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Pillary stocks at the gallows tree dock
the crowd grew impatient as the clouds threatened rain
Elephant arrived at the Constable's side,
with her trunk locked in shackles, and her ankles in chains
Bailiff: "All rise, all rise, his Honor presides,"
the Judge took the bench to the village brass cavalcade,
Elephant refused to swear the oath,
Elephant: "I don't know anything about truth,
but I know falsehood when I see it,
and it looks like this whole world you've made"
Good of our chaplain to sail Kalispell Bay
And now down on his marrow for this old fool to pray,
"Lord, for sixty-so years I've surrendered my love,
to emblems of kindness, and not the kindness they were emblems of,
Trammels and rings, with the strength of old strings,
and some hobble skirt spring, by the old problem caught,
Children, sometimes I think all our thoughts are just things,
and then sometimes think things are just thoughts,"
and the rabble rang
Crowd: Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Elephant: A thirteen coil knot for the samovar pot!
Scottish Oatcakes in haversacks each to its grave
This mock trial can no more determine my lot,
than can driftwood determine the ocean's waves,
Brandish your ropes and your boards, and your basket-hilt swords,
but what is there can punish like a conscience ignored?
Yes, my body did just as you implied,
while some ghost we'll call 'I' idly watched through its eyes,"
and the jury sang,
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Elephant: I feel it stealing now
All adrift fathoms down
the crowd grew impatient as the clouds threatened rain
Elephant arrived at the Constable's side,
with her trunk locked in shackles, and her ankles in chains
Bailiff: "All rise, all rise, his Honor presides,"
the Judge took the bench to the village brass cavalcade,
Elephant refused to swear the oath,
Elephant: "I don't know anything about truth,
but I know falsehood when I see it,
and it looks like this whole world you've made"
Good of our chaplain to sail Kalispell Bay
And now down on his marrow for this old fool to pray,
"Lord, for sixty-so years I've surrendered my love,
to emblems of kindness, and not the kindness they were emblems of,
Trammels and rings, with the strength of old strings,
and some hobble skirt spring, by the old problem caught,
Children, sometimes I think all our thoughts are just things,
and then sometimes think things are just thoughts,"
and the rabble rang
Crowd: Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Elephant: A thirteen coil knot for the samovar pot!
Scottish Oatcakes in haversacks each to its grave
This mock trial can no more determine my lot,
than can driftwood determine the ocean's waves,
Brandish your ropes and your boards, and your basket-hilt swords,
but what is there can punish like a conscience ignored?
Yes, my body did just as you implied,
while some ghost we'll call 'I' idly watched through its eyes,"
and the jury sang,
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Hang! the Elephant must hang! the Elephant must hang!
Elephant: I feel it stealing now
All adrift fathoms down
Lyrics submitted by chrisiacovetti, edited by NankerPhelge, japanjeff
Track duration: 03:51
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"Players and painted stage took all my love,
And not those things that they were emblems of."
I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the verse:
"some hobble skirt spring, by the old problem caught..." This one puzzles me. All I can think is that is referencing the same idea as 'In a Sweater Poorly Knit' - "The trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead." Anyone else have an opinion?
"Lord, for sixty-so years I've surrendered my love,
to emblems of kindness, and not the kindness they were emblems of..."
I love this line and it is really perplexing to me.
"Players and painted stage took all my love,
And not those things that they were emblems of."
"Lord, for sixty-so years I've surrendered my love,
to emblems of kindness, and not the kindness they were emblems of..."
I love this line and it is really perplexing to me.
while some ghost we'll call "I" idly watched through its eyes,"
If the elephant is God, her body could refer to the church upon which actions the non-believing world judges God, while the Elephants ghost (the holy spirit) idly watched though it's eyes.
but it seems also this song is about multiple things, so this is just one interpretation.
"Its title implies "God on Trial"[1] and is based on an analogy made by Lewis suggesting that modern human beings, rather than seeing themselves as standing before God in judgment, prefer to place God on trial while acting as his judge."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
I have read many of Lewis's works but only even heard of this one a few days ago. I wouldn't have made the connection except for a comment on February 1878 where someone thought the Elephant might represent God.