So, I am not COMPLETELY sure what this song is about, BUT I am commenting because most people here don’t seem to either and, at least, I have very good insight into some of the religious imagery here, because of my profession.
Siouxsie, herself, said it is not just about religion. She went on to say it’s about disillusionment, seeing the suffering that so many are blind to. Seeing the hypocrisy in the world and trying to find hope within it. I am paraphrasing.
I think Israel symbolises a broken promised land. A place for peace, that has brought anything but! It is not a Zionist song. In fact, most of the images are Christian. Hear me out, “do they sing happy Noel?“ Noel means Christmas. End of. It comes from the Old French word for Christmas, Noël, which comes from the Latin natalis, meaning birth (birth of Christ).
Orphans singing in the snow. OK, it occasionally snows in the north of Israel, but very rarely. This line makes me think of groups like Montreal Accueil Bonneau Choir and the World Orphan Choir (and basically, Victorian England). Orphans singing at Christmas time to raise money.
The line “turn blood into wine” is about turning pain into something good. And it also plays on the Roman Catholic belief of transubstantiation in which wine is turned into the blood of Christ.
Which I think is very clever but, unfortunately, goes over a lot of peoples heads.
Red and green are the colours of Christmas, but also the colours of the Palestinian flag as some have pointed out.
She talks about how it has been like this since ancient times. There is always been suffering, there has always been need, there has always been the search for joy and peace.
The line, “See some people shine with glee, but their song is jealousy.Their hate is clanging. Maddening” it’s about the phoniness that can surround the holiday season. Greed, indifference to suffering and selfishness are not far beneath the good cheer surface. Their coldness and cruelty is painful to witness. Why can’t these hypocrites see?
The lyrics talk about how we are all together if we are singing. Singing in our hearts and not letting all of the evil, corruption and sadness drag us down. We are all trying to survive, many people are struggling to survive. We all hope for the promised land, but is there such a thing?
Is there an answer? We can only keep our hearts open and hope and keep singing.
So, I am not COMPLETELY sure what this song is about, BUT I am commenting because most people here don’t seem to either and, at least, I have very good insight into some of the religious imagery here, because of my profession.
Siouxsie, herself, said it is not just about religion. She went on to say it’s about disillusionment, seeing the suffering that so many are blind to. Seeing the hypocrisy in the world and trying to find hope within it. I am paraphrasing.
I think Israel symbolises a broken promised land. A place for peace, that has brought anything but! It is not a Zionist song. In fact, most of the images are Christian. Hear me out, “do they sing happy Noel?“ Noel means Christmas. End of. It comes from the Old French word for Christmas, Noël, which comes from the Latin natalis, meaning birth (birth of Christ). Orphans singing in the snow. OK, it occasionally snows in the north of Israel, but very rarely. This line makes me think of groups like Montreal Accueil Bonneau Choir and the World Orphan Choir (and basically, Victorian England). Orphans singing at Christmas time to raise money.
The line “turn blood into wine” is about turning pain into something good. And it also plays on the Roman Catholic belief of transubstantiation in which wine is turned into the blood of Christ. Which I think is very clever but, unfortunately, goes over a lot of peoples heads.
Red and green are the colours of Christmas, but also the colours of the Palestinian flag as some have pointed out. She talks about how it has been like this since ancient times. There is always been suffering, there has always been need, there has always been the search for joy and peace.
The line, “See some people shine with glee, but their song is jealousy.Their hate is clanging. Maddening” it’s about the phoniness that can surround the holiday season. Greed, indifference to suffering and selfishness are not far beneath the good cheer surface. Their coldness and cruelty is painful to witness. Why can’t these hypocrites see?
The lyrics talk about how we are all together if we are singing. Singing in our hearts and not letting all of the evil, corruption and sadness drag us down. We are all trying to survive, many people are struggling to survive. We all hope for the promised land, but is there such a thing? Is there an answer? We can only keep our hearts open and hope and keep singing.
That’s what I get out of it anyway.
[Edit: I edited for spelling mistakes]