This song is about reaching enlightenment. It references several texts in ancient theory, most notably Plato's Cave and Homer's Odyssey.
Plato's Cave sets up a scenario in which prisoners, from childbirth, are shackled and chained deep within a cave, unable to move their heads and thus forced to look at the wall in front of them. Above and behind them, there is a platform, and behind that, a fire. On the platform figures walk and interact with objects, and the light from the fire projects their shadows onto the wall below. To the prisoners, the shadows are reality, being the only thing they have ever witnessed. When a prisoner breaks free, he turns around and realizes his idea of reality was a mere illusion, and despite being scared, goes further up until he reaches the sunlight outside of the cave, which is the source of all truth. He then returns to his fellow prisoners.
It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind.
(The one who has successfully made the journey, the enlightened one, has returned to his fellow prisoners, to convince them they must do the same)
The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat
(Telling them how he once saw the way they did, a one sided view of the world)
But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
(I won't let you die still trapped by the chain around your neck)
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
(Despite knowing he must change, he can never escape what he once was, like the prisoners)
Because I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind.
(Whether or not you will break free, I won't waste too much of my time. I have found the truth, and it refreshes my broken mind)
So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears
(He knows this is what he was meant to become, despite his weariness of it)
So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's land
(You must break free of your chains, you can only truly live once you reach the sun)
So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
(A reference to the sirens in the Homer's Odyssey. He says that no matter the temptations, he will not return to the shackled life)
Because I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be
Really interesting insights -- I've been trying to see how Plato's Cave Allegory works its way in here and you've lade it out nicely. One thing you didn't comment on was the lyric "tie me to a post and block my ears," which directly references the sirens scene in the Odyssey (Odysseus asks his crewmates to tie him to the mast so that he can hear the sirens' song but cannot escape to meet his death in their trap). This sets up an interesting contrast -- with Plato, freedom comes from escaping the chains, and following the path that the...
Really interesting insights -- I've been trying to see how Plato's Cave Allegory works its way in here and you've lade it out nicely. One thing you didn't comment on was the lyric "tie me to a post and block my ears," which directly references the sirens scene in the Odyssey (Odysseus asks his crewmates to tie him to the mast so that he can hear the sirens' song but cannot escape to meet his death in their trap). This sets up an interesting contrast -- with Plato, freedom comes from escaping the chains, and following the path that the others in the cave have not walked before. In the Odyssey, however, Odysseus' being tied up gives him a new freedom, as he allows himself to listen to the song without letting it kill him, and thus tempting but ultimately foiling fate. Also, there is an interesting paradox in the last stanza: he wants freedom, but he wants to live his life as it's "meant to be" -- an idea that beautifully sums up the contrasting ideas presented in Homer and Plato.
This song is about reaching enlightenment. It references several texts in ancient theory, most notably Plato's Cave and Homer's Odyssey.
Plato's Cave sets up a scenario in which prisoners, from childbirth, are shackled and chained deep within a cave, unable to move their heads and thus forced to look at the wall in front of them. Above and behind them, there is a platform, and behind that, a fire. On the platform figures walk and interact with objects, and the light from the fire projects their shadows onto the wall below. To the prisoners, the shadows are reality, being the only thing they have ever witnessed. When a prisoner breaks free, he turns around and realizes his idea of reality was a mere illusion, and despite being scared, goes further up until he reaches the sunlight outside of the cave, which is the source of all truth. He then returns to his fellow prisoners.
It's empty in the valley of your heart The sun, it rises slowly as you walk Away from all the fears And all the faults you've left behind.
(The one who has successfully made the journey, the enlightened one, has returned to his fellow prisoners, to convince them they must do the same)
The harvest left no food for you to eat You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see But I have seen the same I know the shame in your defeat
(Telling them how he once saw the way they did, a one sided view of the world)
But I will hold on hope And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck
(I won't let you die still trapped by the chain around your neck)
And I'll find strength in pain And I will change my ways I'll know my name as it's called again
(Despite knowing he must change, he can never escape what he once was, like the prisoners)
Because I have other things to fill my time You take what is yours and I'll take mine Now let me at the truth Which will refresh my broken mind.
(Whether or not you will break free, I won't waste too much of my time. I have found the truth, and it refreshes my broken mind)
So tie me to a post and block my ears I can see widows and orphans through my tears I know my call despite my faults And despite my growing fears
(He knows this is what he was meant to become, despite his weariness of it)
So come out of your cave walking on your hands And see the world hanging upside down You can understand dependence When you know the maker's land
(You must break free of your chains, you can only truly live once you reach the sun)
So make your siren's call And sing all you want I will not hear what you have to say
(A reference to the sirens in the Homer's Odyssey. He says that no matter the temptations, he will not return to the shackled life)
Because I need freedom now And I need to know how To live my life as it's meant to be
(Self-explanatory)
Really interesting insights -- I've been trying to see how Plato's Cave Allegory works its way in here and you've lade it out nicely. One thing you didn't comment on was the lyric "tie me to a post and block my ears," which directly references the sirens scene in the Odyssey (Odysseus asks his crewmates to tie him to the mast so that he can hear the sirens' song but cannot escape to meet his death in their trap). This sets up an interesting contrast -- with Plato, freedom comes from escaping the chains, and following the path that the...
Really interesting insights -- I've been trying to see how Plato's Cave Allegory works its way in here and you've lade it out nicely. One thing you didn't comment on was the lyric "tie me to a post and block my ears," which directly references the sirens scene in the Odyssey (Odysseus asks his crewmates to tie him to the mast so that he can hear the sirens' song but cannot escape to meet his death in their trap). This sets up an interesting contrast -- with Plato, freedom comes from escaping the chains, and following the path that the others in the cave have not walked before. In the Odyssey, however, Odysseus' being tied up gives him a new freedom, as he allows himself to listen to the song without letting it kill him, and thus tempting but ultimately foiling fate. Also, there is an interesting paradox in the last stanza: he wants freedom, but he wants to live his life as it's "meant to be" -- an idea that beautifully sums up the contrasting ideas presented in Homer and Plato.
Whoops, somehow I misspelled laid. I know how it's spelled. Silly me.
Whoops, somehow I misspelled laid. I know how it's spelled. Silly me.
Nailed it
Nailed it