"All the things yet to come are the things that have passed
Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass
Like the bonfire that burns, at all worth in the fight fell too"
"And that day that we watch the death of the sun
That the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on
And you gaze unafraid as they sob from the city ruins"
There are some other pretty great songs on it and I highly recommend. :)
2 comments:
I thought about our class when I heard Hozier cane our with a new album too, Farah!
I didn’t think, however, that it would have many relations to our current works but I’m glad it does. I personally don’t listen to Hozier much but I found out about the new album because when it came out Spotify did that little notification thing they do when artists come out with new stuff. Anyway, the only Hozier song I’ve ever really known well was Take Me To Church. When thinking about the lyrics and meaning of the song I’d say it has very strong relations to destruction, as a another big part of the song is redemption from that destruction.
Happy Mardi Gras!
Huh! I don't follow Hozier, but when I read the lyrics you posted, I definitely thought of The Waste Land. One of the first things that caught my eye was the "bonfire that burns." My mind immediately jumped to our discussion of fire on Friday in English class. In The Waste Land, the elements are really important; in fact, the element fire is in the title of Part III (remember--The Fire Sermon?). I guess in a way, fire represents the burning desires we have as humans. In my opinion, some of these "fires" can be good, and others...not so much. For example, if a person has a fire or passion for eradicating prostate cancer, then more power to him or her! We NEED people in the world who want to bring about change (whether that be by researching, teaching, preaching, etc.). Strong, fiery people who are dedicated to a cause or profession help to make our world a better place, and we should encourage them! On the other hand, these "fires," or burning desires, could also be for something like money. Recall that in The Metamorphosis, Kafka alluded to the unquenchable thirst for and obsession with money in the modern society. In The Waste Land, perhaps Eliot is doing something similar.
Anyway, this talk of fires, burning desires, and toxic cravings actually made my mind jump to Hinduism...oddly enough. (Thanks, Fr. Millican!) Hinduism is actually one of the few major religions to accept the fact that humans desire material and professional success. While other religions reject these inclinations as frivolous (and sometimes dangerous) worldly pursuits, Hinduism has artha (material and professional success) as a goal of life. Regardless, Hindus also point out that moksha is the ULTIMATE goal; essentially, most Hindus will argue that while kama, artha, and dharma are satisfying for a period of time, moksha will provide complete satisfaction. Moksha is liberation from the cycle of reincarnation and complete understanding of reality, all while becoming one with the divine. (I'm sure an actual Hindu could give you a better explanation, but that's my basic understanding of it.) In a way, moksha relates to the last part of Part III.
"Burning burning burning burning
Oh Lord Thou pluckest me out
Our Lord Thou pluckest
burning" (Page 993 in the Norton)
I'm not positive, but it kind of seems to me like the speaker wants to be pulled out of his/her state of "burning." Like the Buddha encourages, the speaker wishes to escape his life (in which he constantly desires things). The speaker begs the Lord (presumably God or some other divine force) to liberate him from his earthly constraints, which seems to indicate that connecting with God/the divine is a good solution.
Sorry...I know this blog post was sort of all over the place! But so is The Waste Land! ;)
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