Wow... I just listened to this twice (in a row, I mean. I've listened to it every day since I downloaded it.) and am dumbstruck. Well, not quite, :) cuz I am going attempt to say what I take away from this song. I may be way out in left field, so let me know what you think.
The first two verses
We cling to our routines and our traditions. Shooing away crows and folding laundry is a perfect image of a rural scene.
Keeping grandma's gun and the black bear claw that took her dog...
I think this refers to the civil rights movement. Bear with me here. Beam seems to use the image of the dog as a spriritual gaurdian. Like in the title of the album which is a traditional symbol for a loyal servant of Christ. The gun represents the violence in the South against blacks and the black claw the civil rights movement that tore apart the South and exposed the lack of obedience to true Christian values that segregation was. (took her dog)
Sister Lowery is a Civil Rights activist, so that may be what he is saying about not hearing her Amen over the clack of the train. Sort of like not quite believing in the "New South".
Fourth verse has me a bit flummoxed. But the imagery seems to fit somehow. A delapitated house, wasted bravery, and shame.
Then the chorus... oh my, what a chorus.
We'll undress beside the ashes of the fire...
Again, the destruction of the old ways
Our tender bellies all wound in baling wire...
At the end of the day, we are all human, all frail, all wounded. Baling wire is just so brilliant here. Anywhere there is livestock and farming (anywhere there's hay bales) baling wire is ubitquitous. My folks used to say anything that was fixed in a temporary, half-assed way was held together with "Wrigley's and baling wire."
More a pair of underwater pearls...
Two equals snuggled together, small and beautiful.
Than the oak tree and the resurrection fern...
Than a stalwart, powerful man and a dependent woman.
Or, alternatively, if you look at this as not a man and a woman in a relationship, but as blacks and whites... We come stripped of prejudice (we undress beside the ashes of the fire) We expose our tenderness and and our shared humanity (both our tender bellies wound in baling wire) And in this way we can see each other as equals. (All the more a pair of underwater pearls than the oak tree and its resurrection fern)
Last two verses
We did what the culture seemed to demand of us, and where did it get us?
Not sure about the boys with big green eyes seeing everything. Beam may be saying that they have some enlightenment now. Or maybe not. green eyes bring to mind jealousy... This one is eluding me, too.
That's enough for now... so much for being dumbstruck!
Wow... I just listened to this twice (in a row, I mean. I've listened to it every day since I downloaded it.) and am dumbstruck. Well, not quite, :) cuz I am going attempt to say what I take away from this song. I may be way out in left field, so let me know what you think.
The first two verses We cling to our routines and our traditions. Shooing away crows and folding laundry is a perfect image of a rural scene.
Keeping grandma's gun and the black bear claw that took her dog... I think this refers to the civil rights movement. Bear with me here. Beam seems to use the image of the dog as a spriritual gaurdian. Like in the title of the album which is a traditional symbol for a loyal servant of Christ. The gun represents the violence in the South against blacks and the black claw the civil rights movement that tore apart the South and exposed the lack of obedience to true Christian values that segregation was. (took her dog)
Sister Lowery is a Civil Rights activist, so that may be what he is saying about not hearing her Amen over the clack of the train. Sort of like not quite believing in the "New South".
Fourth verse has me a bit flummoxed. But the imagery seems to fit somehow. A delapitated house, wasted bravery, and shame.
Then the chorus... oh my, what a chorus. We'll undress beside the ashes of the fire... Again, the destruction of the old ways Our tender bellies all wound in baling wire... At the end of the day, we are all human, all frail, all wounded. Baling wire is just so brilliant here. Anywhere there is livestock and farming (anywhere there's hay bales) baling wire is ubitquitous. My folks used to say anything that was fixed in a temporary, half-assed way was held together with "Wrigley's and baling wire." More a pair of underwater pearls... Two equals snuggled together, small and beautiful. Than the oak tree and the resurrection fern... Than a stalwart, powerful man and a dependent woman.
Or, alternatively, if you look at this as not a man and a woman in a relationship, but as blacks and whites... We come stripped of prejudice (we undress beside the ashes of the fire) We expose our tenderness and and our shared humanity (both our tender bellies wound in baling wire) And in this way we can see each other as equals. (All the more a pair of underwater pearls than the oak tree and its resurrection fern)
Last two verses We did what the culture seemed to demand of us, and where did it get us?
Not sure about the boys with big green eyes seeing everything. Beam may be saying that they have some enlightenment now. Or maybe not. green eyes bring to mind jealousy... This one is eluding me, too.
That's enough for now... so much for being dumbstruck!
@songyone I think you nailed it. Excellent analysis. I signed up to songmeanings.com -just-because-of-your-review- !
@songyone I think you nailed it. Excellent analysis. I signed up to songmeanings.com -just-because-of-your-review- !
I suppose the use above of in the lyrics text of 'sister Laurie' might throw some folks, but clearly the line is sung as 'Sister Lowery'.
I suppose the use above of in the lyrics text of 'sister Laurie' might throw some folks, but clearly the line is sung as 'Sister Lowery'.