33. The Rising - (Bruce Springsteen)

"Come on up for the rising / Come on up lay your hands in mine..."

This is the most deceptively brilliant song I've ever heard.  Musically, it's not Springsteen's strongest.  Not by a longshot.  But lyrically, it may very well be my personal favorite. And from a guy like me who was born and raised in the Garden State? Picking your favorite Springsteen song is like telling one of your kids that you love them more than the rest. So that's saying something.

Let's do today's entry in the form of a guessing game:

Can you figure out what's so special about the narrator of this song before the end of this post?

To help you out, the pertinent clues have been highlighted. And to keep things interesting -- I'll throw in a few lines of smarmy analysis, just to throw you off the scent.

(If you haven't already -- click the video above and give this song a listen BEFORE reading today's entry. Things will make a lot more sense if you have a working knowledge of the piece before reading).

Now then -- let's get to it!

Can't see nothin' in front of me 

Can't see nothin' coming up behind 

I make my way through this darkness 

I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me

From the sound of it, our story starts off like a typical "lone protagonist sets out on a voyage of self discovery" tale, yes?  Judging from the imagery in the first stanza, the world is a dark and spooky place, and our narrator feels like he's inexplicably tied to some force greater than himself.


Darth Vader: "Yes (deep breaths) The Force is strong with this one..."

Fair enough. Back to the lyrics...

Lost track of how far I've gone 

How far I've gone, how high I've climbed 

On my back's a sixty pound stone 

On my shoulder a half mile line

By the looks of things, our wandering hero has been at this "voyage of self discovery" thing for a while. You can hear it from the grit in his voice: he's a workin' man with that all-American toughness to him -- so we'll forgive the rather generic examples of figurative language. "Heavy" baggage, "long" ropes, "high" climbing -- we've heard these things before. It's not earth-shatteringly original, but it's a Springsteen protagonist: blue collar through and through. So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Moving on to the refrain...

Come on up for the rising 

Come on up, lay your hands in mine 

Come on up for the rising 

Come on up for the rising tonight

Well, so much for that solo voyage for self awareness, eh?  Hmm.  Springsteen's use of the second person pronoun ("your" hands) isn't just an indication that this guy isn't going on this journey alone, it's a flat-out invitation for the listener to come along for the ride.

The plot thickens...

Left the house this morning 

Bells ringing filled the air 

Wearin' the cross of my calling 

On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here

I know, I know -- so we're looking at just another Christian pilgrim chasing the American dream or some other nondescript message along those lines, right?  Not even close. The deeper meaning is simply too good to spoil just yet. But once you figure out what this song is actually about, the very act of re-reading these lines will give you chills. Seriously, it's that well-written.

Now for the freaky lyrics of the bridge:

Spirits above and behind me 

Faces gone, black eyes burnin' bright 

May their precious blood forever bind me 

Lord as I stand before your fiery light

Oooooo -- spooky! Spirits and ghosts flooding the skies! At this point, it's obvious that Springsteen's going a little heavy on "The Waste Land" imagery...


Ghost of T.S. Eliot: Seriously, Bruce -- enough already.

But the deeper meaning is just inches below the spectral surface. Didja' get it yet?  Only one verse to go ...

I see you Mary in the garden 

In the garden of a thousand sighs 

There's holy pictures of our children 

Dancin' in a sky filled with light 

May I feel your arms around me 

May I feel your blood mix with mine 

A dream of life comes to me 

Like a catfish dancin' on the end of the line

If you're keeping score at home, the narrator's story is a sad one since "Mary" is only a "dream of life" now that she's lost somewhere in this "garden of a thousand sighs." Translation: the girl is pushing up daisies.

Epiphany:

"Oh, so he's trying to put together the remains of his life after the death of a loved one!!!"

Gah -- you're ALMOST right. But the final imagery of the song actually reveals a story much deeper, broader, and more tragic than that. It's a classic twist ending -- M. Night Shyamalan style. Wait for it!!!

Sky of blackness and sorrow (a dream of life) 

Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life) 

Sky of glory and sadness (a dream of life) 

Sky of mercy, sky of fear (a dream of life)  

Sky of memory and shadow (a dream of life) 

Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight 

Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life) 

Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life (a dream of life)

And this is where your brain explodes from the brilliance of this song. Ladies and gentlemen...

"The Rising."

Here's the recap, Sixth Sense style:

Song Lyric	Corresponding Image
Can't see nothin' in front of me  Can't see nothin' coming up behind  I make my way through this darkness  I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me	A fireman ascending a rescue ladder into a smoke-filled building, tethered to a fire hose or a safety cable.
On my back's a sixty pound stone  On my shoulder a half mile line	The weight of the fireman's gear and oxygen tanks weighs roughly 60 pounds. Behind him, a safety cable (or fire hose) is anchored to the rescue vehicle
Come on up for the rising  Come on up, lay your hands in mine	The firefighter raises a wounded survivor from the wreckage of the ruined building. (Alternately: he implores fellow citizens to join in the relief efforts.)
Left the house this morning  Bells ringing filled the air  Wearin' the cross of my calling  On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here	The fire fighter left the fire station (affectionately, the "fire house") when the warning bells rang. The "cross of my calling" is not the mark of a Christian -- it's the crest of the fire company, on whose "wheels of fire" (a fire engine) he speeds to the site of the 9/11 attacks.
Spirits above and behind me  Faces gone, black eyes burnin' bright  May their precious blood forever bind me  Lord as I stand before your fiery light	Thousands are dead or wounded. Countless others are covered in heavy, black ash amid the rubble. The fiery light is both metaphorical of the afterlife and painfully literal, as the flames rise from the ruined buildings.
I see you Mary in the garden  In the garden of a thousand sighs  There's holy pictures of our children  Dancin' in a sky filled with light  May I feel your arms around me  May I feel your blood mix with mine  A dream of life comes to me  Like a catfish dancin' on the end of the line	In the days following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, New York City residents held candlelight vigils. Others posted a sea of homemade signs, photographs and posters and all across the city.  These "holy pictures of our children" with images from happier times prayed for the souls of loved ones and requested information regarding the whereabouts of those lost in the attacks -- "a garden of a thousand sighs."

*Are you viewing this article anywhere besides Blogger? Cool! Click here to check out the music video that's embedded in the original post.

29. Breathe (2 a.m.) - (Anna Nalick)

"Life's like an hourglass / glued to the table."

Fun fact: Anna Nalick, like, totally has a thing for similes.

(Similes -- for a quick refresher -- are comparisons using the words "like" or "as." To dust off an old joke -- one might even say they're "like" metaphors.)


See what he did there?

Similes (and metaphors) are a pretty handy tool* for songwriting, too. Since words are at a premium in your average pop ballad, you've really got to put some extra effort in so as to make sure that every last syllable on the page is actually being used to paint the kind of picture** you want your audience to receive. This is where stuff like similes (and metaphors, allusions, etc.) are worth their weight in gold*** -- because they allow an artist to use an existing image (or two, or ten) in order to pack an otherwise tiny track with some really big, broad imagery to get the listener's wheels a-spinnin'.****

(Meta-joke/ frame of reference: check out all of the handy examples of figurative language we used in the last paragraph alone!)

* Handy tool = likens an abstract technique to a physical instrument
** Paint the kind of picture = recalls an artist crafting a visual image
*** Worth their weight in gold = monetary image to suggest richness, value
**** Wheels a-spinnin' = implies momentum, forward-moving thought

As you can see, figurative language is a great way to draw on existing conventions, connotations, and imagery in order to get a really big message across in what might otherwise appear to be a relatively small window of opportunity. Heck, you might even call metaphors "bouillon cubes of brilliance."


Just add water poetry and let the truth soup flow!

Thanks to a steady diet of figurative language, one sees quickly why Anna Nalick's chart-topping "Breathe (2 a.m.)" is absolutely brimming with truth bouillons. Nalick tackles some pretty heavy life issues (unplanned pregnancy, abortion, alcoholism -- you name it). But thanks to the ever-present similes and metaphors? Our balladeer never actually has to come right out and address any one of these particularly loaded issues by name.

Instead, she employs some slick figurative language to draw on existing imagery and offer up repeated images of doubt, confusion, and an almost soul-crushing determinism. And in the end? Her song is all the more thought-provoking accordingly.

Here's a quick recap of the figurative language we encounter:

"And you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable."

"There's a light at the end of this tunnel..."

"I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd."

"These words are my diary screaming out loud."

(and my personal favorite)

"Life's like an hourglass glued to the table."

Ahh, so THAT's why Dorothy didn't just flip that sucker upside down when time started to run out.

(... the more you know... )

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*Are you viewing this article anywhere besides Blogger? Cool! Click here to check out the music video that's embedded in the original post.

26. Graceland - (Paul Simon)

"Losing love is like a window in your heart."
Earlier this week, the kind folks over at Spin Magazine compiled a list of what they believe to be the top 125 albums ever to have been released since their little publication debuted waaaaay back in 1985. Noticeably (and dare I say "egregiously") absent from that list? Paul Simon's Graceland (1986).

(Angry face).



SPOILER ALERT: Dynamite comes in small packages.
DOUBLE SPOILER ALERT: Expect a good number of "Paul Simon is short" jokes to follow accordingly.

How in the blue hell Spin hopes to be taken seriously after leaving such a monumental album off of its "best of" countdown is anybody's guess. Perhaps it wasn't tall enough to reach the minimum height requirement of their list?

(short joke #1).

But all kidding aside -- Spin's oversight is glaring, and it seems as if they're virtually alone in ignoring just how awesome Graceland really is. Time magazine loves the thing. Paul Simon called it the best work of his entire career. Fellow musicians emulate it to this day (I'm looking at YOU, Jason Mraz). Heck, even His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has listed this little-album-that-could (short joke #2) among his own personal ten best pop albums of all time.

That's right: Paul Simon got a shout out from THE FREAKIN' POPE. How's that for high praise? The man is infallible!


Little-known fact: The Pope also has the ability to shoot evil Force lightning from out of his fingertips. I kid you not.

So for today's entry, howzabout we tackle "Graceland" and show those self-important hipsters from Spin just what they're missing?

Reason #1 Why "Graceland" is Certifiably Awesome: Figurative language!

"Figurative language" is pretty much the blanket term that we English dorks like to kick around when talking about writing that comes pre-packed with a boatload of imagery. Similes, metaphors, allusions -- you name it. Figurative language is the poet's go-to tool for "heavy lifting," as it allows an author to cram a pretty massive meaning (and some pretty big ideas) into what might otherwise seem like a relatively small amount of space.

We'll tackle these things immediately. But the key point to remember is that "Graceland" is absolutely brimming with the stuff.


Reason #2 Why "Graceland" is Certifiably Awesome: Similes.

Metaphors are comparisons that DON'T use the words "like" or "as." And similes are comparisons that do. Or, if you wanted to get cheeky -- one might even say that "similes are like metaphors" (see what I did there?).

Regardless, "Graceland" is full of both. Here's two killer similes to start us off:

"Mississippi Delta was shinin' like a national guitar."

Exhibit A: The Mississippi Delta -- (note: "shinin' like a national guitar" optional)
From the opening notes of the song, the pint-sized Paul Simon does a tremendous job of linking real, physical places with figurative and musical images. To that end, the "national guitar" that is so rich and storied in its own musical legacy (southern jazz, blues, and rock music) instantly becomes giant-sized as it seems to "shin[e]" amid the highways and rivers that criss-cross this basin of American culture.

Suddenly, real places take on near-mythic qualities. Open roads morph into oversized musical instruments. Graceland becomes Mecca and the Holy City all rolled into one. And our undersized-singer finds himself "falling, flying, [and] tumbling in turmoil" alongside "ghosts and empty sockets" on a quest to discover the deeper spiritual truths that lie within.


Animated Johnny Cash Coyote: "I'm your spirit guide, Homer."
But our pint-sized songwriter is just getting started. And the awesome similes continue throughout the song:

"Losing love is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everyone can feel the wind blow."

A "window in your heart," you say?


Ok, ok -- so Paul Simon is totally Jewish. Still, the "window in your heart" imagery is kinda' unavoidably spiritual, now that we look at it...

Christian or Jew, all this talk of "a window in your heart" seems to suggest a that our traveling troubadour is embarking on a much broader and more weighty voyage than a mere road trip to that oft-discussed Elvis Presley uber-mansion. And in the metaphorical imagery that follows, Paul Simon bears precisely such an explanation out to its logical end.


Reason #3 Why "Graceland" is Certifiably Awesome: The Grand Allusion (see what I did there?).

Since we were talking about "spiritual journeys," things can get heavy in a hurry -- and so metaphors are a must. As such, let's start with the most obvious, which we hear sung time and again throughout the song:

"For reasons I cannot explain
There's a part of me that longs to see Graceland"

Hmm -- if I'm hearing him right, it sounds like Paul Simon keeps finding himself drawn to seek a mythical "Land" of "Grace." But WHY? Who knows. Though I've gotta' say -- I really don't think we're just talking about Memphis, Tennessee anymore, Toto. And this is getting downright heavenly, now that you mention it.

The riddle goes even deeper just a few lines later:

"Maybe I have reason to believe
We all will be received in Graceland"

Now sure, Graceland could just be the former residence of The King of Rock and Roll. But when people start singing about how they have this deep and abiding sense that "poor boys, and pilgrims, and families... will be received" in this safe haven -- one can't help but wonder if our knee-high-balladeer isn't *only* singing about the brick-and-mortar resting place of one Elvis Presley.

In fact, this sounds an awful lot like...


(*Actual Heaven may vary. Jewish/Protestant/Buddhist/Muslim/etc. Heaven available upon request. See store for details)
Long story short?

"Graceland" isn't merely a tune about walkin' in Memphis. Instead, Paul Simon's musical pilgrimage takes him not only through the cradle of American rock & roll, but down into the very depths of his soul as a singer, songwriter. and a person of faith -- however allusive that faith may be.

Moral of the story:

Paul Simon is one tiny dude, but he can write pop music with the best of them. And in leaving Graceland off of their best albums of the past 25 years list? Spin Magazine missed the boat...

BIG time.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist)

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*Are you viewing this article anywhere besides Blogger? Cool! Click here to check out the music video that's embedded in the original post.