Since no one else has mentioned it, the intro is a musical sunrise, beginning with the pre-dawn chirping of the birds to the sun rays finally breaking over the horizon when the synth note hits just before the vocals kick in. Breathtaking.
As for the meaning, I have to lean towards the "crisis of faith" theme. Lots of strong hints in lines like "I wish I knew what I had to do," "...a shadow of doubt that's not letting me find you...," and "Though your door is always open, where do I begin? May I please come in...?" And the multiple references to "Lord" and "God [won't you come and get into my life]" are pretty direct. I do agree that it's unusual to reference God as "dear," but it is common for people to say things like "Dear Lord," so it could still fit.
That being said, it's hard to ignore the strong tie between the deity and nature itself - from the musical sunrise itself to lines like "the wonder of feeling I'm nature's own little boy" and all the references to nature itself (sun, rain, stars, ocean).
For me personally, I used to go way up in the mountains of Tennessee and play this song while the wind blew the autumn leaves to the ground. Every time I hear it, I'm back on that mountain, feeling that breeze.
@meyerchr Great catch there! This is absolutely one of my favorite Supertramp songs. I never thought of the beginning of this as a sunrise, and I'm ashamed for not seeing this before.
@meyerchr Great catch there! This is absolutely one of my favorite Supertramp songs. I never thought of the beginning of this as a sunrise, and I'm ashamed for not seeing this before.
The Beatles were a HUGE influence on Roger. Surely, he was at least unconsciously channeling 'Here Comes the Sun', using that same lush 12 string sound.
The Beatles were a HUGE influence on Roger. Surely, he was at least unconsciously channeling 'Here Comes the Sun', using that same lush 12 string sound.
I purchased a wonderful sounding Yamaha 12 string years ago, in part because I LOVED the sound when Roger played it.
I purchased a wonderful sounding Yamaha 12 string years ago, in part because I LOVED the sound when Roger played it.
Since no one else has mentioned it, the intro is a musical sunrise, beginning with the pre-dawn chirping of the birds to the sun rays finally breaking over the horizon when the synth note hits just before the vocals kick in. Breathtaking.
As for the meaning, I have to lean towards the "crisis of faith" theme. Lots of strong hints in lines like "I wish I knew what I had to do," "...a shadow of doubt that's not letting me find you...," and "Though your door is always open, where do I begin? May I please come in...?" And the multiple references to "Lord" and "God [won't you come and get into my life]" are pretty direct. I do agree that it's unusual to reference God as "dear," but it is common for people to say things like "Dear Lord," so it could still fit.
That being said, it's hard to ignore the strong tie between the deity and nature itself - from the musical sunrise itself to lines like "the wonder of feeling I'm nature's own little boy" and all the references to nature itself (sun, rain, stars, ocean).
For me personally, I used to go way up in the mountains of Tennessee and play this song while the wind blew the autumn leaves to the ground. Every time I hear it, I'm back on that mountain, feeling that breeze.
@meyerchr Great catch there! This is absolutely one of my favorite Supertramp songs. I never thought of the beginning of this as a sunrise, and I'm ashamed for not seeing this before.
@meyerchr Great catch there! This is absolutely one of my favorite Supertramp songs. I never thought of the beginning of this as a sunrise, and I'm ashamed for not seeing this before.
The Beatles were a HUGE influence on Roger. Surely, he was at least unconsciously channeling 'Here Comes the Sun', using that same lush 12 string sound.
The Beatles were a HUGE influence on Roger. Surely, he was at least unconsciously channeling 'Here Comes the Sun', using that same lush 12 string sound.
I purchased a wonderful sounding Yamaha 12 string years ago, in part because I LOVED the sound when Roger played it.
I purchased a wonderful sounding Yamaha 12 string years ago, in part because I LOVED the sound when Roger played it.