The name of this track (obviously) comes from the chapter of the bible which is of the same name.
This is a song about a boy (or perhaps a man, whose intellectual development is being likened to that of a boy) who is struggling between the need to live a normal, healthy life by modern standards, and the unrealistic requirements programmed into his mind through religious indoctrination.
"Poor boy, he knows he's alive. He's afraid to learn.
He don't want to get where he's going 'cause he thinks he's gonna burn."
It refers to the struggle to live in-keeping with archaic religious doctrines whose standards are even more unlivable today than they were when they were written, because the majority of society has evolved away from them. This "boy" is afraid of going to "Hell" for living a modern life which contradicts religious dogma. For instance, there's an islamic terror group out there whose name means "Western Education is Forbidden" (I think it's "Boko-Haram," but I'm not sure.) They believe in rigorous adherence to the koran and shun modern ways of thought and living. Contrary to the common perception by people who call themselves religious but don't actually read scripture, regardless of whether you believe in the bible, tanak or koran, most of it is in a state of contradiction with modern thought, and even modern standards of common decency.
The lyrics "close your eyes when you feel you're going under... Close your eyes, you can make it through the world" refers to the way that people who pretend to live pious lives perpetually ignore the mass of contradictions between their actions and daily lives, and the dictates of their creed. Where it says "Poor boy, he knows in this life, he'll get hunted down..." it's probably referring to the increasingly aggressive way that society reacts to religiosity as we begin to realize exactly how much harm it's done.
Finally, "You can't wash the canvas now 'cause it's full of dye..." is likening the difficulty freeing one's mind from religious indoctrination to that of making a stained canvas as blank and pure as it was before the dye touched it.
This is why I love Antimatter. They see through society's nonsense, and they tear it apart with an eloquent, thought-provoking style that still needs very little interpretation by the listener.
The name of this track (obviously) comes from the chapter of the bible which is of the same name.
This is a song about a boy (or perhaps a man, whose intellectual development is being likened to that of a boy) who is struggling between the need to live a normal, healthy life by modern standards, and the unrealistic requirements programmed into his mind through religious indoctrination.
"Poor boy, he knows he's alive. He's afraid to learn. He don't want to get where he's going 'cause he thinks he's gonna burn."
It refers to the struggle to live in-keeping with archaic religious doctrines whose standards are even more unlivable today than they were when they were written, because the majority of society has evolved away from them. This "boy" is afraid of going to "Hell" for living a modern life which contradicts religious dogma. For instance, there's an islamic terror group out there whose name means "Western Education is Forbidden" (I think it's "Boko-Haram," but I'm not sure.) They believe in rigorous adherence to the koran and shun modern ways of thought and living. Contrary to the common perception by people who call themselves religious but don't actually read scripture, regardless of whether you believe in the bible, tanak or koran, most of it is in a state of contradiction with modern thought, and even modern standards of common decency.
The lyrics "close your eyes when you feel you're going under... Close your eyes, you can make it through the world" refers to the way that people who pretend to live pious lives perpetually ignore the mass of contradictions between their actions and daily lives, and the dictates of their creed. Where it says "Poor boy, he knows in this life, he'll get hunted down..." it's probably referring to the increasingly aggressive way that society reacts to religiosity as we begin to realize exactly how much harm it's done.
Finally, "You can't wash the canvas now 'cause it's full of dye..." is likening the difficulty freeing one's mind from religious indoctrination to that of making a stained canvas as blank and pure as it was before the dye touched it.
This is why I love Antimatter. They see through society's nonsense, and they tear it apart with an eloquent, thought-provoking style that still needs very little interpretation by the listener.
@BlacklightHalo Loved your analysis! I had a very different idea about it!
@BlacklightHalo Loved your analysis! I had a very different idea about it!