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Posted by ftg3plus4 on 04-02-2008 at14:59:

 

A particularly difficult album for me to grasp (much less try to explain) the concept(s) of. To me, some songs seem to reference specific times, places & situations that I can't confidently pin down (Big Warm Sweet, Note to Anna, Father Explains). Others seem to be mishmashes of times & places that don't naturally go together (I Will Return, Prayer Wheel). I end up feeling that my understanding of any given song (except Virgin Falls) is probably wrong.

Great album, though.

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Posted by Audiori J on 04-02-2008 at15:20:

 

It was the time when the Gulf War I was going on. I believe Terry often writes expressing his feelings/views of what is current. It can be complicated and misconstrued at times. I personally think for example "Big Warm Swede" and "Father Explains" are examples of no matter what your opinion on the war there are two things that are definately wrong; to feel all warm inside about what is going on, and two; to not remember the plight of the less fortunate who are enduring the hardships. There is a balance.

For example, my Grandfather was a pacifist quaker who fought in World War I. While in the war, he was a scout and was shot and laid in a trench for days. During that time he killed several Germans, it was a kill or be killed situation. After the war, he bought land in Arkansas and became a hermit. He never quite got over what he went through I don't believe.

When in a battle, a war, the right spirit to have is one of reluctance but willingness. Not one of eagerness and self righteousness. There should be a solemn and reverent spirit not one that is celebratory. Doing what has to be done, doesn't mean enjoying it, or even feeling good about it.

The Scripture says we shouldn't be distressed by war, but I don't think we should be cheerleaders either.

Terry I believe was criticizing the spirit some people had about the war, and also highlighting the plight of the unfortunate. Christianity should keep its focus.

(I dont want to start a war/anti-war debate outside the dump but I don't think thats exactly what Terry was comenting on anyway.)

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Posted by jiminy on 04-02-2008 at15:58:

 

I end up feeling that my understanding of any given song is probably wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

take it from me- you probably are
(An inside joke-really)

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Posted by colorblind on 04-02-2008 at16:39:

 

thanks for the insightful post Audiori J.

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Posted by wakachiwaka on 04-02-2008 at19:51:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Audiori J I agree with this assessment, except I think its phrased as intended. He is everywhere except where people are generally looking. Our focus is usually on politicians, the famous, the wealthy... we generally forget about those less fortunate. The least of these are often overlooked by society... They are not hard to miss. If they were hard to miss then there wouldn't be an issue. I think its intended to mean mankind is generally so blind we miss noticing what is everywhere, we miss noticing what we are supposed to notice. And in fact we are bombarded with the opposite, the wealthy, the politicians, the famous. The least of these are everywhere but overlooked by society. American Idol is hard to miss, the culture is saturated with it. The poor on the street, the hungry child is not hard to miss. This perception also plays well into the concept of the album itself.. we can as a society get caught up in the next 'ism' Kalhoun! and overlook the needy.

Thank you, Jason - that finally got to the heart of my question.

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Posted by Audiori J on 04-02-2008 at21:59:

 

With Terry and interpretting his songs it helps to remember he is a political moderate religious conservative. His religious views come through very strongly, but if you take a strong political view from the song you may be reading something wrong.

an interview with Terry Taylor
by Jeff Elbel
True Tunes News- Summer 1994

Jeff: The title track to the DA project, “Bibleland,” sounds like it could be poking fun or criticizing, or perhaps just being goofy. Sometimes it's hard to read your point of view into the lyrics. There are fans who are waiting to make an epiphany out of anything that falls from the golden tongue of Terry Taylor, when you might just be having fun with something.

Terry: You have to really absorb the lyrics of that song. On the surface, it sounds like just another Daniel Amos put down of the church or something, which, by the way, is never our intention. But the song actually says something like, “behind the shabby Bible scene is something real that built a dream.” The idea there is that sometimes in our effort to represent Heaven or a spiritual idea, or to express the inexpressible, we fall short and it becomes shoddy. Bibleland represented that idea to me. There is an actual Bibleland out on the way to Palm Springs, and it's this cheesy run down, dust covered excuse for an amusement park, but I started thinking while writing this song that the guy that built this place maybe has a sincere heart, a sincere desire to say something about his faith to people who come to Bibleland. He thought maybe something would rub off. So it may be a little misguided and funky, but behind it all is the possibility that this guy has a real love for people and a desire for them to come to a knowledge of who God is.

Jeff: I didn't necessarily see the song as a grand “anti-church” thing,
but that wouldn't be uncommon in today's alternative Christian music scene.

Terry: It's healthy to be self deprecating. I'm a church member as well. Sometimes our foibles and little idiosyncrasies are things that I like to talk about, because sometimes we tend to take ourselves too seriously, as if being human in and of itself was sin. We have our problems and make mistakes. But I think that there's also a sort of maturity, at least I hope so, in how I approach the subject of the church today, as opposed to some of the cynicism that may have leaked through in the past. The church is truly God's people in all their ridiculousness and sublimeness.

Interview with
Terry Scott Taylor
by Tom Edmonson
www.1340mag.com March 2, 2002

CRITICALTOM: As far as I know you don't get asked much about politics. Yet it seems to me that you became very political with "Don't Ask Me How I Feel", "Big Guns", "Bush League", "Amber Waves Good-bye" and so on. Do you care to share a little more intimately with your fans about your political views?

TERRY: I have no real political affiliation that can easily be pinned down. A sweeping overview neglects the nuances and exceptions which a dogmatic approach often ignores. The result is oppression. The psalms have a lot to say about this. I try to go with my heart, tempered by the word of God, and I suppose if I were forced to define it, it would probably put me somewhere in the "moderate" category. I’m sure if I were to lay all my views out I'd offend everyone on some level. However vague it appears to be on the surface, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s," is how I best live out my personal political philosophy.

He listens to Dennis Miller AND Jon Stewart... reads CS Lewis AND Frederick Buechner.. I believe he is very sincere and true to his 'religious' views which seperates him from any particular political affiliation. In fact, I think he is opposed to 'getting caught up' in a cause that is not in tune with the great commission. Jesus is not hugging trees or killing them, he is in the homeless faces.

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Posted by ftg3plus4 on 04-04-2008 at10:44:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Audiori J It was the time when the Gulf War I was going on.

Some aspects of the album & packaging make me picture more of a World War II-era setting for several songs. Part of it is the use of German phrases on the cover. Also, there's "Anna", a common German name (it beloged to my German grandmother), and "Eleanor", a name which evokes more of a '30s-'50s glamour girl than a modern one.