Bentol's on to something -- between the Paradise Lost and the trinity references, God is a good call. One of my two favourite theories for this song.
Going with the god-theory: Rather than actual god, I think ol' Nick's describing the -idea- of god, drawn from the prayers of the wretched of a modern capitalist society. Divinity is meaningless, mercy and salvation are meaningless. All that matters is what you can get out of it, and so it doesn't matter who you're talking to (the 'ghost, god, man, guru' -bit). This is also why the description is so horriffic -- this is God as a dealer, the kind of guy who treats his congregation as customers. Pay your dues (in faith) and you'll get your fix of good stuff, don't and your life will be hell because always you'll be haunted by what you may ahve missed.
My problem with that theory is that it leaves the first verse (all that modern industrialist imagery) completely hanging. That's why I'd suggest a second identity for the man with the hand. On the one hand, it's the vindictive dealer image of God that runs through American politics. On the other, it's secular government as a controlling, identity-stealing and individualism-crushing force. That's what the lyric seems to be saying to me: "Big Brother is watching, he knows all about you, he's everywhere, and this is -his- world. Conform to what we want you to want, or be ground down."
Bentol's on to something -- between the Paradise Lost and the trinity references, God is a good call. One of my two favourite theories for this song.
Going with the god-theory: Rather than actual god, I think ol' Nick's describing the -idea- of god, drawn from the prayers of the wretched of a modern capitalist society. Divinity is meaningless, mercy and salvation are meaningless. All that matters is what you can get out of it, and so it doesn't matter who you're talking to (the 'ghost, god, man, guru' -bit). This is also why the description is so horriffic -- this is God as a dealer, the kind of guy who treats his congregation as customers. Pay your dues (in faith) and you'll get your fix of good stuff, don't and your life will be hell because always you'll be haunted by what you may ahve missed.
My problem with that theory is that it leaves the first verse (all that modern industrialist imagery) completely hanging. That's why I'd suggest a second identity for the man with the hand. On the one hand, it's the vindictive dealer image of God that runs through American politics. On the other, it's secular government as a controlling, identity-stealing and individualism-crushing force. That's what the lyric seems to be saying to me: "Big Brother is watching, he knows all about you, he's everywhere, and this is -his- world. Conform to what we want you to want, or be ground down."