Montezuma

First of all I just want to say that I've been visiting this website quite often for a long time now, yet this is the first I actually create a user and post a comment. I think it has a lot to do with how stunningly beautiful this song is.

On to the song itself… this is going to be quite long detailed, but it might be worth it :) I think the lyrics are about growing up and realizing what's really important in life. The speaker is reflecting back on 'what he used to be' from a new perspective.

"So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now what does that say about me?"

He starts by posing a question - now that I've reached the age where my parents already had a child, what does that mean? I am no longer a child myself, being taken care of constantly and free to be completely selfish and self centered. I am in the next phase of my life.

"Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love Could I wash my hands of just looking out for me?"

In direct relation to the previous line, the selfless and true love is that of a parent to his or her child - changing our priorities and truly putting someone else above ourselves — but it also pertains to any ideal of unconditional love. The speaker is asking himself if he can even dream of something so noble and pure at this point of his life, and wonders if he could actually change his ways: 'wash his hands' of being selfish and thinking only of himself.

"Oh man what I used to be Oh man oh my oh me"

This is such a simple line yet it has so much depth and emotion in the context of the song and its melody. We've all said this to ourselves before in one way or another when thinking about our past, especially our childhood. The speaker is evolving and maturing, and from this new perspective he can look back on what he used to be with this beautiful mix of sorrow, compassion and longing that I get when I listen to this tune.

"In dearth or in excess Both the slave and the empress will return to the dirt I guess Naked as when they came"

Beyond any ego, material possessions, wealth or status (as exemplified by the comparison of an empress to a slave) - we all leave this world just as we came into it, naked and without anything at all. He is realizing that his endless pursuit after these things is meaningless and empty. What is important then? Here it comes:

"I wonder if I'll see any faces above me or just cracks in the ceiling Nobody else to blame"

When it's our time to die and leave this world, will we be surrounded by our loved ones or will we be staring at the ceiling all alone? The answer to this question is totally up to you and how you live your life, hence there is 'nobody else to blame'. This is just as relevant to the empress as it is to the slave, and all the money in the world can't change that.

"Gold teeth and gold jewelry, every piece of your dowry Throw them into the tomb with me, bury them with my name Unless i have someday ran my wandering mind away"

This part is a bit trickier. I take it almost as a confession, showing how he is still very connected to his ego: wealth (gold teeth and jewelry), selfish love (symbolized by the dowry, the 'price' of a bride, unlike the priceless, selfless love in which there is nothing specific to gain) and his status or reputation in the eyes of society, his 'name'. He wants all of these things to be buried with him, unable to let them go even when he dies and they become of no use. This is beautifully contrasting his earlier realizations, and shows how he is still unable to actually live by them... unless he will someday ‘run his wandering mind way’. To me that means silencing the voice in your head that is never satisfied, that constantly wants more and always wanders off instead of being present and grateful in the moment. We're almost done now when this line totally throws me off:

"Oh man what i used to be Montezuma to Tripoli"

As far as I understand this is reference to the "Marines' Hymn", the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps. In the original piece the line goes:

"From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli We fight our country's battles in the air, on land, and sea"

I see it delivering a double punch: the first is a metaphor for the entire process the song talks about in the form of a battle. The Halls of Montezuma represent his current self-centered state of being and the shores of Tripoli are the promised land of unconditional, selfless love. He is fighting the battle, so to speak, of conquering himself. A second meaning could be that the song serves both as a personal account and a political one, where that same process is relevant for the US as a nation: ‘washing its hands’ of looking out only for itself and realizing that it's not as important if you're the emperor or the slave as it is that you are good to others, to the world at large.

I would love to hear your guys' opinions on this line, as it's quite open ended. Personally, as far as the impact and meaning the song holds for me go, I choose to basically disregard whatever political aspects and stay with the soulful, spiritual and intimate confession of a man.

That’s it for now. Congratulations for making it this far! Have a beautiful day and don't forget to smile :)