Wilco – Theologians

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  General Comment:NorthWriter typed that Tweedy said 'Cherry Ghost' means 'Cherry Ghost'. Exactly! What I think Tweedy is saying is that this is his definition of his soul in a joking way. He's saying I'm not what a theologian says I am and I'm not going to change my life anymore to what they think I should do. It's my life. I'm a cherry ghost. One part few have commented on that I find the most interesting in the song is In the line "They thin my heart with little things, And my life with change, Oh in so many ways, I find more missing every day, Theologians". I think he is referring to the negative effect that theologians have on society by causing people to conform to their often corrupted ideas and how experiencing this hurts the heart. He then goes on to say that he wont follow it and that he is his own definition of a soul, 'a Cherry Ghost'.

  Flag TonyT123on March 14, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:Tweedy isn't intensely religious, stop quoting scripture. Scripture is interpreted by theologians and they don't know nothing about Tweedy's soul so keep any sort of religious interpretation out of this. This song is simply about suicide.

  Flag sjones44on May 05, 2011   Link

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    No I don't think its about suicide. I think he's saying that he is defining his own soul and not giving his life to the will of theologians. For more on this refer to my general comment

    Flag TonyT123on March 14, 2013  
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  General Comment:Hahahahaha this song IS ABOUT KILLING YOURSELF. "No one is ever going to take my soul from me, I lay it down, a ghost is born."

  Flag sjones44on May 05, 2011   Link

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    I think that he is referring to laying down the ideas of theology not his life. It's his life and he will define it how he wants and not follow the heart killing ways of theology. But that's just what I get from it.

    Flag TonyT123on March 14, 2013  
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  My Opinion:In one of Michael Franti's songs he says "God is too big for just one religion" and I think that's exactly what Jeff is saying here. It seems he beleives..."god is with us everyday" but doesn't think the religious experts (theologians) can categorize "an abyss in motion". LOVE the song no matter what it means!

  Flag dogheadon August 04, 2009   Link

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    Inlitterati lumen fidei (in portuguese: Os ignorantes estão esclarecidos) means "the ignorant are enlightened".

    Flag luizyoungon December 31, 2009  
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  General Comment:I think some people are reading into this song way to much, but I guess thats to be expected on a song meaning website. In my experience, lyrics writers rarely have such a fixed meaning as some of the posts on here suggest - like the person who said the song is intensely christian. Personally, I don't think its intensely anything. I think a funny song, rather than a serious meditation on religion. After reading some of the posts on here, I agree that the source material for the lyrics is certain biblical passages. But that doesn't mean the song espouses a specific relgious philosophy, whether pro- or anti-Christian. My interpretation is that Tweedy is dramatizing Jesus' rebellion again the relgious hierarchy in a humorous way. I mean, picture Jesus saying "theologians don't know nothin about my soul." Or using the term "cherry" to describe anything. Its just funny. It makes me think of a typical American teenager using typical American slang to express his frustration with his parents views on religion. Its like a translation of a very serious concept for Christians (Jesus' rebellion against the religious hierarchy) into a cliche american narrative (a kid's rebellion against older generations). Its not hard to picture the Jesus portrayed in this song at a Wilco concert singing along to Jesus etc. Funny.

  Flag losernameon July 28, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:lovescout, thank you for adding those remarks tweedy made about the line "I'm a cherry ghost". That makes me love the song all the more. When I hear that line I always think he means that when he dies he will become nothing more than a delicious memory, a ghost who always provides something new and pleasurable to think about every time you conjure up his image. I hope I'm a cherry ghost when I die. :-)

  Flag latelyon June 28, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:from an interview with mtv....
  
  
  MTV: Is there a line or a song in A Ghost Is Born that sums it all up?
  
  Tweedy: "I'm a cherry ghost" [from "Theologians"], because it's still fun to sing in a strange way every night. I really get excited singing that line. I have no idea what it means, but every night when I sing it I feel refreshed. Invigorated. It's beautiful.
  
  i think the feeling tweedy is getting, 'refreshed', is how i feel about the line cherry ghost. i see it as a new ghost, a clean ghost....you know how ghosts are supposed to remain after they died because they still need something from the world? well, this is a different kind of ghost, it's 'pure', like a 'cherry' that is popped on a virgin, and it doesnt really have any bitter reason to haunt the world, all it is, as tweedy said also, is a 'sweet memory'.
  
  such a gorgeous line, i agree with tweedy, i feel the same way about it

  Flag lovescouton June 26, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Definitely a good discussion here. I, too, have been interested in hearing Jeff's ideas concerning God, especially after I heard "One True Vine." But, that aside, I was listening to some Tweedy solo bootlegs online today, and happened upon a version of this song that he did. Most of the track was Jeff bantering with the crowd, which is always amusing to me, but someone asked "What the hell is a cherry ghost?"
  
  Tweedy: "What the hell is a cherry ghost? If you have to ask, you'll never know. Why does everything have to MEAN something? Sometimes a cherry ghost is just a cherry ghost." It was pretty funny.
  
  But I do agree with the sentiments here that, while theologians make it their own to study God and all that stuff, but really, they'll never figure him out. I think it's funny when people think that God thinks like people, or that he's bound by the same laws of physics and/or metaphysics that we are. And for all the studying that theologians have done or continue to do, what good is it doing? Are people turning to God in times of need? And if they are, is it because of the work of God, or of theologians? What conclusions can a theologian come to that an average joe like me can't? Christ himself says, "Ask and you will receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you." So if I want to know more about God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit (which I think is the object in the line "a ghost is born," since the Spirit replaced Christ's presence on earth when the latter was raised to heaven), all I really need to do is study my Bible, and ask the Spirit for the insight to understand it. And I can speak from personal experience that it doesn't always come in the amount or intensity that you always want, but if you really, truly want understanding, you'll get it. It's not like some carrot that is dangled in front of you, never to be reached.
  
  Anyway, I got off on a tangent. But the point is, I don't need theologians to tell me about God. And Jeff's right...they don't know nothin' about my soul.

  Flag NorthWriteron March 21, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:What does he mean by CHERRY ghost

  Flag JimmieNeverDieson July 27, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:You can't deny that this is a religious song, he makes clear reference, and at times, even directly quotes scripture. His exact angle on it is up for interpretation, but mine is that it's a narrative from the perspective of Jesus Christ, basically saying that a lot of Christians are missing the point.

  Flag Summerteeth87on July 23, 2008   Link

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