Church. Moreover, the preacher is singing this; he thinks it's beautiful, as he's presenting the information in a beautiful way.
The narrator feels heavy watching this scene unfold. The preacher is praying by the sea, and although the narrator is saying "love is something to believe in", he's crying it, rather than singing it. There can be a couple of explanations. Considering these few lines, this is something that the narrator does not take lightly; he's not as convinced as the preacher. The interpretation I prefer is as follows: perhaps the narrator, like the preacher, feels so weighted by the Church and its rules that he is crying happily about the realization that "love is something to believe in".
The second stanza is a little easier. He's talking to a child with questions, wonder, and imagination galore, and he is saying that "all of his crooked fingers pointing blame," (meaning, all of his distorted attempts, like the Church, to blame others for actions, etc.) should "wash out in the rain" (meaning, let it all go; forget the blame; live happily).
The third stanza, again, I believe has something to do with the narrator's old beliefs in the Church He says "drunken focus", which we can take literally (though it presents more challenge), or we can understand that the narrator is referring to his distorted perception that the Church is feeding him. Moreover, all of the people he admires must be living sinfully according to the Church's beliefs. He, once again, wants this to wash away.
I'm not sure about the fourth stanza, other than he realizes that he is freedom (from the Church, to worship how he wishes) and love is something he believes in.
The last stanza I think suggests that one can find his god (notice how Alex always refers to God as HIS god, not God in general, throughout the Here album) through different means other than worship: music, and a long ride on a gypsy train.
I read an interview with Alex about this song. He mentioned that the preacher is stumbling away from an institution, likely the Church (for which Alex has demonstrated a distaste), and has realized that what's left to believe in is love.
I'll go on further with my interpretation. The preacher, moving away from an institution, is stumbling against all of those who say the Church is the only way; essentially, he's feeling the pressure from society to believe in the Church. Moreover, the preacher is singing this; he thinks it's beautiful, as he's presenting the information in a beautiful way.
The narrator feels heavy watching this scene unfold. The preacher is praying by the sea, and although the narrator is saying "love is something to believe in", he's crying it, rather than singing it. There can be a couple of explanations. Considering these few lines, this is something that the narrator does not take lightly; he's not as convinced as the preacher. The interpretation I prefer is as follows: perhaps the narrator, like the preacher, feels so weighted by the Church and its rules that he is crying happily about the realization that "love is something to believe in".
The second stanza is a little easier. He's talking to a child with questions, wonder, and imagination galore, and he is saying that "all of his crooked fingers pointing blame," (meaning, all of his distorted attempts, like the Church, to blame others for actions, etc.) should "wash out in the rain" (meaning, let it all go; forget the blame; live happily).
The third stanza, again, I believe has something to do with the narrator's old beliefs in the Church He says "drunken focus", which we can take literally (though it presents more challenge), or we can understand that the narrator is referring to his distorted perception that the Church is feeding him. Moreover, all of the people he admires must be living sinfully according to the Church's beliefs. He, once again, wants this to wash away.
I'm not sure about the fourth stanza, other than he realizes that he is freedom (from the Church, to worship how he wishes) and love is something he believes in.
The last stanza I think suggests that one can find his god (notice how Alex always refers to God as HIS god, not God in general, throughout the Here album) through different means other than worship: music, and a long ride on a gypsy train.