Pillar Of Davidson Lyrics
I'm gonna go out on a different limb here and suggest the song is more religious than it is about factory work.
I think the song starts off with ed speaking about tele-evangelists and how they exploit a need for the lonely and insecure to have religion.
Here goes my rough logic:
"warm bodies" are the living, off whom the evangelist seeks to make money.
"past, perfect, tense/ words for a feeling and all I've discovered" describes the bible - a 'perfect' series of words to give you a feeling etc, from a long time in the past.
It then speaks as the evangelist - 'I'll be along with medicine to help make you high (happy), I'll be along with "words for a feeling and all I've discovered" (the bible)' i.e. i'll make you happy through the bible.
Next its back to ed, who clearly hates the evangelist and referes to him as 'old bad eyes', the 'foreman' and the 'profiteer'.
"on lonliness comes/ go see the foreman go see the profiteer" - a person gets very lonely and turns to the evangelist.
"On lonliness drives/ taking our time, moving shit for this holy slime" - lonliness then drives a person to do what the evagelist (holy slime) wants.
"old bad eyes, all mighty fear" refers to how the preacher (old bad eyes) uses the fear of the the almighty (god)
The next verse about the shepherd refers to jesus (the good shepherd). The person from the previous verse finds that jesus is now in his life and won't leave him alone ("he's in my face" etc).
"and I want you here by my heart and my head" - means he wants to meet jesus.
"I can't start til i'm dead" - means that he can only do that after he's died.
The final verse/background lyrics refers to the persons judgement day.
The 'stallion' with the 'horns' is the devil
The 'pillar of davidson' is again jesus who according to the bible was a direct descedent of David, making him literally david's son (or grandson many times removed).
And the verse basically means the bloke is facing his judgement day where the devil is winning and jesus (the pillar of davidson) finds it too hard to go down (to hell) and tread upon all the cheap soles to save him.
Just my thoughts, but i reckon there is far too much deep and typically ed religious stuff in there for that to be about work at a factory ed has never worked at.
@tomtoro
@tomtoro
fully agreed with you here... This is one of my all time favorite songs and it always reminds me of the time I was stuggling with religious things (which was when I also came accross this song first)
fully agreed with you here... This is one of my all time favorite songs and it always reminds me of the time I was stuggling with religious things (which was when I also came accross this song first)
Also "old bad eyes"... man is born of sin (sees always temptations)... Reference to that I believe.
Also "old bad eyes"... man is born of sin (sees always temptations)... Reference to that I believe.
That said, I DO think he used the factory as a metaphor of the above! Makes sense, one wouldn't want to be singing directly about it. Wouldn't make such a good song then.
That said, I DO think he used the factory as a metaphor of the above! Makes sense, one wouldn't want to be singing directly about it. Wouldn't make such a good song then.
I like everything about this, except I don't think the devil is necessarily winning. I can't see proof from this text anyway - the background's lyrics are missing?
I like everything about this, except I don't think the devil is necessarily winning. I can't see proof from this text anyway - the background's lyrics are missing?
@tomtoro I think you make a lot of great observations. My take on the "I can't start til I'm dead" is in reference to the biblical concept of dying to oneself and living for Christ. I don't think there is a physical death going on, but rather putting to death the way we used to be (the flesh). He can't start to seek after Christ until he first puts his old self "to death". This concept is referred to in many ways in scripture: we are "living sacrifices", and "those who lose their live for my...
@tomtoro I think you make a lot of great observations. My take on the "I can't start til I'm dead" is in reference to the biblical concept of dying to oneself and living for Christ. I don't think there is a physical death going on, but rather putting to death the way we used to be (the flesh). He can't start to seek after Christ until he first puts his old self "to death". This concept is referred to in many ways in scripture: we are "living sacrifices", and "those who lose their live for my sake will gain it", etc.
Also the lyrics submitted are obviously from the Awake-The best of Live album because in the Awake albums the song's 4mins. The one on Throwing Copper is six minutes long. I hate when songs are cut short! I bought a CCR greatest hits album and half of Susie Q is cut off. Anyway my favorite part of the song is the background vocals, "here I am locking horns with the stallion failing to hold my head up, I'll go back again pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down cheaper than all souls he will walk upon deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up cheaper than all souls he will walk upon pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down." Great song
During a show (1999) they said: “So like I told you, we come from a small town where just about everybody there is doing something for the men, you know what I mean? Busting there ass 9 to 5, trying to rais a family. We wrote this song as a work song for all the people we grew up with. All the people that are busting there ass for the men - that maybe they can sing this song and maybe feel a little bit less lonely”
Ed spins a cryptic ballad of contempt for religion,the establishment, perhaps even the state of human consciousness. I find this has been a theme of the whole album. His meaning is abstract but his intensity is centered.
(oops...posted this as a reply, but meant to do so as an original post)
I love this song and believe that it does have religious overtones, and much of it was probably left somewhat elliptical on purpose. Not to act like a 7th grader, but has anyone thought of the possibility that "Locking horns with the stallion" and "Pillar of Davidson feeling [too] hard to go down" might refer to the subject's struggle with sexual urges getting in the way of spirituality, as the subject falls "deeper in love" with the divine, he tries to be honorable "hold my head up" but then feels "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon" when he cannot successfully conquer his libido...? Maybe I misread it... but I'm loving the discourse! I'm glad I stumbled upon this site.
This is exactly what I've always thought, too. I think there are a lot of things going on in this song but the lines you specifically quote I think refer to religious guilt regarding sexuality. I am not religious now, but I was when I was a huge fan of Live and this song was my favorite for exactly that reason.
This is exactly what I've always thought, too. I think there are a lot of things going on in this song but the lines you specifically quote I think refer to religious guilt regarding sexuality. I am not religious now, but I was when I was a huge fan of Live and this song was my favorite for exactly that reason.
Consider this stanza:
"The shepherd won't leave me alone, He's in my face and I... The shepherd of my days, And I want you here by my heart and my head -- I can't start till I'm dead."
It would be quite out of place for there to be a shephard in a song that's only about a motorcycle factory, especially if it's about the drudgery of factory work. A shephard is a common metaphor for Jesus, which then makes sense when the speaker wants him by his heart and his head. He can't start 'till he's dead? That's the basic Christian notion of "dying to oneself" and being reborn in Christ. He can't start letting Jesus into his heart and mind until his own will has died and so can be replaced by that of Jesus (refer to Romans). And, as tomtoro notes, the song's title is a strong image of Jesus as well.
@Ventifact The “shepherd” is the supervisor keeping the factory sheep in line, so yes, actually, there is a place for the word in the factory analogy (which Ed has already said the song is about — wage slaves).
@Ventifact The “shepherd” is the supervisor keeping the factory sheep in line, so yes, actually, there is a place for the word in the factory analogy (which Ed has already said the song is about — wage slaves).
@Ventifact The “shepherd” is the supervisor keeping the factory sheep in line, so yes, actually, there is a place for the word in the factory analogy (which Ed has already said the song is about — wage slaves).
@Ventifact The “shepherd” is the supervisor keeping the factory sheep in line, so yes, actually, there is a place for the word in the factory analogy (which Ed has already said the song is about — wage slaves).
Also, the title is about a location in I think Pennsylvania where a Caterpillar factory and Harley Davidson factory are next to each other. Hence “Pillar of Davidson.”
Also, the title is about a location in I think Pennsylvania where a Caterpillar factory and Harley Davidson factory are next to each other. Hence “Pillar of Davidson.”
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I'm not sure what it is about this song. It's one of my favorite songs on Throwing copper. Maybe it's just Ed's voice or the lyrics but I love it.
I love this song and believe that it does have religious overtones, and much of it was probably left somewhat elliptical on purpose. Not to act like a 7th grader, but has anyone thought of the possibility that "Locking horns with the stallion" and "Pillar of Davidson feeling [too] hard to go down" might refer to the subject's struggle with sexual urges getting in the way of spirituality, as the subject falls "deeper in love" with the divine, he tries to be honorable "hold my head up" but then feels "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon"...
I love this song and believe that it does have religious overtones, and much of it was probably left somewhat elliptical on purpose. Not to act like a 7th grader, but has anyone thought of the possibility that "Locking horns with the stallion" and "Pillar of Davidson feeling [too] hard to go down" might refer to the subject's struggle with sexual urges getting in the way of spirituality, as the subject falls "deeper in love" with the divine, he tries to be honorable "hold my head up" but then feels "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon" when he cannot successfully conquer his libido...? Maybe I misread it... but I'm loving the discourse! I'm glad I stumbled upon this site.
this song is so complicated but it is so great... i think its about government and how it doesnt take care of people... or at least some kind of authority...
Now that you say that...I think you're right! or atleast something similiar to that.