A Perfect Circle's first album, Mer de Noms, has been on heavy rotation around here lately. Particularly, Judith, which is singer Maynard Keenan's ode to his mother's faith after she had suffered a stroke. Basically, the song is him questioning why she continues to pray despite the tragedy life has chosen to slap her with (praise the one who left you broken down and paralyzed/he did it all for you). The music matches the lyrics, cascading down sheets of screaming anger, always seemingly about to veer out of control. I've found it all to be an intense experience.
You're such an inspiration
For the ways that I will
Never, ever choose to be
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How your savior has abandoned you
Fuck your God, your Lord, your Christ
He did this, took all you had and
Left you this way, still you pray, never stray, never
Taste of the fruit, never thought to question "why?"
It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side
Praise the one who left you broken down and paralyzed
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you...
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How you dogma has abandoned you
Pray to your Christ, to your God
Never taste of the fruit, never stray, never break, never
Choke on a lie even though he's the one who
Did this to you, you never thought to question "why?"
It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side
Talk to Jesus Christ as if he knows the reasons why
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you
For the ways that I will
Never, ever choose to be
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How your savior has abandoned you
Fuck your God, your Lord, your Christ
He did this, took all you had and
Left you this way, still you pray, never stray, never
Taste of the fruit, never thought to question "why?"
It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side
Praise the one who left you broken down and paralyzed
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you...
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How you dogma has abandoned you
Pray to your Christ, to your God
Never taste of the fruit, never stray, never break, never
Choke on a lie even though he's the one who
Did this to you, you never thought to question "why?"
It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side
Talk to Jesus Christ as if he knows the reasons why
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you...
He did it all for you
Religion is always a touchy subject, and I'm certainly not here to judge. Like anyone, I've had my experiences with it. I'm not for or against religion, I have no problem accepting that other people believe in something and pray to a god. So it seems a little weird to me that he is not okay with her faith through the troubles. She has something to give her hope, so what's wrong with that? If that's what gets her through the day, then that would be a good thing...right? Then again, I might change my tune if it were my mother or father who was bed-ridden, unable to physically function and cope with day to day life itself.
A Perfect Circle > Judith
2 comments:
Not hugely impressed with the song. It seems all a bit too emo (if that isn't by this time a cartoon designation). I have to confess that I didn't make it to the end. Still, the sentiment in the lyrics is really interesting.
I suppose it has something to do with his own compassion for her. He feels angry at God (or sure of God's non-existence) for what has happened to someone he loves dearly, and his compassion and anger is such that he can't imagine why she isn't feeling angry either.
It's actually quite common. I know a fair few people who lost their faith completely after their loved ones suffered terribly or died, even when the loved ones in question—the ones who weren't dead—had no such qualms about continuing in their faith through the suffering.
It's sometimes quite easy to keep one's faith while suffering. it's something to hold on to. On the other hand, when someone you love suffers or dies, you feel for them because you love them. Your sympathy, your compassion is one of the highest and best feelings a human being can have, and yet... it doesn't change a thing. It's no wonder that the loved ones of people suffering often get angrier and sadder than the people who actually go through it.
It could go one about what happened when my friend got murdered, but I think that's best left for some time when we meet up face to face and talk about this stuff.
Maybe we'll get to do that sometime.
i wouldn't go as far as to call it emo. i don't even know what passes for emo these days, it's just a comic insult at best. i hear what you're saying, tho. hopefully we can talk about it in person sometime soon.
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