i just finished reading crime and punishment by dostojevski yesterday (finally) and read these lyrics for the first time today after having loved tje song for a long time and i never would have noticed the simlarities if i hadn't just read that book (obvi) but i think i see quite a few references in this song
it is not precisely a songversion of the book or even part of the book nor is it as philosophical or deep (crime and punishment is nearly 700 pages long so there is a little more space to delve into the mindset of the characters) but there are in my opinion nevertheless a feeling to it of that book and recurring themes
"It's alright to kill and it's alright to steal
if you're willing to hold up your part of the deal.
There are plenty of things that are worth dying for
but you'll never know until you open that door.
And reasons for living are seldom and few
and if you see one you better stick to it like glue, yes it's true, it is true."
these lines are almost taken from the book cause the very theme in the book is exactly what is right and what is wrong shown by the case of raskolnikov - the main character -kills an old lady and her sister (the last one by accident though) and throughout the book reflects on whether it was right or wrong. he comes to the conclusion that it was wrong because he got caught and not because it's wrong killing and that he's not worthy of killing because he's no napoleon. the the "willing to hold up the part of the deal"-thing
the "stick to it like glue" i think is a reference to a prostitute named sonja who follows him to siberia for all the nine years he's gonna do his sentence.
"No matter how brilliant a woman, you're only a kid."
sonja is much younger than raskolnikov and he always seems annoyed with her naitivity and ignorance and faith by the way which might explain the lines "Was it the devil, or was it the lord
who gave you those words,
the ones I never heard?" because they never formulate their feelings toward each other but you can clearly see the love they have at the end of the novel and it is quitely hinted that raskolnikov becomes more of a believer at the end and sonja less of one.
these are just a couple and the most clear examples of references i see and i don't intend to claim that the song is about that book because i don't think it is and i think that the interpretations of the song being about the civil war is not bad either (even though they wrote it earlier doesn't mean they didn't reinterpret the song for this album. i don't think they just put old random stuff on an album this conceptual) but i think it is interresting if he truely drew on dostojevski's great (litterally) classic novel and it gives the song a nice little twist
i just finished reading crime and punishment by dostojevski yesterday (finally) and read these lyrics for the first time today after having loved tje song for a long time and i never would have noticed the simlarities if i hadn't just read that book (obvi) but i think i see quite a few references in this song it is not precisely a songversion of the book or even part of the book nor is it as philosophical or deep (crime and punishment is nearly 700 pages long so there is a little more space to delve into the mindset of the characters) but there are in my opinion nevertheless a feeling to it of that book and recurring themes "It's alright to kill and it's alright to steal if you're willing to hold up your part of the deal. There are plenty of things that are worth dying for but you'll never know until you open that door. And reasons for living are seldom and few and if you see one you better stick to it like glue, yes it's true, it is true." these lines are almost taken from the book cause the very theme in the book is exactly what is right and what is wrong shown by the case of raskolnikov - the main character -kills an old lady and her sister (the last one by accident though) and throughout the book reflects on whether it was right or wrong. he comes to the conclusion that it was wrong because he got caught and not because it's wrong killing and that he's not worthy of killing because he's no napoleon. the the "willing to hold up the part of the deal"-thing the "stick to it like glue" i think is a reference to a prostitute named sonja who follows him to siberia for all the nine years he's gonna do his sentence. "No matter how brilliant a woman, you're only a kid." sonja is much younger than raskolnikov and he always seems annoyed with her naitivity and ignorance and faith by the way which might explain the lines "Was it the devil, or was it the lord who gave you those words, the ones I never heard?" because they never formulate their feelings toward each other but you can clearly see the love they have at the end of the novel and it is quitely hinted that raskolnikov becomes more of a believer at the end and sonja less of one. these are just a couple and the most clear examples of references i see and i don't intend to claim that the song is about that book because i don't think it is and i think that the interpretations of the song being about the civil war is not bad either (even though they wrote it earlier doesn't mean they didn't reinterpret the song for this album. i don't think they just put old random stuff on an album this conceptual) but i think it is interresting if he truely drew on dostojevski's great (litterally) classic novel and it gives the song a nice little twist