This song has a few themes. It is a manifesto of the speaker's personal philosophy, which contains elements of skepticism and fatalism. He also acknowledges the existence of other belief systems, and plays with the idea that everyone is an "unbeliever" in someone else's personal philosophy or religion. There are double meanings that could be applied to words throughout the song that expand on the idea of differing viewpoints, and he explores the idea that we are all unified in our unhappiness. Normally I hate when people say songs could have different meanings for different people, but in this case, the ambiguity is intentional. It expands on the speaker's theme of multiple viewpoints. He also reflects on his romantic relationship with a "believer," and he directly addresses her in the choruses. He and the girl have opposing philosophies. They are both unwavering in their ideas, but the speaker suggests that their opposing viewpoints complement each other in a beneficial way. Here it is line by line. I'm going to skip around a bit.
In the first verse, there could be multiple meanings of "got a little soul." He could mean a small soul, meaning a nonspiritual person. He could mean some soul, meaning a spiritual person. A person is also said to "have soul" when they are a singer, so the speaker could be referring to himself, and all artists, who have to be philosophers in many ways. These multiple meanings are intentional. No matter how you interpret it, "the world is a cold, cold place to be." Believers, nonbelievers, philosophers are all in the same boat.
Everyone is seeking "a little warmth," some refuge from the cold world. He also wants the warmth of belief, but he is a skeptic. This is the first of many verses that end in a question, reflecting his need to question everything. The question he asks indicates he is skeptical of more than just religion. He is also skeptical of the romanticism and magic of love. The verse also plays into the complementarity theme. He wants warmth and is looking for someone to provide it for him. He's missing belief, so maybe he is seeking a believer to complement him. The verses about grace and light are very similar, and all reinforce these same themes.
If he's "born again" he knows "that the world will disagree." No matter what belief system he adopts, most people are going to disagree with him. Also, if he returns to faith himself, he knows that eventually he will go back to skepticism, because, to him, the world reinforces his current belief system. This also indicates his belief in destiny, or fatalism. He is a skeptic, and even if he wanted to change, he'd just be forced back on the track that the world has planned for him. This could be expanded to apply to anyone's belief system, which develop from a person's own experiences in the world.
The speaker sees the sun going down, and knows that the night is deep. I think this is about the brightness, optimism, and naive belief that we have in youth, which has developed into a kind of depressing skepticism of everything for the speaker. I think it's also about feeling pressured to find a romantic partner. He's getting older, and here night is the prospect of being alone, and the setting sun is his ticking clock to find a lover.
In the chorus, he says "we know the fire awaits unbelievers." The one thing we know is that everyone else is wrong. There is double meaning in both fire and unbeliever here. Fire could refer to hell, but in other verses the speaker wants warmth and light, both of which are provided by fire. Unbeliever could mean an atheist/ skeptic, or it could mean anyone who doesn't agree with your own life philosophy. We often think other people are happier than us, but we also think that they are wrong. We think that both happiness and damnation await those who disagree with us. "All of the sinners the same" expands on this. We think of those who don't follow our own moral code as happier than us, but we condemn their actions. "Girl, you and I will die unbelievers, bound to the tracks of the train." This draws on the fatalism theme. No one is going to change their mind, they're stuck on a track. There is no choice, and they're going to die being unbelievers in each other's personal philosophy. Even in the last moments before death (if he was tied to a railroad track), he will remain a skeptic, and she will remain a "believer."
The speaker is not excited, but wonders if he should be. He has a pessimistic view of the world, but thinks that this view is justified. He sees the world as it is, and there is not much to be excited or happy about. I think he is also wondering if other people are as happy as he thinks they are from the other side of the fence. He wonders if he is already living in hell when he asks if this is the fate that half of the world has planned for him. "Believers" say he's going to hell, but perhaps hell is just the unhappiness that comes with the pessimism of his skepticism. This also draws on his belief in fatalism. He refers to his own fate, and indicates that the rest of the world has control over it.
He knows he loves this girl. Despite his skepticism, he has found love. She loves the sea. She is a romantic, a "believer." He loves her but not in the fantastical way that some people view love. He asks what holy water contains a drop for him. In what belief system could he find happiness? I think the sea is also a metaphor for potential mates, and the drop of holy water is the one for him. He's referring to, and questioning, the idea of "soul mates."
This song has a few themes. It is a manifesto of the speaker's personal philosophy, which contains elements of skepticism and fatalism. He also acknowledges the existence of other belief systems, and plays with the idea that everyone is an "unbeliever" in someone else's personal philosophy or religion. There are double meanings that could be applied to words throughout the song that expand on the idea of differing viewpoints, and he explores the idea that we are all unified in our unhappiness. Normally I hate when people say songs could have different meanings for different people, but in this case, the ambiguity is intentional. It expands on the speaker's theme of multiple viewpoints. He also reflects on his romantic relationship with a "believer," and he directly addresses her in the choruses. He and the girl have opposing philosophies. They are both unwavering in their ideas, but the speaker suggests that their opposing viewpoints complement each other in a beneficial way. Here it is line by line. I'm going to skip around a bit.
In the first verse, there could be multiple meanings of "got a little soul." He could mean a small soul, meaning a nonspiritual person. He could mean some soul, meaning a spiritual person. A person is also said to "have soul" when they are a singer, so the speaker could be referring to himself, and all artists, who have to be philosophers in many ways. These multiple meanings are intentional. No matter how you interpret it, "the world is a cold, cold place to be." Believers, nonbelievers, philosophers are all in the same boat.
Everyone is seeking "a little warmth," some refuge from the cold world. He also wants the warmth of belief, but he is a skeptic. This is the first of many verses that end in a question, reflecting his need to question everything. The question he asks indicates he is skeptical of more than just religion. He is also skeptical of the romanticism and magic of love. The verse also plays into the complementarity theme. He wants warmth and is looking for someone to provide it for him. He's missing belief, so maybe he is seeking a believer to complement him. The verses about grace and light are very similar, and all reinforce these same themes.
If he's "born again" he knows "that the world will disagree." No matter what belief system he adopts, most people are going to disagree with him. Also, if he returns to faith himself, he knows that eventually he will go back to skepticism, because, to him, the world reinforces his current belief system. This also indicates his belief in destiny, or fatalism. He is a skeptic, and even if he wanted to change, he'd just be forced back on the track that the world has planned for him. This could be expanded to apply to anyone's belief system, which develop from a person's own experiences in the world.
The speaker sees the sun going down, and knows that the night is deep. I think this is about the brightness, optimism, and naive belief that we have in youth, which has developed into a kind of depressing skepticism of everything for the speaker. I think it's also about feeling pressured to find a romantic partner. He's getting older, and here night is the prospect of being alone, and the setting sun is his ticking clock to find a lover.
In the chorus, he says "we know the fire awaits unbelievers." The one thing we know is that everyone else is wrong. There is double meaning in both fire and unbeliever here. Fire could refer to hell, but in other verses the speaker wants warmth and light, both of which are provided by fire. Unbeliever could mean an atheist/ skeptic, or it could mean anyone who doesn't agree with your own life philosophy. We often think other people are happier than us, but we also think that they are wrong. We think that both happiness and damnation await those who disagree with us. "All of the sinners the same" expands on this. We think of those who don't follow our own moral code as happier than us, but we condemn their actions. "Girl, you and I will die unbelievers, bound to the tracks of the train." This draws on the fatalism theme. No one is going to change their mind, they're stuck on a track. There is no choice, and they're going to die being unbelievers in each other's personal philosophy. Even in the last moments before death (if he was tied to a railroad track), he will remain a skeptic, and she will remain a "believer."
The speaker is not excited, but wonders if he should be. He has a pessimistic view of the world, but thinks that this view is justified. He sees the world as it is, and there is not much to be excited or happy about. I think he is also wondering if other people are as happy as he thinks they are from the other side of the fence. He wonders if he is already living in hell when he asks if this is the fate that half of the world has planned for him. "Believers" say he's going to hell, but perhaps hell is just the unhappiness that comes with the pessimism of his skepticism. This also draws on his belief in fatalism. He refers to his own fate, and indicates that the rest of the world has control over it.
He knows he loves this girl. Despite his skepticism, he has found love. She loves the sea. She is a romantic, a "believer." He loves her but not in the fantastical way that some people view love. He asks what holy water contains a drop for him. In what belief system could he find happiness? I think the sea is also a metaphor for potential mates, and the drop of holy water is the one for him. He's referring to, and questioning, the idea of "soul mates."