I loved this song in 1989, and still think it's great. I've been listening to Hold Your Fire a lot recently. I had been thinking Mission was about the appropriate relationship with the artists who inspire you - don't be sorry that you're not as skillful as them, because it tears you apart to be creative at the highest level, it seems to say. Sort of a followup to "Limelight".
I just finished reading some Terence McKenna and when I listened to Mission again I heard something new. McKenna says that in ancient times, if you needed healing, the shamans would take psychedelic drugs and interpret their visions for you. I started thinking the "spriit with a vision" was the shaman, and the "dream with a mission" is you, the regular person who is trying to figure out what to do. Your dreams don't necessarily have to manifest themselves every day in your life; they still are a part of you that gives you power, if you pay attention. And the shaman's visions (perhaps this amazing songwriting, perhaps a painting or a novel you love) can flow into you and influence your dreams and desires.
I loved this song in 1989, and still think it's great. I've been listening to Hold Your Fire a lot recently. I had been thinking Mission was about the appropriate relationship with the artists who inspire you - don't be sorry that you're not as skillful as them, because it tears you apart to be creative at the highest level, it seems to say. Sort of a followup to "Limelight".
I just finished reading some Terence McKenna and when I listened to Mission again I heard something new. McKenna says that in ancient times, if you needed healing, the shamans would take psychedelic drugs and interpret their visions for you. I started thinking the "spriit with a vision" was the shaman, and the "dream with a mission" is you, the regular person who is trying to figure out what to do. Your dreams don't necessarily have to manifest themselves every day in your life; they still are a part of you that gives you power, if you pay attention. And the shaman's visions (perhaps this amazing songwriting, perhaps a painting or a novel you love) can flow into you and influence your dreams and desires.