This song to me is about the religion, the confusion that surrounds it and the concept of hope; this song reflects that it's necessary. So, as a background first - Beulah Land is mentioned in the Bible as a reference to marriage, but I think this song references the hymn called Beulah Land, in which it is referred to as heaven, the promised land, the land of milk and honey. If you ask a southerner what/where Beulah Land is, I can pretty much guarantee you that they will say it's Heaven. I feel that it's used in that way for this song.
Beulah Land - (promised land, heaven)
Got a wasted gun - (what reason is there for living?)
Licorice man- (it's sweet, it's old, it's kitsch, it's so many things.)
I'll sum you up (^)
Thumbs up
Got something you're not sayin'
Beulah Girl
You've been hitching me up (pulling me towards you - drawing me in)
Got some candy (we all use things that pacify us, distractions)
And a sweet sayin'
'Gimme religion and a lobotomy' (religion is confusing, it's easier to laugh it off and say it's too confusing to wrap your head around. it's overwhelming, why not just say haha, let's forget about it for now?)
Beulah Land
You beautiful whore
Tell me when
I don't need you anymore
(now this is the most poignant line of the song. Heaven. the promise of heaven and eternal life and the sweet by and by just spreads itself out over all generations and past and present. it's just for everybody, isn't it? and logic says there is no heaven. and her father preached it into her... but she made that separation long ago. so why now? why does she still feel the need for it? why is it still so necessary and the pull so intrinsic? tell me when i won't need this promise, when i can go on without this eternal hope. it's something else, this line.)
And said that, somehow,
You're gonna get something here
So, you're right in the middle
And then
I'm you
Something is coming back again
I said
Maybe i don't wanna go
To live where you're not
So...
(it's this way and that way,
Beulah land
Gotta find me a warm
Place to lay this body on down
Got a rubber boat
And a crocodile
Gonna float on past your home
@ericacmiller I meant to also add that when she says the line "Maybe I don't wanna go to live where you're not" she is saying maybe she is saying "maybe I don't want to live in a life without hope". So what we do is, we float. We keep on going, with all of our hopes of heaven and our fears of hell, our weird, unfaithful faith. And we'll sink (rubber boat) and hope for the best, despite the fact that it's so weird and improbable and mentally + spiritually dangerous (crocodile) until we die or grow with some kind...
@ericacmiller I meant to also add that when she says the line "Maybe I don't wanna go to live where you're not" she is saying maybe she is saying "maybe I don't want to live in a life without hope". So what we do is, we float. We keep on going, with all of our hopes of heaven and our fears of hell, our weird, unfaithful faith. And we'll sink (rubber boat) and hope for the best, despite the fact that it's so weird and improbable and mentally + spiritually dangerous (crocodile) until we die or grow with some kind of stronger conviction. But tell me when I won't need to keep on hoping anymore - hoping in the face of all the contradictions and inconsistency and uncertainty... i'm still hoping on heaven. But anytime, if I'm wrong, gimme a sign to let me know to give up hope.
This song to me is about the religion, the confusion that surrounds it and the concept of hope; this song reflects that it's necessary. So, as a background first - Beulah Land is mentioned in the Bible as a reference to marriage, but I think this song references the hymn called Beulah Land, in which it is referred to as heaven, the promised land, the land of milk and honey. If you ask a southerner what/where Beulah Land is, I can pretty much guarantee you that they will say it's Heaven. I feel that it's used in that way for this song.
Beulah Land - (promised land, heaven) Got a wasted gun - (what reason is there for living?) Licorice man- (it's sweet, it's old, it's kitsch, it's so many things.) I'll sum you up (^)
Thumbs up Got something you're not sayin' Beulah Girl You've been hitching me up (pulling me towards you - drawing me in)
Got some candy (we all use things that pacify us, distractions) And a sweet sayin' 'Gimme religion and a lobotomy' (religion is confusing, it's easier to laugh it off and say it's too confusing to wrap your head around. it's overwhelming, why not just say haha, let's forget about it for now?)
Beulah Land You beautiful whore Tell me when I don't need you anymore (now this is the most poignant line of the song. Heaven. the promise of heaven and eternal life and the sweet by and by just spreads itself out over all generations and past and present. it's just for everybody, isn't it? and logic says there is no heaven. and her father preached it into her... but she made that separation long ago. so why now? why does she still feel the need for it? why is it still so necessary and the pull so intrinsic? tell me when i won't need this promise, when i can go on without this eternal hope. it's something else, this line.)
And said that, somehow, You're gonna get something here So, you're right in the middle And then I'm you Something is coming back again I said Maybe i don't wanna go To live where you're not So... (it's this way and that way,
Beulah land Gotta find me a warm Place to lay this body on down Got a rubber boat And a crocodile Gonna float on past your home
And say when Just say when Just say when.
@ericacmiller I meant to also add that when she says the line "Maybe I don't wanna go to live where you're not" she is saying maybe she is saying "maybe I don't want to live in a life without hope". So what we do is, we float. We keep on going, with all of our hopes of heaven and our fears of hell, our weird, unfaithful faith. And we'll sink (rubber boat) and hope for the best, despite the fact that it's so weird and improbable and mentally + spiritually dangerous (crocodile) until we die or grow with some kind...
@ericacmiller I meant to also add that when she says the line "Maybe I don't wanna go to live where you're not" she is saying maybe she is saying "maybe I don't want to live in a life without hope". So what we do is, we float. We keep on going, with all of our hopes of heaven and our fears of hell, our weird, unfaithful faith. And we'll sink (rubber boat) and hope for the best, despite the fact that it's so weird and improbable and mentally + spiritually dangerous (crocodile) until we die or grow with some kind of stronger conviction. But tell me when I won't need to keep on hoping anymore - hoping in the face of all the contradictions and inconsistency and uncertainty... i'm still hoping on heaven. But anytime, if I'm wrong, gimme a sign to let me know to give up hope.