Ed Takes A Beat Down, Alive - "It's Depressing" Options

[dancing queen]

The child isn't driving.
"here I am standing inside your love like a child.

falling asleep at the wheel of my life and letting you drive."

that's how I hear it because it's clear the sung metre is way different than the normal spoken would be. Christ asks followers to be child-like in love and faith, so standing inside your love like a child makes sense in that context.

and falling asleep at the wheel and letting you drive isn't ambiguous.. read it as "hey, I can't stay awake anymore and I'm gonna hurt myself if I keep driving... you do it, I'm doing a terrible job." or something.

I do agree with that review a lot when it comes to the simplicity and over use of simile in Ed's newer lyrics, but I was surprised that the reviewer found them so hard to understand, because they are so simple. Most of the album is written in the quality of my 9th grade poetry assignments (those were not great).

I like the album, but it's not on par with the early LIVE stuff... I enjoy it, but it's not the same quality.

[thefunkyredcaboose]

The child isn't driving.
"here I am standing inside your love like a child.

falling asleep at the wheel of my life and letting you drive."

that's how I hear it because it's clear the sung metre is way different than the normal spoken would be. Christ asks followers to be child-like in love and faith, so standing inside your love like a child makes sense in that context.

and falling asleep at the wheel and letting you drive isn't ambiguous.. read it as "hey, I can't stay awake anymore and I'm gonna hurt myself if I keep driving... you do it, I'm doing a terrible job." or something.

I do agree with that review a lot when it comes to the simplicity and over use of simile in Ed's newer lyrics, but I was surprised that the reviewer found them so hard to understand, because they are so simple. Most of the album is written in the quality of my 9th grade poetry assignments (those were not great).

I like the album, but it's not on par with the early LIVE stuff... I enjoy it, but it's not the same quality.

That might be the most in-depth discussion one can manage about any of these lyrics. Kudos.

[dancing queen]

same thing was mentioned in Soul Whispers regarding the blackbird...

oh the song of my soul is sweet.

like a blackbird against the night sky, human eyes can't see.

I know I'm not the only Christian on this board, but to those of you not raised or currently involved in any variety of Christianity, is it as clear to you ask it is to me that Soul Whispers is about the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost)? And that Eat Your Love is sonically, the coolest song every about Communion?

[jayda]

I feel a lot of it is overblown. I also think a lot of TGF fans are trying to tear Ed Kowalczyk down, when they should be focusing on building up The Gracious Few.

TGF is not really doing anything for me - I don't mind their music but I wouldn't class myself as a fan. But I really do not enjoy Ed's offerings. It disappoints me enough to say something about it.

[OutToDry]

Then get on the Van Halen bus. theyre back, see other music

[thefunkyredcaboose]

same thing was mentioned in Soul Whispers regarding the blackbird...

oh the song of my soul is sweet.

like a blackbird against the night sky, human eyes can't see.

I know I'm not the only Christian on this board, but to those of you not raised or currently involved in any variety of Christianity, is it as clear to you ask it is to me that Soul Whispers is about the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost)? And that Eat Your Love is sonically, the coolest song every about Communion?

The blackbird isn't exactly a common metaphor for Holy Spirit, but I imagine that is a fair interpretation otherwise.

Eat Your Love may be nice sonically, but it isn't exactly a very poetic look at communion. I imagine most non-Christians would understand the reference if they have any familiarity with church. Then they would probably make fun of it's overly literal approach.

There is a huge world of beautiful Christian poetry and lyric to use as inspiration. Ed used to tap into that in other religions, but much of his Christian lyric just seems so cheap and cliche. Much of TDTH works as a better written Christian album than this one.

This post has been edited by thefunkyredcaboose: Aug 9 2010, 10:03 pm

[ItchyTriggerFinger]

There is a huge world of beautiful Christian poetry and lyric to use as inspiration. Ed used to tap into that in other religions, but much of his Christian lyric just seems so cheap and cliche. Much of TDTH works as a better written Christian album than this one.

I think this pretty much sums up the issue I'm having. For me, both as an innately spiritual person who also happens to be Catholic, I found Ed's lyrics soared in TDTH. In comparison, it seems like he's trying to bludgeon an already obvious metaphor into my head with the lyrics in Alive.

Ed should remind himself that the crucifix ain't no baseball bat.

[Wambangalang]

i didnt think TDTH was christian at all. "The big-bang never blew me away. Adam and Eve never made the grade".

i thought he only made his mind up recently with regards to his faith...

[Merica]

I found Ed's lyrics soared in TDTH.

Yessssss.... lyrically, TDTH is fucking magnificent.

Since then, it's been one HYOWGE step down after another. Until now when we're thanking the Lord for all the gifts.. in da form of mah kiddie winkles.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[sh4rpz]

i didnt think TDTH was christian at all. "The big-bang never blew me away. Adam and Eve never made the grade".

i thought he only made his mind up recently with regards to his faith...

I think if you look closely at the material Ed has produced (with or without LIVE) over the last 5-7 years, you will notice that it has steadily wavered away from the stuff that we have grown accustomed to and loved about him. I still found what Ed had to say interesting right up until around 2004/5, till before SFBM came out.

I'm not sure whether the material on that album swayed my belief that he was a man who was calculated and knew exactly what he was talking about, to someone who contradicted himself and just started sounding lame.

If you read the stuff he had up on Ken Wilber's jounal 'Integral Naked' at the time 2003-2005 or so, Ed came across as a very intelligent, careful and thoughtful kind of guy. He seemed very interesting, and genuinely passionate and interested in what he was doing artistically and musically, and you couldn't help be in awe if not inspired by the man and what he was about.

His lyrics and his general persona were consistent with the man we saw on stage, and when you listened to the material and read the interviews and the journals etc, he seemed so in tune (if you pardon the pun).

However, ever since SFBM and the way Ed has put himself about is really sad, as someone here has already stated. I feel that the fans 'collective yawn' CT spoke about was not exaggerated by any means - indeed many called a LIVE split 4 - 5 years ago. Many of us put it down to a few bad years, after so many great years, and that LIVE would be back sooner rather than later.

Somehow though, when CT revealed his findings in that email, and once we all digested what he had to say, we somehow knew it was coming, and that it was more believable than not, that Ed was just as big a reason for the 'decline' (I know Nick will go mental about me calling it that) as anyone. It seemed the man who was once so interesting and so out there in terms of dynamic lyrics and always had the right words didn't have it anymore.

Alive is just a continuation of that change in behavior. I am just as guilty of dissing that album as anyone else. Yes, I do prefer the pure rock sound of TGF over Ed's new pop sound. I also don't have a problem with people who prefer Ed's sound over TGF's - but what I do have a problem with, is when people talk about Alive like it is the best work that Ed has done and these mediocre musicians he has surrounded himself with are the best that he can do. Alive is far off the standard off any LIVE album - the good ones AND the poor ones. The rest of us know what he is capable of.

I can't understand how a fanofLIVE can't see that.

[OutToDry]

Very well state Sh4rpz

[thefunkyredcaboose]

i didnt think TDTH was christian at all. "The big-bang never blew me away. Adam and Eve never made the grade".

i thought he only made his mind up recently with regards to his faith...

I wasn't saying that I thought TDTH was Christian or that Ed intended it to be, just that as Christian spiritual lyric it would be far better thought out than anything on Alive. Many of the messages are quite religious after all.

However, there are many parts of the album that would be distinctly non-Christian, though the lyric you quoted really isn't. Many Christians today wouldn't reject the big bang, and well Adam and Eve did fuck up.

[jclive]

Then get on the Van Halen bus. theyre back, see other music

What ever happened to David Lee Roth? He still around?

[OutToDry]

See the by thread in other music.

[jclive]

The blackbird isn't exactly a common metaphor for Holy Spirit, but I imagine that is a fair interpretation otherwise.

I dont see the blackbird as the entire metaphor. I see the 'blackbird against the night sky' (something you cant see) as the metaphor.

A Christian's faith is a blind faith, in the sense that we dont see our God as a person here on earth. We have teachings. History. Reason. Etc. But we believe. We have faith. God is with us, whether we see him or not.

We need more threads discussing the lyrics on Alive. There is a lot there to those who arent predetermined to put it down as 'not as good as Live from the 90's' Its NOT Live from the 90's. Ed has changed. For some, its a change for the worse. For others, its a change for the beter. For the rest, Live has been a non-issue since ~1996, so they dont really care. This is Ed's artistic creation of 2010. Let it stand on its own.