Beloved my John is a reference to John the apostle, who was the beloved the disciple of Jesus. This song is a reflection on the Gospel of John and how Steven's has come to a new understanding of the text
"Beloved of John, I get it all wrong
I read you for some kind of poem"
Perhaps his new understanding was spurred by the death of his mother. If you read interviews Steven's did about his album, you will find he had a difficult relationship with his mother. In the song, I believe he is trying to make sense of the past and is how he is unable to get over what happened. These feelings spur him to see a new meaning in the Gospel of John.
"And when I am dead, come visit my bed
My fossil is bright in the sun"
He refers to memories as fossils, he understands how the Gospel of John is about making what is old, new. He is able therefore to make sense of his past.
Beloved my John is a reference to John the apostle, who was the beloved the disciple of Jesus. This song is a reflection on the Gospel of John and how Steven's has come to a new understanding of the text "Beloved of John, I get it all wrong I read you for some kind of poem" Perhaps his new understanding was spurred by the death of his mother. If you read interviews Steven's did about his album, you will find he had a difficult relationship with his mother. In the song, I believe he is trying to make sense of the past and is how he is unable to get over what happened. These feelings spur him to see a new meaning in the Gospel of John. "And when I am dead, come visit my bed My fossil is bright in the sun" He refers to memories as fossils, he understands how the Gospel of John is about making what is old, new. He is able therefore to make sense of his past.