This song is about the celebration of spiritual adulthood and the realization of the paradox that your decisions are both important and ultimately insignificant.
First the broad strokes:
I want to start with a shout out to leeyum13, ben1025033 and HiiammHeidi as I resonated with many of their views. This is such a fun song to decipher because it is overflowing with strong and distinct metaphors. I also consider this a Christmas song that gives a wink to the often heard complaint that people rarely understand the true meaning of the holiday. This song is a psychedelic celebration of the arrival of spiritual adulthood with all of it's responsibilities of awareness, respect, maturity and vigilance. It's asks us to participate in myth, without getting fooled by the literal translation. The overarching theme of the song as sung in the common refrain is a reminder to increase your awareness of the symbolic nature of the rituals we engage in as well as the hidden costs lurking in all transactions. Ultimately the song asks you to care about the choices you make even though at the end of the day they are seemingly insignificant.
Now to step into the weeds a bit and go line for line:
"Take a piece of tinsel and put it on the tree"
Tinsel on a Christmas tree represents the stars on the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden hovering over the nativity scene. The 1st line of the 1st verse in the song asks you to engage in a ritual that signifies the titan witnesses to the birth of god. You can also consider the tinsel as the parents place in the heavens as both a witness and participant to the miracle of childbirth.
"Cut a slab of melon and pretend that you still love me"
Melon is a symbol for love, fertility and attainment by Hindus. The 2nd line of the 1st verse in the song asks us to indulge in the fruit of love and attainment, even though our heart may not always be in it. It underlies the importance of embracing maturity, following through on commitment and putting one foot in front of the other especially when inspiration is at a low.
"Carve out a pumpkin and rely on your destiny"
The Celtic tradition of carving turnips and squash was to help light the way for good spirits to their homes. The 3rd line of the 1st verse in the song asks us again to engage in a ritual with faith without direct knowledge of it's potency or the ultimate outcome.
"Get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and the free"
Cruising is considered sailing along without a specific destination for fun. The open road especially in the USA is full of possibilities. The 4th line of the 1st verse asks us to proceed in life without being too rigid, remembering to enjoy life while staying open to opportunities that may come your way.
"But don't forget to understand exactly what you put on the tree"
Again, the 1st line of the common refrain is a reminder to increase your awareness of the symbolic nature of the rituals we engage in. Specifically that at Christmas we are recognizing a moment when titans witnessed the birth of God and perhaps the Universe itself. As leeyum13 put it, the tree can be seen as your family tree and you are adding a new member to it. The line reminds you to be a conscious parent, respectful of the fact that parenting itself is a miraculous ritual that you are participating in. .
"Don't believe the florist when he tells you that the roses are free"
The 2nd line of the common refrain cautions us to stay vigilant to the hidden costs lurking in all transactions. The florist is only a cultivator. Like parents, he may be skilled, knowledgeable and perhaps even wise, but he is still ignorant as to the true source of creation. The hidden cost to roses are the thorns which represent loss and thoughtlessness. Don’t fall for the surface explanations of fairy tales given to children. Remember to look deeper into the symbolic importance of myths without dismissing them all together. It may be a direct reference to christian salvation that there is much more to it than just asking for it as is sometimes suggested. The cost of this salvation based on other lines in the song can be seen as a lifetime that is sometimes filled with doubt and trials.
"Take a wrinkled raisin, and do with it what you will"
Raisins represent regret. The 1st line of the 2nd verse refers to opportunities that died on the vine. What do you do with the feeling of regret and failure? Does it make you stronger, or feel perpetually defeated.
"Push it into third if you know you're gonna climb a hill"
The 2nd line of the 2nd verse refers to the need to invest additional energy when facing a challenge. Don't be afraid to answer the hero's call.
"Eat plenty of lasagna 'til you know that you've had your fill"
eating lasagna symbolizes having a strong appetite for life. The 3rd line of the 2nd verse is a challenge to the listener to get the most out of life and to not be afraid to indulge in pleasure, but only to the extent that it's truly satisfying.
"Resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill"
Killing symbolizes bringing about an end to something, as in a relationship or another commitment. The 4th line of the 2nd verse asks us to not take stability or an existing accord for granted. We are asked to resist the infantile desire for self destruction and chaos. The quote from the 17th century French writer Pascal sums this line up pretty well. “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
"Throw that pumpkin at the tree"
After so much emphasis was put on reverence and awareness in this song, with this line we are tempted to just throw it all away by destroying one carefully crafted observance with another.
"Unless you think that pumpkin holds your destiny"
A schizophrenic reversal of the last lines sentiment. Unless ultimately we choose to embrace this new found spiritual maturity that we find ourselves in. This contradiction prepares you for the last line that will ultimately declare the futile nature of all effort.
"Cast it off into the sea, bake that pie and eat it with me"
In other words, go ahead and kill. With this line we recognize the inescapable cyclical nature of life in the form of the Ouroboros. In the end death and loss are inevitable, so it's actually okay to participate in your own self destruction. A quote from Mahatma Gandhi is helpful here, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Although these last few lines seem to contradict the rest of the song, it is the ability to absorb this paradox with joy that is the true sign of spiritual maturity.
In summation:
Again, this song is about the celebration of spiritual adulthood and the realization of the paradox that your decisions are both important and ultimately insignificant.
This song is about the celebration of spiritual adulthood and the realization of the paradox that your decisions are both important and ultimately insignificant.
First the broad strokes:
I want to start with a shout out to leeyum13, ben1025033 and HiiammHeidi as I resonated with many of their views. This is such a fun song to decipher because it is overflowing with strong and distinct metaphors. I also consider this a Christmas song that gives a wink to the often heard complaint that people rarely understand the true meaning of the holiday. This song is a psychedelic celebration of the arrival of spiritual adulthood with all of it's responsibilities of awareness, respect, maturity and vigilance. It's asks us to participate in myth, without getting fooled by the literal translation. The overarching theme of the song as sung in the common refrain is a reminder to increase your awareness of the symbolic nature of the rituals we engage in as well as the hidden costs lurking in all transactions. Ultimately the song asks you to care about the choices you make even though at the end of the day they are seemingly insignificant.
Now to step into the weeds a bit and go line for line:
"Take a piece of tinsel and put it on the tree" Tinsel on a Christmas tree represents the stars on the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden hovering over the nativity scene. The 1st line of the 1st verse in the song asks you to engage in a ritual that signifies the titan witnesses to the birth of god. You can also consider the tinsel as the parents place in the heavens as both a witness and participant to the miracle of childbirth.
"Cut a slab of melon and pretend that you still love me" Melon is a symbol for love, fertility and attainment by Hindus. The 2nd line of the 1st verse in the song asks us to indulge in the fruit of love and attainment, even though our heart may not always be in it. It underlies the importance of embracing maturity, following through on commitment and putting one foot in front of the other especially when inspiration is at a low.
"Carve out a pumpkin and rely on your destiny" The Celtic tradition of carving turnips and squash was to help light the way for good spirits to their homes. The 3rd line of the 1st verse in the song asks us again to engage in a ritual with faith without direct knowledge of it's potency or the ultimate outcome.
"Get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and the free" Cruising is considered sailing along without a specific destination for fun. The open road especially in the USA is full of possibilities. The 4th line of the 1st verse asks us to proceed in life without being too rigid, remembering to enjoy life while staying open to opportunities that may come your way.
"But don't forget to understand exactly what you put on the tree" Again, the 1st line of the common refrain is a reminder to increase your awareness of the symbolic nature of the rituals we engage in. Specifically that at Christmas we are recognizing a moment when titans witnessed the birth of God and perhaps the Universe itself. As leeyum13 put it, the tree can be seen as your family tree and you are adding a new member to it. The line reminds you to be a conscious parent, respectful of the fact that parenting itself is a miraculous ritual that you are participating in. .
"Don't believe the florist when he tells you that the roses are free" The 2nd line of the common refrain cautions us to stay vigilant to the hidden costs lurking in all transactions. The florist is only a cultivator. Like parents, he may be skilled, knowledgeable and perhaps even wise, but he is still ignorant as to the true source of creation. The hidden cost to roses are the thorns which represent loss and thoughtlessness. Don’t fall for the surface explanations of fairy tales given to children. Remember to look deeper into the symbolic importance of myths without dismissing them all together. It may be a direct reference to christian salvation that there is much more to it than just asking for it as is sometimes suggested. The cost of this salvation based on other lines in the song can be seen as a lifetime that is sometimes filled with doubt and trials.
"Take a wrinkled raisin, and do with it what you will" Raisins represent regret. The 1st line of the 2nd verse refers to opportunities that died on the vine. What do you do with the feeling of regret and failure? Does it make you stronger, or feel perpetually defeated.
"Push it into third if you know you're gonna climb a hill" The 2nd line of the 2nd verse refers to the need to invest additional energy when facing a challenge. Don't be afraid to answer the hero's call.
"Eat plenty of lasagna 'til you know that you've had your fill" eating lasagna symbolizes having a strong appetite for life. The 3rd line of the 2nd verse is a challenge to the listener to get the most out of life and to not be afraid to indulge in pleasure, but only to the extent that it's truly satisfying.
"Resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill" Killing symbolizes bringing about an end to something, as in a relationship or another commitment. The 4th line of the 2nd verse asks us to not take stability or an existing accord for granted. We are asked to resist the infantile desire for self destruction and chaos. The quote from the 17th century French writer Pascal sums this line up pretty well. “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
"Throw that pumpkin at the tree" After so much emphasis was put on reverence and awareness in this song, with this line we are tempted to just throw it all away by destroying one carefully crafted observance with another.
"Unless you think that pumpkin holds your destiny" A schizophrenic reversal of the last lines sentiment. Unless ultimately we choose to embrace this new found spiritual maturity that we find ourselves in. This contradiction prepares you for the last line that will ultimately declare the futile nature of all effort.
"Cast it off into the sea, bake that pie and eat it with me" In other words, go ahead and kill. With this line we recognize the inescapable cyclical nature of life in the form of the Ouroboros. In the end death and loss are inevitable, so it's actually okay to participate in your own self destruction. A quote from Mahatma Gandhi is helpful here, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Although these last few lines seem to contradict the rest of the song, it is the ability to absorb this paradox with joy that is the true sign of spiritual maturity.
In summation: Again, this song is about the celebration of spiritual adulthood and the realization of the paradox that your decisions are both important and ultimately insignificant.