Learn To Be Still

The lord is your shepherd, not men - not yourself. Focus on spirituality..

Love this song. It is my belief the original reference comes from the bible, Christ told the waters to "be still". An analogy to life and being satisfied. My mom used to tell me that when I was young.

This is like one of my top three eagle songs but i can't decide what the others are and there are way to many to have a top 10 even. Something about the lyrics just attract my ears.

Every once in a while a song comes along that resontes deeply with who you are and where you're at in your life. This song captures the essence of tantra . The first stanza describes how we live in paradise ,yet we are tormented by the voices in our head ~ tantra recognizes that ego is the source of all misery.

"learn to be still " is a refernce to meditation... learn to quiet your mind.

The next stanza describes the dangers of attachment. The lyrics say we don't know how to be alone. We are afraid to be alone ... to know and love ourselves, so we cling to whatever fills that void - religion, sex ,media ,drugs .. they're all the wrong gods.

"Now the flowers in your garden They don't smell so sweet Maybe you've forgotten The heaven lying at your feet"

The sad realization that we all come to, life isn't as wonderful as we want it to be. and then... everything you need to feel the joy you are lacking, is in YOU.

Henley ties it all togehter so beautifully in the last stanza, In your worst moments all you need is to open your heart - to awaken and to learn to be still.

This song is a gift of love , and hopefully it does awaken people to what is right in front of them.

This song is about humans' worshiping gods and being hopeful of the afterlife, doing what it takes to be qualified for heaven sometimes even sacrificing happiness here on earth. At first, in the beginning of humanity, we are like sheep without a shepherd. Not worshipping anything. But we didn't know how to live like that. We couldn't explain things so we create gods. Even the wrong/scary/cruel gods. But humans want another kind of god. The flock cries for another. We then create yet again another. And another. Some people had to die even to be god. People worshipping gods thought they would be satisfied and find happiness in the promise of the after life. But then one day something came. Doubt. The words ringing in their heads. There are many contradictions in the words. They realize they are no longer happy. The flowers in their garden don't seem so sweet. The reward for what they work for all their life doesn't seem worth it anymore. It might not be real and they worked for nothing. And they worked so much for worshipping. But what they might just be missing is that they are already in heaven here on earth and should enjoy every moment. They sort of want to get out of the system but how do you do that? Everyone worships something! Where will they fit in if they get out of the system? What would they believe? The answer learning to be still. I also believe this is meditation. When you do that, everything will make sense and you will be awakened. Keep on running. Keep on living and be awakened and enjoy life!

I don't know that this song is intentionally religious. I think the plain language is about people who always think the "grass is greener," either because of the relationship they're in, the place they live, their job, or some other thing they aren't satisfied with. I know from personal experience this type of attitude is a bad habit that is difficult to unlearn. There's always going to be something unsatisfying in a relationship, a job, or in the place you live in. Once you're old enough to actually look in the mirror and be honest with yourself, you start to discover that much of the problem is you. That is why a new relationship, job, or city never solves the problem. This song is about looking in the mirror, changing yourself and your attitude, being thankful for what you have and counting your blessings.

This sounds like a road weary band/musician's plight. The road and all it's "rewards" seem to mesmerize the performers, but after awhile, the grass isn't so green, and it would be nice just to be still. In the second verse, he speaks of sheep (followers/fans) who come to hear the "Messiah" (musician) play, and they cry out for more, and he "keeps answering that bell", until it's over, and he, the Starry Eyed Messiah, meets a violent (crowds still wanting more as he leaves the stage.

In the third part of the song, he talks about his garden, which to me is his home, and when he finally gets off the road, it's not as relaxing as he thought, because he doesn't recognize that "heaven is lying at" his feet (the crowds below him during performances).

Finally, the contradictions are the pull between his love for music and the road and his need to be still. His world is torn and shaken no matter where he is, and his heart breaks for both venues. He realizes that, no matter whether he's playing or home, he'll never learn to be still.

That's my take. Only because I've heard his interviews, and he speaks of this dilemma of road vs. home.

I think the Eagles are one of the Greatest classic bands around. My dad got me into them actually, and I think they're pretty cool.

brilliant.

This is my favorite Eagles song-- as far as I get it.. it's about someone who is never satisfied with her own surroundings, no matter how good the conditions may be-- someone who is never satisfied. Reminds me of myself, actually.