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Thursday, January 8, 2009

10,000 Days (Song)

This song has been 0ut for a few years but recently I listened to it again and decided to do a close reading of it.

We listen to the tales and romanticize, how we follow the path of the hero.
Boast about the day when the rivers overrun,How we'll rise to the height of our halo.
Listen to the tales as we all rationalize, our way into the arms of the savior. Feigning all the trials
and the tribulations. None of us have actually been there,Not like you...
Ignorant siblings in the congregation. Gather around spewing sympathy,Spare me...
None of them can even hold a candle up to you. Blinded by choice, these hypocrites won't see.
But enough about the collective Judas.Who could deny you were the one who illuminated?Your little piece of the divine.
And this little light of mine, a gift you passed on to me I'm gonna let it shine to guide you safely on your way.Your way home...
Oh, what are they gonna do when the lights go down?Without you to guide them all to Zion?
What are they gonna do when the rivers overrun?Other than tremble incessantly.
High is the way,but our eyes are upon the ground.
You are the light and the way. They'll only read about.
I only pray heaven knows,when to lift you out.
10,000 days in the fire is long enough.You're going home...
You're the only one who can hold your head up high.Shake your fist at the gates saying,"I have come home now...!"
Fetch me the spirit, the son and the father.Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended."It's time now! My time now!Give me my wings...!"
You are the light, the way,that they will only read about.
Set as I am in my ways and my arrogance.Burden of proof tossed upon the believers. You were my witness, my eyes, my evidence,Judith Marie, unconditional one.
Daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence.
Difficult to see you in this light.Please forgive this bold suggestion.Should you see your maker's face tonight,Look him in the eye.Look him in the eye and tell him,I never lived a lie, never took a life,But surely saved one.Hallelujah It's time for you to bring me home
First off, this song has a pretty interesting backround. In many ways it's Maynard James Keenan's apology to his recently deceased mother about the song Judith he wrote while leading the band A Perfect Circle. In the song Judith, Maynard scolds his mother for keeping a strong faith in God after getting sick and losing the ability to walk. He couldn't understand why she would keep faith in a God that would let something so terrible happen, especially to a devout Christian such as herself.
When Maynard's mother passed away he wrote this song in her memory, dealing with his thoughts on her death. The title of the song (and its album) 10,000 Days comes from how many days his mother was paralyzed before she passed on.
It may not be terribly obvious by the lyrics in the song, but Maynard is an atheist (probably agnostic). However, the song generally underlines that, if there is a God and a heaven, his mother (Judith Marie), better sure as hell get into it. Based on the context of the song it sounds like Judith was a tried and true Christian (You were the light and the way they'll only read about), one who followed the values it teaches.
In the song, Maynard expresses his distaste for those who call themselves Christians, the "collective Judas", that claims to be one with God but doesn't practice what he preaches.
I powerful line is "High is the way, but our eyes are upon the ground" meaning many people want to go to heaven, but don't acknowledge the fact that you have to be genuine person to get there.
At the end Maynard seems to be praising his mother for still believing in him even though he turned his back on her God. She was the "unconditional one", the truest Christian he ever met.
Overall I think this is a cool commentary on religion, and a cool story about a mother's strong faith and unconditional love for her son even though he had different beliefs than her own. We could all learn a thing or two from Judith Marie.

2 comments:

Morgan said...

That's an awesome song! I love how you broke it down for people who don't know the history of the song and yet they would get the meaning right away. But it is a pretty sad and depressing song, but it still rocks.

Jimmy said...

Pretty much everything i was gonna say was already said. Still good post though =]