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Watching the sun come up over Mount Washington
Forever testing your intention
Watching the sun going down over some distant town
And why you sing you never could say
Hate causes any question
To do it to before it's done unto you
Hate causes any question
Your love out of frame
And nobody can keep you
From the one you know you are
Nobody to steer the way you sway
The way you walk
May there never be a time
That you don't live through
May there never be a time
That you don't walk through
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
Watching the sun come up over St. Jude Street
Forever testing your invention
Watching the sun going down over Mount Zion
And once awake you never sleep on
Hate causes every question
To do unto as you'd have done by you
It ain't 'cause you ever question
Your love out of view
And nobody can keep you
From the ones you know you love
Nobody to steer the way you sway
The way you walk
May there never be a time
That you don't live through
May there never be a time
That you don't walk through
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
You are, you are
Belonging to the unknown
You are, you are
Belonging into the unknown
May there never be a time
That I don't love you
May there never be a time
That you don't pull through
[Repeat: x2]
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
Forever testing your intention
Watching the sun going down over some distant town
And why you sing you never could say
Hate causes any question
To do it to before it's done unto you
Hate causes any question
Your love out of frame
And nobody can keep you
From the one you know you are
Nobody to steer the way you sway
The way you walk
May there never be a time
That you don't live through
May there never be a time
That you don't walk through
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
Watching the sun come up over St. Jude Street
Forever testing your invention
Watching the sun going down over Mount Zion
And once awake you never sleep on
Hate causes every question
To do unto as you'd have done by you
It ain't 'cause you ever question
Your love out of view
And nobody can keep you
From the ones you know you love
Nobody to steer the way you sway
The way you walk
May there never be a time
That you don't live through
May there never be a time
That you don't walk through
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
You are, you are
Belonging to the unknown
You are, you are
Belonging into the unknown
May there never be a time
That I don't love you
May there never be a time
That you don't pull through
[Repeat: x2]
Be a star
Be an altar
And I will hang it on you
Lyrics submitted by AgathaKavka
Track duration: 06:28
"Mount Washington" as written by Beth Orton
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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His or her goal is to " [...] be a star, be an altar [...] "
The journey is full of challenges:
" [...] forever testing your intention [...] forever testing your invention [...] "
But the person is determined:
" [...] nobody can keep you from the one you know you are [...] "
Eventually, at the end of the song, the music (sort of) disintegrates --
we hear a lot of noise and strange sounds, interspersed by the repeated phrase "Be a star, be an altar".
Perhaps a sign of an all-consuming obsession?
Or a sign of success -- the person becomes successful, but pays a high personal price: stars shine brightly, but are made of featureless plasma -- just like the music at the end of 'Mount Washington'.
The most touching bit in these terms would be the idea that we're told :
And nobody can keep you from the one you know you are
Nobody to steal away your sway the way you walk
Need there never be a time that you don't walk through
May there never be a time that you don't live through
Be a star, be an altar, and I will hang it on you
I interpret this as being reminded that no matter what happens, nobody can keep you being the person you know you are and nobody can 'steal away your sway' is reminding us that no matter how harsh the world is too us, nobody can steal away our uniqueness.
And then it's like God's reminding us that he/she prays that there will never be a time we don't live through or 'come through', in-fact, it's hopped that we will 'walk through' harsh times.
We're told to 'Be a star' to 'Be an Altar' and that God will 'hang it on us', in other words, we will becomes stars if we only believe that we can be.
Then, the end really inspires me to 'carry on -' :
May there never be a time that I don't love you
May there never be a time that you don't pull thru
Be a star, be an altar and they will hang it on you
Bring it on, bring it on
Bring it on...
It's like God saying that there will never be a time that we're unloved and he/she prays that there will never be a time we don't 'Pull through'.
We're reminded to 'Be a star' to 'Be an Altar' and then, at the end, it's like we turn back toward the world and say "Bring it on".
It's just my own interpretation but it touches and inspires me.
Cheers,
Jamie
Maybe about how she misses someone and all these things remind her of them.
This is such a pretty song