from the horses mouth...

[The Holy Gift]

MK: "If you look at the cycles of the moon, it starts as a thin crescent and then gradually waxes until it becomes full; then it gradually wanes back into another crescent and then it is gone. The moon reflects sunlight like humans reflect information. We wax and wane and when we become full moons, our egos are full. We think we have this knowledge when in fact, the information we have is pure. And how it reflects or shines off of us, is something we take credit for as though the moon could take credit for its brightness when, in fact, it is only reflecting light from the sun. We have to understand that we are ego-less just as the moon is without light. It and we are simply reflectors. The ego is not responsible for the information. It can reflect the information in creative ways, but the information itself is pure".

an excerpt from http://www.cdicarlo.com/paper_04maynard.htm

i guess the only way to put the meaning of this song into words....is to use the words of the man who created the song. so there you have....some of you were right....some wrong....but hey, wutever makes you crawl out of bed in the morning.

[MORNING_GLORY]

Well thanks for solving that mystery; now I can sleep at night!

...

[The Holy Gift]

wow morning glory thanks for great input...no really your post just added so much to this thread. really, no, thank you, i dont know if i could make it through the day without your worthless sarcasm. so really, thanks!

...

[MORNING_GLORY]

I'm sorry, I was just in a smartass mood.

But seriously, when I read that quote a few years ago it really did make sense... its really a great metaphor for what hes trying to convey.

I just couldn't understand how he was so sad sounding in the beginning few verses of the song... if he was so full of information and his ego was so built up, why was he so depressed? Wouldn't that make most of us cocky and full of ourselves?

Or is he describing the moments when he realized the information he possessed wasn't actually defining him? Did it make him sad to realize that all the knowledge in the world doesn't make you any better than the next guy?

...Maybe this epiphany led him to realize that its not a depressing thing to realize, but rather something neccessary for development as a person?

[The Holy Gift]

lol it happens...

"Or is he describing the moments when he realized the information he possessed wasn't actually defining him? Did it make him sad to realize that all the knowledge in the world doesn't make you any better than the next guy?"

not exactly, but close. ill be using the HE as a general pronoun...the person the song is about.

He is singing it sadly because he is reflecting back on it...at the time his ego was full, and hes now sad because he realizes he was proudful of it, and it was pointless. "how pitiful" is how pitiful he was, so unenlightened.
so in his darkest hour, when he was the height of his prideful ego, the moon clues him in on what is really going on. then a million light reflections pass over him, and he gets it, he must crucify his ego, because he doesnt want to be a narcissist for ever. so he crucifies the ego, and becomes a little more humble, and isnt so narcissistic, thinking that the light was his own, not realizing he was only reflecting it.

i think if you use where im going as a guide....you can understand the rest.

[MORNING_GLORY]

I understand the basic idea hes trying to put across with the moon metaphor, but maybe hes describing the end of a full cycle.

I'm just going to say "he" because I'm just trying to figure out how the metaphor relates to the song, not so much whose point of view its coming from.

"And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping"

Perhaps he has already waxed to his maximum (full of information), found pride in his knowledge, and then began to wane back to a minimum, and then to nothing. In the above verse, he notes he is in his darkest moment.

This is where the song begins.

Hes at the point where he hasnt found enough information to keep his pride up and running, which is why he is going through this withdrawal type process. He reflects back to when his ego was actually full, starts contemplating things, and comes to realize, "Hey, I never invented this information to begin with, I'm just using it"

To be honest, this song is a good reminder for myself. I love reading and gathering new ideas, but then I can sometimes showboat them to my friends and family. They never get offended or anything, but I do sometimes get full of myself and think "Well they never would've known that without me"....
But in reality I didn't think this stuff up, someone passed it to me, I pass it to them, and it continues on and on...

What do you thinK?

[The Holy Gift]

morning glory...sounds like your pretty damn close enuff for me, thats how i interpret this...always have....i just thought it was kind of nice to find that nugget from MJK to affirm my ideas....and its good to see someone else gets it too.

leef....sounds like ur friend is a real tool, maybe even a full blown toolbox....and it sounds to me like that dood wouldnt be my friend anymore....cuz it sounsd to me like hes trying to be you...and thats just creeping!