The whole Faith album doesn't seem to be getting much respect with number of posts. Oh well.
Faith the song is great. However I don't think the song wants us to believe it is a good thing to have. With all the shitty things that happen in the world and this song touches on some of them, I feel Robert is singing to say that we've all failed. It's his "fuck you world" song. "No one lifts their eyes, no one lifts their hands..." to fix these problems. We could have "perfection" but no one even dares to try...people just don't care...all they offer are "empty words" as they have become complacent in life as they've found "faith." Why try to make anything better when you have Faith on your side? That's the kicker...
So then what is Robert to do? Well this is where rainydayboy's comments come in...you gotta have Faith to keep on going through this bleak world. And that's what Robert does...not because it is what he wants or even will make him happy. But because the only other option is suicide..."Catch me if I fall, I'm losing hold, Can't just carry on this way." He wants to carry on...even if it means giving up his idealism.
The song takes the grey feeling the album has...that there is beauty in bad things but that bad things are still bad. Silver lining in the black cloud but not good enough...at least not to me and I don't think to Robert either.
I totally agree with you. Despite the amount of people who se faith as a positive thing, this song simply cannot show it in a good light, due to the tone of the song.
I totally agree with you. Despite the amount of people who se faith as a positive thing, this song simply cannot show it in a good light, due to the tone of the song.
Honestly, I agree with your interpretation of this song. I even think this is the only possible interpretation. The problem is that Robert Smith is not a man every word of whom you should trust. That's what he said about "Faith" song in Cure Fanzine (09/89):
Honestly, I agree with your interpretation of this song. I even think this is the only possible interpretation. The problem is that Robert Smith is not a man every word of whom you should trust. That's what he said about "Faith" song in Cure Fanzine (09/89):
"self explanatory, as optimistic as i could get, it does, or should, offer a note of HOPE"
"self explanatory, as optimistic as i could get, it does, or should, offer a note of HOPE"
So, the song meant to be quite optimistic but it actually isn't. Smith also said he didn't have any faith (neither religious, nor some other) at that time. Following your logic (i.e. logic of this song) he had to commit suicide. We all know he didn't.
The whole concept of "Faith" album is unclear to me. I still haven't got a clue which faith Robert wrote about. He was and is an atheist, and in "The Holy Hour" he once again expressed his disappointment in religion. Taking into consideration the mood of the songs and the music, I think he implicated religious faith. He said he wanted to get different expressions of faith and to understand why people believe - in God, in themselves, in something else. This meant to be the main idea of the album but it's explored in just two songs - "The Holy Hour' and "Faith", the other ones are about growing old, losing purity and dying. So why call the album "Faith"? It all seems a bit pretentious to me.
Nevertheless the album is great, this song is great. Just don't pay too much attention to what its creator once said and have your own opinion.
The whole Faith album doesn't seem to be getting much respect with number of posts. Oh well.
Faith the song is great. However I don't think the song wants us to believe it is a good thing to have. With all the shitty things that happen in the world and this song touches on some of them, I feel Robert is singing to say that we've all failed. It's his "fuck you world" song. "No one lifts their eyes, no one lifts their hands..." to fix these problems. We could have "perfection" but no one even dares to try...people just don't care...all they offer are "empty words" as they have become complacent in life as they've found "faith." Why try to make anything better when you have Faith on your side? That's the kicker...
So then what is Robert to do? Well this is where rainydayboy's comments come in...you gotta have Faith to keep on going through this bleak world. And that's what Robert does...not because it is what he wants or even will make him happy. But because the only other option is suicide..."Catch me if I fall, I'm losing hold, Can't just carry on this way." He wants to carry on...even if it means giving up his idealism.
The song takes the grey feeling the album has...that there is beauty in bad things but that bad things are still bad. Silver lining in the black cloud but not good enough...at least not to me and I don't think to Robert either.
I totally agree with you. Despite the amount of people who se faith as a positive thing, this song simply cannot show it in a good light, due to the tone of the song.
I totally agree with you. Despite the amount of people who se faith as a positive thing, this song simply cannot show it in a good light, due to the tone of the song.
Honestly, I agree with your interpretation of this song. I even think this is the only possible interpretation. The problem is that Robert Smith is not a man every word of whom you should trust. That's what he said about "Faith" song in Cure Fanzine (09/89):
Honestly, I agree with your interpretation of this song. I even think this is the only possible interpretation. The problem is that Robert Smith is not a man every word of whom you should trust. That's what he said about "Faith" song in Cure Fanzine (09/89):
"self explanatory, as optimistic as i could get, it does, or should, offer a note of HOPE"
"self explanatory, as optimistic as i could get, it does, or should, offer a note of HOPE"
So, the song meant to be quite optimistic but it actually isn't. Smith also said he didn't have any faith (neither religious, nor some other) at that time. Following your logic (i.e. logic of this song) he had to commit suicide. We all know he didn't.
The whole concept of "Faith" album is unclear to me. I still haven't got a clue which faith Robert wrote about. He was and is an atheist, and in "The Holy Hour" he once again expressed his disappointment in religion. Taking into consideration the mood of the songs and the music, I think he implicated religious faith. He said he wanted to get different expressions of faith and to understand why people believe - in God, in themselves, in something else. This meant to be the main idea of the album but it's explored in just two songs - "The Holy Hour' and "Faith", the other ones are about growing old, losing purity and dying. So why call the album "Faith"? It all seems a bit pretentious to me.
Nevertheless the album is great, this song is great. Just don't pay too much attention to what its creator once said and have your own opinion.