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In the tower above the earth
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe
I see the fire, I see the end
Seven miles above the earth
There is Emmanuel of mothers
With his sword, with his robe
He comes dividing man from brothers
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rails and rails
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
Oh, my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us
Still I go to the deepest grave
Where I go to sleep alone
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe
I see the fire, I see the end
Seven miles above the earth
There is Emmanuel of mothers
With his sword, with his robe
He comes dividing man from brothers
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rails and rails
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
Oh, my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us
Still I go to the deepest grave
Where I go to sleep alone
Lyrics submitted by thisismyname
Track duration: 03:53
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I see the tower as another Bible reference - that of the Tower of Babel. Yes, it's true that the Bible mentions that the tower was built in an attempt to raise mankind higher than God but I think that's exactly a point here. The combination of the tower and Emmanuel gives me the thought that the song means that we (mankind) has pursued God's love or comfort (hence: Emmanuel) but in the end it all went wrong (hence the view of fire and the end)
In the first quatrain, the Sear's tower and the tower of Babel are one in the same, both hulking monoliths shaped like black ziggurats that define human hubris as a middle finger flipping off God. In a tower above the earth also hints at how far removed from reality we are at the top of a building's artiface. The far reaching view from the top of the tower can also be seen as Sufjan's far reaching view to the future. Most people see the heavens and the quiet stars, but Sufjan sees the fire and the end of the American Empire as God's covenant. This could also be a flashback to the Chicago fire that was recently attributed to the breaking up and crashing of the comet Biela (now the fading Andromenids meteor shower) over much of the upper Great Lakes region. Punishment from above? Stories of fire raining from the sky can be found on that date in other nearby cities and towns. If Sufjan is slightly conscious of his prophetic abilities then this is also a reference to the ever tortured artist effect experienced by sensitive seer's who can see a vision of the apocalypse from the top of the Sear's Tower when everyone else just sees the stars twinkling. Let's admit one thing... this guy is really sensitive, spiritual and gifted.
7 miles above the earth there is Emmanuel of mothers. Emmanuel of Mothers definitely refers to Jesus (and the lost mystical gospel of Emmanuel) as there were no human fathers involved in his birth, but it is plural for a reason (more overlay of meaning). We know about Mary, but scolars will have heard the stories that Joachim and Anna (Mary's parents) went thru a similar virgin birth experience as Joachim was away and much too old to have children. Basic study of Mendelian genetics (the pea plant guy) demonstrates that the nearly perfect hybrids one seeks to create only result from the F2 generation, ie, Jesus. This is the smoking gun that alien geneticists may be involved in creating Jesus- or is God the true engineer? Emmanuel of Mothers is a Hebrew name and "of mothers" probably refers to being of Jewish descent as the Jews are matrilineal. Jesus took up the sword and divided families across lines of faith; separating brothers. This reminds me of the same predicament as Arjuna of India many years before, but Rahm also has a biblically-named brother Ezekiel otherwise known as Dr. Death the rationer and unplugger of old people. He decides who lives and who dies with his rations- one way of dividing. I also feel that the two brothers of humanity are Isaac and Ishmael who would go on to start a clash of cultures from a domestic dispute between brothers (Israeli and Arab). What role did Jesus have in this feud? 7 miles above the earth is a great orbit for a satellite that may play a part in the toppling of Sear's tower, but there are also 7 states that will be part of the ominous "earthquake drills" on 5-11. Drills were prescheduled before many of the events like 9-11 FEMA drills, the 7/7 British Tavistock bombings, Madrid, and even Haiti, ensuring that the players could arrive at least a day early. Coincidence or foreknowledge?
The third quatrain makes me think immediately of the 40+ year reign of eternity that Rahm will experience and after a few years of that it will appear as if he at least thinks the tower was raised for him. Or should it be raized (obliterated) for him. We wait until it rails and rails (rains fire, spewing biblical pestilence from above) could mean the destruction of the tower from above. I also notice Rahm the tower's namesake is known for railing on about everything and a very anti-saviory potty mouth. News of mini-nukes, suitcase bombs on the run, and the New Madrid fault waking up is stepping up in the background. Is the fault waking up or is it being forced rudely awake? Under cover of firecrackers at the stroke of midnight on New Years 100,000s of birds began dying in flight and dropping from the sky, their bodies badly bruised as if by electrical burns and then the fish started floating belly up. Only HAARP or perhaps the tectonic machinations of the New Madrid Fault could do this. Classic MIHOP (make it happen on purpose). A big blast to take down the tower could be followed by HAARP/ bomb-induced earthquake tremors up and down the NMFault and maybe the big quake. This way the quake could be blamed on terrorists keeping the terror smokescreen alive in Orwellian fashion. The Sear's is now the biggest tower in the US and definitely a target. I even heard that the future demolition was planned into the structures of Sears and WTC, possibly even with the bomb already in place. Seems improbable, and I was right about to drop this whole possible prophecy idea until I just found out that the demon prince Larry Silverstein acquired the Sear's Tower on March 12th, 2004. Come on, Larry Silvertongue? Are they seriously running out of dastardly big players in this cheater's chess game? Now it all makes sense. A beyond Katrina earthquake no matter who gets blamed down the road, will seem as if Mother Earth has forsakened and betrayed us, and those who have died in this disaster will be welcomed up into the arms of god's love and bathed in his light. Also a nice reference to the bath of baptism which begins a connection with God. Sufjan is one of the most gifted and visionary musicians writing today and I want to be the first to name him as a prophet. But, like most prophets, who share their vision like a warning, he probably hopes he is wrong. Let's hope so, too. A few dates in May that may be coincidental....
* May 11th 2011- "Earthquake Drills" in 7 states along New Madrid Fault (tower downed)
*May 16th 2011Rahm-bo takes office as mayor of Chicago forever
*May 21st 2011 Judgement Day according to Camping and his zealots (Great day for a biblical quake)
*Oct 21, 2011 End of World (Camping again)
"The two most important jobs in the United states are President and Mayor of Chicago" smiled Obama
"Yeah, and not necessarily in that order!" quipped Rahm devilishly.
Obviously the song is about Revelation. Great find about the author being known as the "seer", which further clinches it. The title is clearly a play on "The Sears Tower", the most well-known landmark in "illinoise".
In the tower above the earth
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe
I see the fire, I see the end
The tower above the earth is probably heaven, where this vision comes of Revelation from. Seeing the fire & the end is obviously the apocalyptic vision of Revelation.
Seven miles above the earth
There is Emmanuel of mothers
With his sword, with his robe
He comes dividing man from brothers
Clearly references the many points in the bible that say that Christ came to divide, not to unite. I'm not sure if "mothers" might mean the churches, which are often referred to as women in the bible, with its parishioners being the children.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it RESURRECTS
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel
Oh, my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us
They were building up God's kingdom for Christ's return. There will be a "new earth" in the end. There could be so many levels to the last line:
-His personal mom betrayed them, but father took care of them
-"Mother" earth & its material promises were all a lie, but Yahweh/God rescued him
-The churches were filled with wickedness and led many astray, but he knows to listen to God instead
Still I go to the deepest grave
Where I go to sleep alone
I take this as him still being haunted by his terrible past, which is referenced in much of his music.
This is from an album about Illinois. A major part of Illinois history is the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, which at one time boasted a higher population that Chicago and Quincy, the two largest cities at that time.
The mormons built a temple and it was burned to the ground and then destroyed by a tornado. They built a tower for Emmanuel.
i don't think it is from the viewpoint of Smith though. I think it is from a journal, Sufjan was said to have studied some journals for the album.