XiPHiaS
02-18-2003, 04:09 PM
I just have to say that before I listened to the lyrics more carefully (and read all these thoughts here) I always saw 2 important aspects of this song:
1. Wear the grudge like a crown.
2. Let go.
I saw it different than most people around here seem to see it, the 'wear the grudge like a crown' thing would be the thing you have to do to eventually 'let go'. It linked to the 'see negative things positive'-thing the band has been saying (including the whole lachlymology thing, which seems te have been made up, but apart from a hoax this can also be seen as a great way of getting people interested in what you have to say).
But now I think this isn't how it's meant.
But still: Shouldn't you first accept this grudge that controlls you, so you can understand it? I also read that the song might have some anti-riligious aspects; it would be possible that the 'the scarlet letterman' part is saying that the church has it's own grudge. If you understand your own grudge, you can also understand these peoples grudge and accept it, no longer feel a need to oppose it. So eventually you will not only 'let go' your own grudge, but also other peoples grudge.
Because this is the beginning of the album and the album is about moving on as a person, it would make sense to start with stating where you are as a person at the beginning of the album (the age - saturn link seems to enforce this). In their case this would be trying to see negative thing positive, but not letting go of them.
Why exactly the anti-riligious part is interwoven with it is not completely clear to me. But I think it might have been that at the time of writing the song, Maynard was thinkin about religion and about his own letting go of things. He might have concluded that church should let go its grudge as well. They are wearing it as a crown as well after all....
1. Wear the grudge like a crown.
2. Let go.
I saw it different than most people around here seem to see it, the 'wear the grudge like a crown' thing would be the thing you have to do to eventually 'let go'. It linked to the 'see negative things positive'-thing the band has been saying (including the whole lachlymology thing, which seems te have been made up, but apart from a hoax this can also be seen as a great way of getting people interested in what you have to say).
But now I think this isn't how it's meant.
But still: Shouldn't you first accept this grudge that controlls you, so you can understand it? I also read that the song might have some anti-riligious aspects; it would be possible that the 'the scarlet letterman' part is saying that the church has it's own grudge. If you understand your own grudge, you can also understand these peoples grudge and accept it, no longer feel a need to oppose it. So eventually you will not only 'let go' your own grudge, but also other peoples grudge.
Because this is the beginning of the album and the album is about moving on as a person, it would make sense to start with stating where you are as a person at the beginning of the album (the age - saturn link seems to enforce this). In their case this would be trying to see negative thing positive, but not letting go of them.
Why exactly the anti-riligious part is interwoven with it is not completely clear to me. But I think it might have been that at the time of writing the song, Maynard was thinkin about religion and about his own letting go of things. He might have concluded that church should let go its grudge as well. They are wearing it as a crown as well after all....