The whole thing is the denouement of the search that was instigated in "Mother of the World". The singer is searching for the Goddess - or, in less polarizing terms, the nourishing, nurturing, redeeming, and (in the mystical sense) feminine aspect of the Will that lies behind the world, and in this song he comes to the understanding that this replenishing facet of the divine diamond is manifested in all of the objects he rattles off in the first half of the song's narrative (i.e. crumbling stairs and pools of oil). The writing becomes less occupied with the sheer beauty, wonder, terror, and mystery of the world during the second half and instead makes profound statements about the nature of our existence:
In the then that was now
In the now that is not
In our names we forgot
In a thought we just lost
We become what we choose
We are stumbling fools
Who are not there
Here Gira masterfully illustrates the slippery nature of time and of our very identity, but also of the responsibility we carry for all of our decisions and, ultimately, the fact that we are fools who know nothing and are nothing. He comes to a mature understanding of the nature of life as both beautiful and painful, and is capable of seeing the "Mother of the World" in all experiences. This is spiritual peace that we should all strive for, and this song is without a doubt one of the most powerful works of art I have ever encountered.
The whole thing is the denouement of the search that was instigated in "Mother of the World". The singer is searching for the Goddess - or, in less polarizing terms, the nourishing, nurturing, redeeming, and (in the mystical sense) feminine aspect of the Will that lies behind the world, and in this song he comes to the understanding that this replenishing facet of the divine diamond is manifested in all of the objects he rattles off in the first half of the song's narrative (i.e. crumbling stairs and pools of oil). The writing becomes less occupied with the sheer beauty, wonder, terror, and mystery of the world during the second half and instead makes profound statements about the nature of our existence:
In the then that was now In the now that is not In our names we forgot In a thought we just lost We become what we choose We are stumbling fools Who are not there
Here Gira masterfully illustrates the slippery nature of time and of our very identity, but also of the responsibility we carry for all of our decisions and, ultimately, the fact that we are fools who know nothing and are nothing. He comes to a mature understanding of the nature of life as both beautiful and painful, and is capable of seeing the "Mother of the World" in all experiences. This is spiritual peace that we should all strive for, and this song is without a doubt one of the most powerful works of art I have ever encountered.