"The heretic is beautified, he'll teach the harlot's child to smile"
The harlot's child...a prostitute's child...I guess you could assume the harlot's child is confused about who "The Father" is/ the "Father" is absent from their life...the harlot's child = non-believer/someone who has not been looked after by God?
"Wracked again by indecision
Should we make that small incision
Testify to the bleeding heart inside?
We cut, we scratched
We rent, we slashed
And when he opened up at last
Found a cul-de-sac
Deep and black
Of smoke and ash"
Could she again be speaking about God...the indecision being doubt about whether to believe in him or his good intentions/compassion? Then on further close investigation (cut/scratch/rent/slash) we find he has no heart...only a deep black cul-de-sac of smoke and ash (heartless destructiveness)?
The idea of a destructive heartless God seems to follow with the next verse:
"The wicked king of parody
Is kissing all his enemies
On the seventh day
Of the seventh week
The tyrant's voice is softer now
But just for one forgiving hour
Before the rise of his
Iron fist again "
God is the "wicked king of parody" and a "tyrant" who, in the final moments of the apocalypse kisses all his enemies and speaks softly to them but only briefly (for one forgiving hour) before he raises his "iron fist" and mercilessly destroys them.
referring to the raft as "crooked" could mean it is immoral. The drunken souls (deluded, "drunk" on the holy spirit - as in pentecostal beliefs - drunk on a belief system?) are ferried...this gives me the impression of people being moved like cattle...not really 'steering' their own way. This is reinforced by speaking of pilgrims following in a trance/catatonic dance (can't use their own minds). But in their delusion/blindness they are safe and warm, it is easier and safer for them not to think outside the box...
I love the words "catatonic dance"...catatonia is basically a stupor, someone who is catatonic cannot dance of their own accord...so it gives the impression of a limp, brain-dead body being remotely controlled/hypnotised by an outside force.
I love this song and can really relate to it. God - the God of the Old Testament especially - to me seems a very cruel, vengeful, heartless and violent God (see evilbible.com for examples!). For me, Christianity is a fairy-tale, and if God is real in the way the bible says he is, I reject him because I do not agree with the things he has supposed to have done/has ordered to be done to men, women, children and animals. That said, there is some good stuff in the New Testament...but there is still too much blood, war, killing, rape, animal sacrifice, child abuse etc for me to agree with the religion. This is from an ex-christian btw who has studied the bible in detail.
Wow. After reading these lyrics I felt the same way about it relating to "God" esp. of the Old Testament. I am also a former Christian. I haven't studied the Bible in detail, but I have studied the Bible for many yers, and what really solidified my rejection of the religion was taking Early Greek Philosophy and learning the origins of the words in the Bible such as "sin," and then taking world religions and seeing how ridiculous organized religion is when put in perspective.
Wow. After reading these lyrics I felt the same way about it relating to "God" esp. of the Old Testament. I am also a former Christian. I haven't studied the Bible in detail, but I have studied the Bible for many yers, and what really solidified my rejection of the religion was taking Early Greek Philosophy and learning the origins of the words in the Bible such as "sin," and then taking world religions and seeing how ridiculous organized religion is when put in perspective.
"The heretic is beautified, he'll teach the harlot's child to smile" The harlot's child...a prostitute's child...I guess you could assume the harlot's child is confused about who "The Father" is/ the "Father" is absent from their life...the harlot's child = non-believer/someone who has not been looked after by God?
"Wracked again by indecision Should we make that small incision Testify to the bleeding heart inside? We cut, we scratched We rent, we slashed And when he opened up at last Found a cul-de-sac Deep and black Of smoke and ash"
Could she again be speaking about God...the indecision being doubt about whether to believe in him or his good intentions/compassion? Then on further close investigation (cut/scratch/rent/slash) we find he has no heart...only a deep black cul-de-sac of smoke and ash (heartless destructiveness)?
The idea of a destructive heartless God seems to follow with the next verse:
"The wicked king of parody Is kissing all his enemies On the seventh day Of the seventh week The tyrant's voice is softer now But just for one forgiving hour Before the rise of his Iron fist again "
God is the "wicked king of parody" and a "tyrant" who, in the final moments of the apocalypse kisses all his enemies and speaks softly to them but only briefly (for one forgiving hour) before he raises his "iron fist" and mercilessly destroys them.
referring to the raft as "crooked" could mean it is immoral. The drunken souls (deluded, "drunk" on the holy spirit - as in pentecostal beliefs - drunk on a belief system?) are ferried...this gives me the impression of people being moved like cattle...not really 'steering' their own way. This is reinforced by speaking of pilgrims following in a trance/catatonic dance (can't use their own minds). But in their delusion/blindness they are safe and warm, it is easier and safer for them not to think outside the box...
I love the words "catatonic dance"...catatonia is basically a stupor, someone who is catatonic cannot dance of their own accord...so it gives the impression of a limp, brain-dead body being remotely controlled/hypnotised by an outside force.
I love this song and can really relate to it. God - the God of the Old Testament especially - to me seems a very cruel, vengeful, heartless and violent God (see evilbible.com for examples!). For me, Christianity is a fairy-tale, and if God is real in the way the bible says he is, I reject him because I do not agree with the things he has supposed to have done/has ordered to be done to men, women, children and animals. That said, there is some good stuff in the New Testament...but there is still too much blood, war, killing, rape, animal sacrifice, child abuse etc for me to agree with the religion. This is from an ex-christian btw who has studied the bible in detail.
Natalie Merchant is awesome...
Wow. After reading these lyrics I felt the same way about it relating to "God" esp. of the Old Testament. I am also a former Christian. I haven't studied the Bible in detail, but I have studied the Bible for many yers, and what really solidified my rejection of the religion was taking Early Greek Philosophy and learning the origins of the words in the Bible such as "sin," and then taking world religions and seeing how ridiculous organized religion is when put in perspective.
Wow. After reading these lyrics I felt the same way about it relating to "God" esp. of the Old Testament. I am also a former Christian. I haven't studied the Bible in detail, but I have studied the Bible for many yers, and what really solidified my rejection of the religion was taking Early Greek Philosophy and learning the origins of the words in the Bible such as "sin," and then taking world religions and seeing how ridiculous organized religion is when put in perspective.