Live - Pillar Of Davidson Lyrics






warm bodies, I sense
are not machines that can only make money
past, perfect, tense
words for a feeling and all I've discovered
I'll be along son with medicine supposed to,
designed to make you high
I'll be along son
with words for a feeling and all I've discovered
old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes

on loneliness comes
go see the foreman, go see the profiteer
on loneliness drives
we're takin' our time movin' shit for this holy slime

old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes, almighty fear

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

[Background Lyrics:]
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 the souls he will walk upon
deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up
cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon
pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down





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Live Pillar Of Davidson Comments
  1. R.... C....

    I was working a 9-5 job in the late 90’s. The Hale Bop comet was present in the night sky on my subway ride home. This song was on my Walkman one night as I looked out the window at the comet.

  2. g.... g....

    30 years ago I really like this song,I'm not working that time.. teenage years,, now that I am working with sweat and blood, it hits me back ...
    Specially the first line of the lyrics
    Warm bodies I sense are not machines that can only make money

    And I always , Everytime, lean on to my SHEPHERD

  3. R.... R....

    Part of my teen years

  4. a.... c....

    One of THE MOST underrated bands AND songs in existence. People just don't know unless you MAKE them listen then they love it. AMAZING.

  5. G.... M....

    Not my exact cup of tea
    But pretty close

  6. K.... W....

    old, bad eyes

  7. J.... V....

    Old bad eyes; almighty fear.

  8. T.... m....

    Their manager must have sucked. They should have had a huge career !!

  9. J.... S....

    Amazing song and band.

  10. D.... E....

    Christian rock band from york pa way back in the 90s just like creed. Ed is highly religious.

  11. C.... H....

    I bought this album when I was 14 and listened to it thousands of times while doing my homework. This song gave me chills back then and it's still just as great.

  12. T.... P....

    06/2019 anyone?

  13. r.... s....

    Might be one of the best songs ever

  14. D.... T....

    Flawless and powerful album. Not a dud song on it. Opened me up to the spiritual journey that defined my early life.

  15. S.... S....

    Logos 👏

  16. W.... R....

    🌸🖤🌸

  17. D.... T....

    I’m curious how many roadies this band has employed over the last 25 years to whom they paid more than the absolute minimum necessary to get the job done.

  18. D.... T....

    1:20 “Oh, Canada!”

  19. A.... R....

    I am ready to fight in the Skeleton War, now.

  20. J.... V....

    Best song ever written in the history of forever.. and only over 700 likes!! Hopeless society filled with stupidity!!

  21. B.... G....

    Very underrated song!

  22. M.... ....

    Holy slime? Huh. I always thought that said chorus line.

  23. w.... c....

    My favourite song of all time.

  24. P.... W....

    TAKE me back to my 14 yrs old

  25. V.... S....

    Still one of my favorite songs.

  26. r.... p....

    Warm bodies I sense, are not machines that can only make money. great lyrics! This is a classic Live song. I'm glad it's in their The Best of Live album.

  27. T.... G....

    I’ve misheard the lyric “old bad eyes as ( op-en eyes) and I will probably always sing it that way lol

    T.... G....

    Travis Gibson I always heard it as that too

    T.... G....

    I used to hear: "old, bad eyes, almighty fear" as "cold, red eyes on my TV"

  28. T.... P....

    July 8, 2018 and I'm up at 11:30 listening to this song because I need it to sleep. I have to know that I have listened to something amazing before I drift away, just in case I don't wake up.

  29. a.... ....

    Just epic...

  30. k.... ....

    24 years later and this one still gives me goosebumps and brings me to tears. Gotta love the power of an incredible song. (Not to mention the rest of the album!)

  31. k.... M....

    I was listening to this song the moment I found out my father had stage 4 bone and lung cancer. Now every time I hear this song I just want to cry! But it is such a good song.

  32. Y.... M....

    Best songs by album:

    Mental Jewelry - The Beauty of Gray
    Throwing Copper - Pillar of Davidson
    Secret Samadhi - Century/Gas Hed Goes West
    The Distance to Here - Voodoo Lady
    V - Forever May Not Be Long Enough
    Birds of Pray - Heaven/Lighthouse
    Songs from Black Mountain - The River

    Y.... M....

    Hell yes

    Y.... M....

    Just give it up

    Y.... M....

    This is not a black and white world

  33. B.... H....

    This is a CRUTIAL CRUTIAL BAD ASS SONG

  34. B.... ....

    So many years later this is still a Masterpiece I have played it so many times and still it moves me
    I miss this band

  35. A.... W....

    This album was almost too much for me in my younger days and didn't wanna think about the deep things of life

  36. C.... ....

    Now, the Harley Factory angle is a truth. No one's denying that. But artists this proficient get bored with a single narrative. I am uniquely positioned to illuminate another possible interpretation due to the vagaries of fate, and I'm not saying mine supplants the story they feed Rolling Stone, merely adds a layer they know it's unprofitable to speak about. Let's break it down.

    Warm bodies, I sense, are not machines that can only make money.

    Past perfect tense; words for a feeling and all I've discovered (The PAST PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the past before something else happened.)

    I'll be along, son. With medicine supposed to, designed to make you high (I will heal and exalt my offspring)

    I'll be along, son. With words for a feeling and all I've discovered (I will distill my wisdom and pass it on to my offspring)

    Old, bad eyes (x3)

    On loneliness comes; go see the foreman, go see the profiteer.

    On loneliness drives; taking our time moving shit for this holy slime. (Other than the closing verse this is the outlier that tells me the Harley Plant isn't the whole story. Holy Slime refers to the Antichrist, a King ordained by Heaven that no one wants.)

    Old, bad eyes (x3)

    Shepherd wouldn't leave me alone (Jesus would not abandon me)

    He's in my face, and I (He made me who I am today)

    Shepherd of my days (and I am responsible for myself)

    And I want you here by my heart. In my head, I can't start til I'm there (Until I feel God inside of me, I cannot speak on God's behalf)

    Warm bodies, I sense, are not machines that can only make money.

    Past perfect tense; words for a feeling and all I've discovered

    Old bad eyes (x3)

    Almighty fear (Displaying a distinct disparity between the God-loving and the God-fearing, sneering at the latter)


    Shepherd wouldn't leave me alone

    He's in my face, and I

    Shepherd of my days

    and I want you here in my heart. In my head, I can't start til I'm there.

    (Now we get to my favorite part, as a scion of Davidic Lineage and a technical Antichrist. Don't worry, I'm Christian. Kinda. Pretty much. Well, I follow Jesus, so if that's your definition, I am. If you're about following the followers, you may be alarmed to learn I attend no specific Church, but that's on you.)

    Here I am locking horns with the Stallion (I compare myself to the Unicorn. Unless you know of another type of horned stallion?)

    Failing to hold my head up I go back again (I do not live up to the Unicorn.)

    Pillar of Davidson feeling too hard to go down (Davidic lineage is a requirement I cannot live up to fully, but I am a man, and I aspire.)

    Cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon (The one who will occupy the role I am coveting will not have to aspire. He will simply be.)

    Deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up (My shame at insufficiency recedes far enough that I can examine myself and the role again)

    Cheaper than all the souls He will walk upon (I will hold him as high as I can, and he'll hold me even higher.)

    Pillar of Davidson feeling too hard to go down (I'm still a man, and I still have desires, and I still desire the pivotal role.)



    Now I'm fully open to discussion, but until your explanation covers the Holy Slime and the Unicorn, I will almost certainly be standing by my own interpretation. Until Ed tells me to stop ruining it, of course.

    C.... ....

    Oh, and I hear God through my damaged right temporal lobe, Hand to Jesus. Or at least, I hear God, and recognize it to be a side effect of my right temporal lobe damage, which is where I believe we've overdeveloped a biological device for quieting the voice of God. So, if there's any truth to the old game of broken telephone, and we should be seeking a canary in this mineshaft?

    Chirp, chirp, motherfuckers.

  37. J.... M....

    what I'd like to know is this? and this is just my opinion, but i think when he says warm bodies i sense are not machines that can only make money. but overall the song is ether about selling drugs or being hooked on drugs, and being pressured by everyone including himself to see the light and find god??? but thats what i thought its about from the lyrics...lol

    J.... M....

    No it's about working at a job where they treat you like a machine. The Davidson in the title is referring to a Harley Davidson plant in I think PA.

  38. C.... G....

    Def my favourite song from Live. By a margin.

  39. M.... H....

    The greatest band IMO ever! So glad they've reunited. Can't wait to see them in Oz later this year! Amazing performers to see in concert. I believe their songs align to many different interpretations. Eddie K is a genius!

  40. f.... ....

    That is some SERIOUS vocals!! Don't make "em like this anymore...

  41. P.... T....

    Powerful song!

  42. C.... ....

    It is my belief that this is one of the last great rock concept albums. Listen from start to finish, don't cheat yourselves kids.

  43. e.... p....

    Sisters Of Mercy

  44. k.... s....

    Still sounds awesome now! I'm back to feeling 23 years old again!

    k.... s....

    Me too lol.

    k.... s....

    I was 15. 😁

  45. V.... ....

    This song....this fucking song.....for some reason it hangs around on my shoulders and drags me back to listen to it. Jesus I can't explain it but there is something very spiritually strong about it

  46. f.... d....

    People who never buy albums only ever get the good stuff through youtube etc but ultimately end up missing stuff like this. The most incrediblely moving, sincere and emotional music ever. Just class. People, dig deep, buy albums, avoid mainstream and reap the rewards. Best song on the most amazing album by a country mile. Artists indeed.

    f.... d....

    I bought this in 1994 when it came out, man. I don't need to buy it again.

  47. C.... A....

    best song on a album for the ages

  48. h.... ....

    Throwing copper is one of my favorite albums of all time. We will never hear music like that anymore! If someone has a timemachine, let me know!!

    h.... ....

    I mean... it's not quite a time machine, but it is a decoder ring for history. https://davidiclineage.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/newest-draft-davidic-legend/

  49. J.... B....

    I used to listen to this C.D. and I didn't know anything. I stopped for years and just recently started listening to this. The meaning is obvious. I watched a performance where the lead singer Ed said the title comes from 2 work places in Pennsylvania "Caterpillar" and "Harley Davidson". They don't make music like this anymore. I need the Shepherd to give me new eyes so I won't take for granted the things that really matter in this life. I have to die to myself and surrender to the Shepherd. "I am the good Shepherd" Jesus

    J.... B....

    Leave religion out of this.

    J.... B....

    @Hellwyck Nuts to you, sir. Just cos you've got a touch of the tism other people can't appreciate allegory according to obvious archetypal forms?

    Clean your room, bucko.

  50. J.... J....

    The best song of the 90s

  51. I.... j....

    Definitely one of the most brilliant bands ever!

  52. J.... B....

    I used to skip this song when I had it on CD. One day, I had it playing when I was cleaning my room and it hit the "Shepard" part of the chorus and I just stopped what I was doing and raised my fists in glory!

    J.... B....

    Jonas Butler I belive😍

    J.... B....

    Jonas Butler same here man. Used to hear the bassline intro and I always skipped. I still remember being on a break from the nursing program and i got this new car and I had LIVE blaring and cleaning my car up then I heard this song. I threw my floor mats in the trunk blaring this masterpiece

    J.... B....

    Same here ...on my tv

    J.... B....

    I had the exact same thing.

    J.... B....

    I used to blare this song in my old Z28 with the T Tops out. Ah youth.

  53. B.... ....

    Just Come On

  54. p.... b....

    so fucking brilliant, so fucking powerful

  55. T.... J....

    "Pillar Of Davidson"

    "warm bodies, I sense"

    (...speaker has an intuition there is more to our existence, then...)

    "are not machines that can only make money"

    (...human beings have a greater purpose...)

    "past, perfect, tense
    words for a feeling and all I've discovered"

    (...intuition or "feeling" grows into new discovery. Dual meaning as the best way to describe the "feeling" is Past, Perfect, Tense or what's past is perfect and he's tense at understanding this perfection which is the word of God in the Past-tense or Bible. The Bible is perfect.)

    "I'll be along son with medicine supposed to,
    designed to make you high"

    (...being spoken to, in a disjointed manner by whom we will see is the "profiteer" of Gods word, Using the Bible to make money. And using the Word to make you "high" or feel good. Also medicine to disenchant)

    "I'll be along son
    with words for a feeling and all I've discovered"

    (...replacing what the "profiteer" is saying with the growing "feeling", which will become spiritual awakening)

    "old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes"

    (...those that cannot see the spiritual, also sounds suspiciously like "open eyes" in verse. Possible dual meaning)


    "on loneliness comes
    go see the foreman, go see the profiteer
    on loneliness drives
    we're takin' our time movin' shit for this holy slime"

    (...verse confirms speaker has been referring to those who seek to profit from Gods word and not someone working an assembly line or caught in the basic 9 to 5, though there is dual meaning reflecting this in the verse "are not machines that can only make money", the deeper meaning refers to those who are spiritually misled for profit. One does not go see ones "foreman" if they are lonely. Spiritual loneliness is what is being referred to here and the subject is seeking enlightenment from a "profiteer" that does not offer true spiritual guidance, hence the speaker is left "moving shit for this holy slime" or false profit. Interesting duality to false profit and "profiteer". In this instance he is referring to religious profiteers.)

    "old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes, almighty fear"

    (...old bad eyes/ open eyes then "Almighty Fear" comes as the spiritual awakening begins and the speakers sees with new eyes in new enlightenment)

    "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,"

    (...the Shepard is Jesus. The speakers spiritual awakening had begun and his "old bad eyes" have opened and Jesus is starring him in the face and won't leave him alone. He submits to Christ as "the shepherd of my days" and he wants Christ in his heart and head)

    "I can't start till I'm dead"

    (...or, I can't start till I'm reborn)

    [Background Lyrics:]
    (...background lyrics confirm much of what the song meaning is and reconcile the original intuition felt by the speaker)

    "here I am locking horns with the stallion"

    (...battling satan, or any negative impulse, personal demon, etc)

    "failing to hold my head up, I'll go back again"

    (...the speaker is and has been losing the battle, fearful he will "go back again" to an unenlightened state)

    "pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down"

    (...Pillar of Davidson is Jesus also. Jesus was descended from King David, so in a sense he's David's son. Once the speaker has Jesus(pillar of Davidson) he can't "go down" or lose the battle or "go back again" as seen in the previous verse. The Pillar of Jesus or Christ "feeling" is too "hard" or strong to go down)

    "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon"

    (...this spiritual awakening is "cheaper" or cost nothing monetarily to the speaker. "He" the profiteer will walk on souls. Many meanings in this line, as speaker could also be acknowledging what is the cost one ones soul or how ones soul is cheapened by the profiteers walking upon it and how glorious that true spiritual enlightenment is both priceless and costs nothing)

    "deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up"

    (...the deeper the speaker loves Christ and draws near, the easier it is to "hold my(his) head up" or overcome dark forces he's battling, see the light, have clarity and spiritual understanding,etc)

    "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon"

    (...once again, so perhaps speaking in disbelief to ones self that he, the speaker, was disillusioned by the profiteer for so long)

    "pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down"

    (...once again reassured by the strength, truth, light and love of Christ and His Pillar or faith/fortress/firmness/foundation)

    T.... J....

    Theriver Jordan thank you! the lyrics to their songs amaze me..not to mention how young the band was

  56. R.... W....

    I can't even begin to explain what this song makes me feel. I'm not even sure myself. Except that it's quite profound.

    R.... W....

    Ria Watmough
    Pillar of Davidson is Jesus
    The Shepard that won't leave him alone is Jesus as well.
    "I can't start till I'm dead" or reborn.
    The stallion is satan...
    The beginning lyrics represent disenchantment with evangelical/religious organizations subverting or suppressing spiritual awakening.
    Old bad eyes then Almighty Fear comes as the awakening begins and the Shepard is staring him in the face unsettling him.
    IMO cheaper than all the souls lyric refers to true spiritual awakening costing nothing monetarily speaking, which ties back into the beginning lyrics.
    Once he's found the Pillar of Davidson (Jesus being descended from King David, hence David's "son" in a sense) he won't go down.

    R.... W....

    It takes me back to the times when I was young.

    R.... W....

    You're definitely right about the Shepherd. The horned stallion (ie unicorn) would also appear to be a reference to Christ, with the author communicating an inability to live up to that example. I'm not sure you're right about the Pillar of Davidson, though. It seems to me to convey a dual meaning, one spiritual and one corporeal. Spiritually the reference would be to the line of King David, Jesus being a member. Corporeally, the reference would be to certain commonalities of the male condition.

    "Taking our time/Moving shit for this holy slime" would seem to display resentment towards the Antichrist of Revelations, which has always struck me as something of a contradiction. Followers of a God who has decreed free will for all people hating someone for pre-crime?

    Something is rotten there.

  57. B.... ....

    OH This Song

  58. S.... G....

    It's the last corous that makes this one of my top 5 ..when he goes in to the here I go locking horns with the stallion ..that it..

    S.... G....

    Shaun Green ... THAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL VERSE FOR ME AS WELL!!!!

    S.... G....

    Completely agree. I don’t know what to how to describe why I love it.

    S.... G....

    Shaun Green agreed, it’s glorious 😌

    S.... G....

    Few seem to realize what he's saying with this song. What do you call a horned stallion?

    A unicorn.

  59. J.... P....

    Perhaps the greatest song ever written.

    J.... P....

    Perhaps you're right! IMO is the best song ever written!

    J.... P....

    it's a very powerful song... let's say in the top 500 songs ever written.

    J.... P....

    Jack Phoenix American Pie - Don McLean.

    J.... P....

    next to Lightning Crashes, then Lakini's Juice came!

    J.... P....

    There are a lot of contenders for that title. That being said, it’s in my top 5...and that is extremely high praise!

  60. N.... W....

    So beautiful.

  61. N.... W....

    This album was my 94/95

    N.... W....

    Natalie Would u r my 10/10🤗🤗

  62. s.... f....

    this whole album is a master piece imo... so fuckin powerful. better than most modern crap.. this song always makes me philosophical haha.

    s.... f....

    I completely agree. It got great reviews but at the same time swept under the rug.

    s.... f....

    shay farley absolutely

    s.... f....

    I had this CD in the 90s, but only really listened to the hits. One night, in res at university in late 1999, I put this CD on with headphones to drown out my room mate's snoring. First time I listened to the whole CD. I've loved this song ever since. An incredibly underrated band.

    s.... f....

    shay farley with the exception of their 5th album their entire catalog was a masterpiece. 5th album had more bad than good.

  63. P.... G....

    If you couldn't argue about what the song is about....? It speaks to every heart differently.., that's one of the beautiful things about LIVE'S music.

    P.... G....

    I was just thinking that earlier...there is a different take away for everyone...like a really deep rorschach test...

    P.... G....

    The song is about the factory workers in York, PA where LiVE are from, who slave away for barely enough money to survive.
    "Pillar of Davidson", is made from the Caterpillar (construction equipment) factory and a Harley-Davidson factory located next to one another.
    The above was said on stage by Ed Kowalczyk.

    P.... G....

    Right, the obvious references to the monomyth and its resolution are just a coincidence.

    Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Baahahahaha

  64. I.... ....

    um... amazing? yup!

  65. K.... ....

    How come Live isn't classified as grunge? Some say it's because they're over dramatized - as though Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box", or "Garden" by Pearl Jam isn't.

    K.... ....

    I think they're in the same vein of AIC or ugly kid joe

    K.... ....

    The reason Live isn't classified as grunge is because Live and only be classified as Live! I think the mold got broke with them and I fuckin love it!

    K.... ....

    Nirvana was the only grunge band lol and live is far from that....

  66. G.... S....

    It's nice to know other people appreciate this gem.

    G.... S....

    Someone liked this on the 8 of July 17. Now I'm listining to it again, ty.

    G.... S....

    Gerry Sig listening to it tonight

    G.... S....

    Gerry Sig listening tonight.... powerful stuff.

    G.... S....

    Gerry Sig love this one. Most days it was on repeat

    G.... S....

    Listening to tonight. With a j.

  67. C.... ....

    All y'all tell me what "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon" means BESIDES the Meek One, and I MIGHT consider this song being about anything but the obvious interpretation. Come on now. 

    C.... ....

    +Ellysium J Dig deeper.

    C.... ....

    first post I've even put on any computer and im 45 chills you've got that right never forget this pearla

    C.... ....

    first post I've even put on any computer and im 45 chills you've got that right never forget this pearla

    C.... ....

    first post I've even put on any computer and im 45 chills you've got that right never forget this pearla

    C.... ....

    ok so three of the band members used to work in a factory and their boss was all about the money and all their boss didnt care about his employees and the sheperd is the boss because everyone needed the job and didnt want to make him mad the pillar of davidson is the metephorical term they used for his ego. he was always a cheap man and had several of his workers hurt or even killed on the job due to that fact. that is my interpretation of the song due to their history but live has always been the band that never wanted to explain what it meant to them because they knew a song can mean different for everyone due to different experiences we as induviduals have but from my research on the band this is a story about the past they have had and how they are better now

  68. D.... M....

    This song is awesome! I think the song is about religion and corruption in the church and the the album cover helps, a priest ignoring the modern society.

  69. T.... J....

    6:11 KNEELING to hard to go down.

    6:21 he LOOKS so I hold my head up.
    the actual lyrics

    T.... J....

    Artists been fellating the Scion for twelve thousand years, I dunno why it suddenly offends you now. Hell, what about the Zep, with their piper who'll lead us to reason?

    T.... J....

    @Travis Jones   I believe you are wrong... not only because of what I hear with my own ears, and because of what is written on the insert of my CD, but... check out this lyrics link:
    http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/live/pillarofdavidson.html

  70. J.... C....

    Love this song.  You get the sense there's a depth to it - still don't know what Pillar Of Davidson is though...

    J.... C....

    @Jordan Sutherland
    >Gets mad at very idea song not about Jesus isn't about Jesus.
    >Gets irrationally defensive at suggestion of Christianity.

    Hey, look, you wanna call your Lord "Holy Slime", you go right ahead. Obviously this song was Ed excising his own "Sword in the Stone" moments and deciding that while we're all the Ubermensch on some level, he was not truly the proximal catalyst in question, and letting out concepts of resentment ever so lightly. I was about 15 when I got this album, and I figured out what I think the meaning is less than half a year ago 20 years later. It went by me for a very long time too. It was designed to. 

    "Tell me of the waters of your homeland, Usul."

    ADDENDUM; and I *only just now* got Usul and Lufu as related names, so *thank you very much*, Jordan. That's a very important puzzle piece, Lufu being the originator of the Angle bloodline "Love", which is my mother's paternal line. 

    J.... C....

    @CanadianDaves obviously you didn't read the interview where the writer explains what this song is about.... or maybe you did, but you know so much better than the actual band does!  YOU know what they meant, even though they SAID the song is about Jesus.... You know better than that, obviously, what they say matters so much less than what you WANT TO HEAR.   After all, you seem to know exactly what I think and feel, even if it goes against what I say, so you must know what the writer meant despite what he said. 
    Have fun with the last word, you obviously need it.
    And, by the way, anyone who believes in a mystical, magical, higher power is really naive..... try science and fact instead of myths that speak to human insecurities. Or don't..... stay in the dark ages.

    J.... C....

    @Jordan Sutherland *Oh My God* you have absolutely zero strategic intellect. Have fun in your communicative circle jerk buying every deception, even the pantomimed ones.

    J.... C....

    its about living in York PA and working at the shitty harley davidson plant. it is a shit town, i lived there

    J.... C....

    John Cusato "Pillar Of Davidson"

    "warm bodies, I sense"

    (...speaker has an intuition there is more to our existence, then...)

    "are not machines that can only make money"

    (...human beings have a greater purpose...)

    "past, perfect, tense
    words for a feeling and all I've discovered"

    (...intuition or "feeling" grows into new discovery. Dual meaning as the best way to describe the "feeling" is Past, Perfect, Tense or what's past is perfect and he's tense at understanding this perfection which is the word of God in the Past-tense or Bible. The Bible is perfect.)

    "I'll be along son with medicine supposed to,
    designed to make you high"

    (...being spoken to, in a disjointed manner by whom we will see is the "profiteer" of Gods word, Using the Bible to make money. And using the Word to make you "high" or feel good. Also medicine to disenchant)

    "I'll be along son
    with words for a feeling and all I've discovered"

    (...replacing what the "profiteer" is saying with the growing "feeling", which will become spiritual awakening)

    "old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes"

    (...those that cannot see the spiritual, also sounds suspiciously like "open eyes" in verse. Possible dual meaning)


    "on loneliness comes
    go see the foreman, go see the profiteer
    on loneliness drives
    we're takin' our time movin' shit for this holy slime"

    (...verse confirms speaker has been referring to those who seek to profit from Gods word and not someone working an assembly line or caught in the basic 9 to 5, though there is dual meaning reflecting this in the verse "are not machines that can only make money", the deeper meaning refers to those who are spiritually misled for profit. One does not go see ones "foreman" if they are lonely. Spiritual loneliness is what is being referred to here and the subject is seeking enlightenment from a "profiteer" that does not offer true spiritual guidance, hence the speaker is left "moving shit for this holy slime" or false profit. Interesting duality to false profit and "profiteer". In this instance he is referring to religious profiteers.)

    "old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes
    old, bad eyes, almighty fear"

    (...old bad eyes/ open eyes then "Almighty Fear" comes as the spiritual awakening begins and the speakers sees with new eyes in new enlightenment)

    "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,"

    (...the Shepard is Jesus. The speakers spiritual awakening had begun and his "old bad eyes" have opened and Jesus is starring him in the face and won't leave him alone. He submits to Christ as "the shepherd of my days" and he wants Christ in his heart and head)

    "I can't start till I'm dead"

    (...or, I can't start till I'm reborn)

    [Background Lyrics:]
    (...background lyrics confirm much of what the song meaning is and reconcile the original intuition felt by the speaker)

    "here I am locking horns with the stallion"

    (...battling satan, or any negative impulse, personal demon, etc)

    "failing to hold my head up, I'll go back again"

    (...the speaker is and has been losing the battle, fearful he will "go back again" to an unenlightened state)

    "pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down"

    (...Pillar of Davidson is Jesus also. Jesus was descended from King David, so in a sense he's David's son. Once the speaker has Jesus(pillar of Davidson) he can't "go down" or lose the battle or "go back again" as seen in the previous verse. The Pillar of Jesus or Christ "feeling" is too "hard" or strong to go down)

    "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon"

    (...this spiritual awakening is "cheaper" or cost nothing monetarily to the speaker. "He" the profiteer will walk on souls. Many meanings in this line, as speaker could also be acknowledging what is the cost of ones soul or how ones soul is cheapened by the profiteers walking upon it and how glorious that true spiritual enlightenment is both priceless and costs nothing)

    "deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up"

    (...the deeper the speaker loves Christ and draws near, the easier it is to "hold my(his) head up" or overcome dark forces he's battling, see the light, have clarity and spiritual understanding,etc)

    "cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon"

    (...once again, so perhaps speaking in disbelief to ones self that he, the speaker, was disillusioned by the profiteer for so long)

    "pillar of davidson feeling to hard to go down"

    (...once again reassured by the strength, truth, light and love of Christ and His Pillar or faith/fortress/firmness/foundation)

  71. B.... L....

    i know right

  72. J.... T....

    The chorus speaks volume how good this song is.Live rules.

  73. T.... P....

    Does the 720 actually make a difference? I haven't really tried to check a difference; I just click it on...Curious if others change the setting and actually notice a difference. My headphones might be on the fritz. Thanks.

  74. J.... &....

    this is one of their most powerful songs.  freakin' love them, have since the 90's. thank you live for being one of the most genuine and honest bands out there

    J.... &....

    hermosa cancion

  75. D.... ....

    @mataman47 - Replacing those words would make absolutely no sense...  The hell are you talking about, lol.

  76. G.... B....

    me likey !

  77. m.... m....

    after all those years.... this song still gives me the chills! loving it!!

    m.... m....

    Me, two.

  78. D.... W....

    deep song with some religious overtones (as do alot of Live tunes), great feel around the whole thing and really good lyrics. I have loved this song for almost 20 years now. Owned it on cassette when came out when I was 13. Never got a chance to see these guys live. A couple good songs from Secret Samhadi a swell but this album is in my top 10-15 of 90's

    D.... W....

    Secret Samdi is an amazing album. Give it a second chance.

  79. B.... ....

    Preach it Sir!!
    Saw them live at the rage in vancouver,,,, i was a mess, it was amazing!!

  80. m.... ....

    I replaced the words "the sheperd" with "DISCOVER" and the song has 10 x times more meaning for me... A song that really lifts me up... and teaches me to "discover" my human nature...

  81. H.... ....

    I'm really, really happy a decent band came out of my area. (other than Halestorm...they were nice folks to share a stage with back in the days)

  82. F.... S....

    Their best album.....

    F.... S....

    You should listen very carefully to "The Distance to Here" as it might change your opinion...

  83. D.... M....

    Far beyond EPIC, includes the entire Album.

  84. J.... H....

    Second best band of the 90s...End of discussion :)

  85. a.... c....

    Absolute favorite song by LIVE....My friends and I worked for years to figure out the ending chorus, and I'm so thrilled to see the lyrics right in front of me!!! Yeah, we were waaaay off...:)

    a.... c....

    amanda carter-williams Lol Same here.

  86. s.... ....

    Just got this album as new in local garbage market for 1.5$. Wondering how everything is fucked up in this world.

  87. G.... D....

    My favorite. This is the longer version and I find it less commercial sounding, if that makes any sense. Still gives me goosebumps after almost 20 years.

  88. S.... ....

    Awesome band - one of their best tunes - and you were pretty close on the lyrics....very entertaining - I give it a 7.5

    "Are you stalking me?...'cuz that would be super!"

  89. J.... G....

    ..its been a long time since ive heard this song.. and they're right i think it is really forgotten..
    do you have an official video of this song.. pls kindly post it actually im downloading it right now.. missed the band for years.. and yeah ur right Mr de leon mintz is it from that casette tape w/c was the last time i heard it. =)...

  90. J.... S....

    Sadly, the best songs go unsung

  91. C.... P....

    indeed ! took my then 14 yr old and 18 yr old daughters to see Ed at Amos's in Charlotte. They had heard their music for so long they knew alot of the tunes by heart.. Incredible performance.

  92. D.... M....

    This band is amazing. I first owned this album on casette so, yeah, Im a long time fan.

  93. R.... B....

    i love this song :)

  94. E.... K....

    Thanks for the upload! Can you upload Live Waitress?

  95. i.... f....

    Great poetic song. Nostalgia of the 90s

  96. e.... ....

    This song gives me chills ... love it!

  97. E.... ....

    why is an amazing song like this seemingly forgotten? the 976 views disheartens me- it should be in numbered in millions, not hundreds.

  98. d.... ....

    Royale with cheese.