"Ammonia Avenue" is the title track of an album described on the APP's defunct website as: "... focused on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective." It is a well-known that Ammonia Avenue is the name of a street at a chemical plant in England the lyricist, Eric Woolfson, toured at the invitation of the owning company’s chief executive. According to the Wikipedia article on Billingham Manufacturing, ammonia produced by the facility is vital to the UK because the chemical is used domestically to produce fertilizer for the nation's farms. At the time the song was composed, Billingham was one of the largest ammonia producing sites in the world, if not the largest.
The opening verse provides both literal and metaphorical images of the Billingham plant. The plant is so large that it blocks the horizon, so viewed from the west, it is still dark when the sun begins to rise. The "strangers eyes" seen across the waters are lights on the plant's equipment viewed from the River Tees that flows passed the plant site. Jewish and Christian metaphors form alternative spiritual images -- "sign of light" is hope; "darkness" is despair; "sign of life" is vitality. Here, Woolfson illustrates the contradictory nature of Ammonia Avenue, as it blocks the sunrise yet offers hope, and it appears lifeless, yet offers a richer livelihood for people (freedom from hunger) beyond mere survival.
Probably, the most telling clue for the song’s meaning is to replace the song title within Woolfson’s lyrics to something like “A Christian Venue”. By doing so, the lyrics express that for the folks referred to as “we”, Ammonia Avenue provides them the same sense of hope and salvation a religion promises. Key to the meaning is the explicit reference to Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” The New Testament passage addresses people who seek God’s help, and the Christian doctrine (Augustine) based on these verses says that prayer is: "Asking, is that we may get healthiness of soul that we may be able to fulfill the things commanded us [by God]; seeking, pertains to the discovery of the truth. But when any has found the true way, he will then come into actual possession, which however is only opened to him that knocks." In the lyrics, for the materialist "we", the analogy is that, “For we shall seek and we shall find / Ammonia Avenue” is that seeking Ammonia Avenue is to ask for a chemical needed by people for the betterment of living, and the chemical will be provided for the betterment of civilization. Specifically, “finding Ammonia Avenue” is not merely done to acquire ammonia but that “finding it” has higher meanings for civilization – as the fifth verse asserts Ammonia Avenue has the "rhyme" and "reason" to provide people hope and save them from despair (i.e., from “living his life in vain”), and the sixth verse declares what “justifies the right in all we do”, i.e., their a way of life., is to build Ammonia Avenue (presumably, a successfully operating plant). The last verse declares that the justification has been achieved at great cost – “stone by stone” built high just as how the chemical plant was constructed.
So, what is this Ammonia Avenue, beyond being a portion of a chemical plant in England? Verse three makes clear Ammonia Avenue is a belief, and verse four states the belief has been articulated in words. Suggestions that Ammonia Avenue is a symbol for environmental catastrophe miss these points. Furthermore, the avenue being a symbol for science and technology doesn’t go far enough, as both are based on reason (e.g., natural laws and causes rather than the supernatural, though the reliability of machines does involve a kind of faith). Thus, it appears Ammonia Avenue is the newer faith that science and technology will solve civilization’s major problems. Such a faith promotes hope and a salvation from despair (the “sign of light” and “darkness”, respectively, in the first verse), and vitality (the “sign of life” in the first verse); and, also, affects culture in ways religions do, as Woolfson specifically addresses doubters of the faith addressed as “they” in the lyrics. The “we” of the Ammonia Avenue faith is to leave the “they” doubters alone, as verse two questions why doubters should be criticized and the lyrics repeat, “And those who came at first to scoff, remained behind to pray”. Importantly, though the lyrics make no mention about whether or not Ammonia Avenue and religion are incompatible faiths, some compatibility is implied because those doubters who remained behind to pray will also benefit from Ammonia Avenue and, perhaps, be convinced to adopt the new faith.
Overall, the song for the “we” is essentially a hymn, as in the last verse, Ammonia Avenue is characterized as a successful new faith. The “we” use Christian images (e.g., “sun”, “shining light”, “darkness”, “waters”) for Ammonia Avenue and declare it has joined religions in giving hope as a guiding light to humankind. To the extent human civilization essentially depends on science and technology advances to provide for the near- and long-term survival and welfare of people, the album cover displays a picture for the new faith, infrastructure seen on Ammonia Avenue, just as an orthodox Christian church would display an icon. As polluting and unnatural as it appears, and ammonia is used to produce explosive munitions, Ammonia Avenue is glorified, as it must, because as a way of life, the ”we” accomplish their mission only if they succeed.
However, the full meaning of the song is incomplete without addressing the album’s back cover that is a picture of a group of researchers standing in a lab working, though each is bent over with their face stuck into a mound of dirt in a tray. These experts at work refer to the “blind” in the third verse: “Are we blind to the truth or a sign to believe in? / Only the wise will know”. Given the picture, the answer to the question will often be "yes", a humble admission that the “we” are so obviously fallible, in part, maybe because there are many alternative solutions to address human needs. In this manner, Woolfson seems to suggest that the ”we” are wise not to reject the views of the “they” or, rather, be open to the views of others. After all, with the technical experts figuratively working with their heads stuck in a pile of dirt, civilization needs all the wise help it can get to guide them.
"Ammonia Avenue" is the title track of an album described on the APP's defunct website as: "... focused on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective." It is a well-known that Ammonia Avenue is the name of a street at a chemical plant in England the lyricist, Eric Woolfson, toured at the invitation of the owning company’s chief executive. According to the Wikipedia article on Billingham Manufacturing, ammonia produced by the facility is vital to the UK because the chemical is used domestically to produce fertilizer for the nation's farms. At the time the song was composed, Billingham was one of the largest ammonia producing sites in the world, if not the largest.
The opening verse provides both literal and metaphorical images of the Billingham plant. The plant is so large that it blocks the horizon, so viewed from the west, it is still dark when the sun begins to rise. The "strangers eyes" seen across the waters are lights on the plant's equipment viewed from the River Tees that flows passed the plant site. Jewish and Christian metaphors form alternative spiritual images -- "sign of light" is hope; "darkness" is despair; "sign of life" is vitality. Here, Woolfson illustrates the contradictory nature of Ammonia Avenue, as it blocks the sunrise yet offers hope, and it appears lifeless, yet offers a richer livelihood for people (freedom from hunger) beyond mere survival.
Probably, the most telling clue for the song’s meaning is to replace the song title within Woolfson’s lyrics to something like “A Christian Venue”. By doing so, the lyrics express that for the folks referred to as “we”, Ammonia Avenue provides them the same sense of hope and salvation a religion promises. Key to the meaning is the explicit reference to Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” The New Testament passage addresses people who seek God’s help, and the Christian doctrine (Augustine) based on these verses says that prayer is: "Asking, is that we may get healthiness of soul that we may be able to fulfill the things commanded us [by God]; seeking, pertains to the discovery of the truth. But when any has found the true way, he will then come into actual possession, which however is only opened to him that knocks." In the lyrics, for the materialist "we", the analogy is that, “For we shall seek and we shall find / Ammonia Avenue” is that seeking Ammonia Avenue is to ask for a chemical needed by people for the betterment of living, and the chemical will be provided for the betterment of civilization. Specifically, “finding Ammonia Avenue” is not merely done to acquire ammonia but that “finding it” has higher meanings for civilization – as the fifth verse asserts Ammonia Avenue has the "rhyme" and "reason" to provide people hope and save them from despair (i.e., from “living his life in vain”), and the sixth verse declares what “justifies the right in all we do”, i.e., their a way of life., is to build Ammonia Avenue (presumably, a successfully operating plant). The last verse declares that the justification has been achieved at great cost – “stone by stone” built high just as how the chemical plant was constructed.
So, what is this Ammonia Avenue, beyond being a portion of a chemical plant in England? Verse three makes clear Ammonia Avenue is a belief, and verse four states the belief has been articulated in words. Suggestions that Ammonia Avenue is a symbol for environmental catastrophe miss these points. Furthermore, the avenue being a symbol for science and technology doesn’t go far enough, as both are based on reason (e.g., natural laws and causes rather than the supernatural, though the reliability of machines does involve a kind of faith). Thus, it appears Ammonia Avenue is the newer faith that science and technology will solve civilization’s major problems. Such a faith promotes hope and a salvation from despair (the “sign of light” and “darkness”, respectively, in the first verse), and vitality (the “sign of life” in the first verse); and, also, affects culture in ways religions do, as Woolfson specifically addresses doubters of the faith addressed as “they” in the lyrics. The “we” of the Ammonia Avenue faith is to leave the “they” doubters alone, as verse two questions why doubters should be criticized and the lyrics repeat, “And those who came at first to scoff, remained behind to pray”. Importantly, though the lyrics make no mention about whether or not Ammonia Avenue and religion are incompatible faiths, some compatibility is implied because those doubters who remained behind to pray will also benefit from Ammonia Avenue and, perhaps, be convinced to adopt the new faith.
Overall, the song for the “we” is essentially a hymn, as in the last verse, Ammonia Avenue is characterized as a successful new faith. The “we” use Christian images (e.g., “sun”, “shining light”, “darkness”, “waters”) for Ammonia Avenue and declare it has joined religions in giving hope as a guiding light to humankind. To the extent human civilization essentially depends on science and technology advances to provide for the near- and long-term survival and welfare of people, the album cover displays a picture for the new faith, infrastructure seen on Ammonia Avenue, just as an orthodox Christian church would display an icon. As polluting and unnatural as it appears, and ammonia is used to produce explosive munitions, Ammonia Avenue is glorified, as it must, because as a way of life, the ”we” accomplish their mission only if they succeed.
However, the full meaning of the song is incomplete without addressing the album’s back cover that is a picture of a group of researchers standing in a lab working, though each is bent over with their face stuck into a mound of dirt in a tray. These experts at work refer to the “blind” in the third verse: “Are we blind to the truth or a sign to believe in? / Only the wise will know”. Given the picture, the answer to the question will often be "yes", a humble admission that the “we” are so obviously fallible, in part, maybe because there are many alternative solutions to address human needs. In this manner, Woolfson seems to suggest that the ”we” are wise not to reject the views of the “they” or, rather, be open to the views of others. After all, with the technical experts figuratively working with their heads stuck in a pile of dirt, civilization needs all the wise help it can get to guide them.
[Edit: grammar fix]