Big Sky

This song is definitely not about there being no God, you can tell Ray's a believer by songs such as God's Children and Black Messiah.

I'm pretty sure it's about God having a bigger plan that's too big for people to see hence the 'Big' Sky. The song seems to be saying that we and our problems are relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Notice how it says people who 'think they've got problems' i.e. trivial matters. It shows how God would love to intervene and help, 'though he would love to try' but he can't as he has to take care of the universe and more important things.

The 'One Day We'll be Free, We Won't Care, Just you Wait and See' I think is about death and how there'll be no more problems in heaven with Big Sky, who's no longer high up. Hence the 'till that day don't let it get you down', if it was about God not existing and people free of religion, it wouldn't get people down, in fact I guess it would be the reverse.

However, the end sums it up, 'When I feel the world is too much for me, I think of the Big Sky and nothing matters much to me'. Basically, whenever he feels depressed he thinks of God and what God has to deal with and realises how his problems are insignificant.

I always thought this was about religion.

Ray is saying that people cry to God about their problems, but God is too big and mighty to care about them. He's saying that God isn't something that intervenes in people's life, but something that's ineffable and intangible, so praying won't help. I disagree, but it's a cool song.

i can see how he might be talking about God because of the personification but it seems to me like he might be literally talking about the sky and how when you look up at it your problems get put into perspective.

The song is clearly about our minuscule importance in the vastness of the universe. The reality that we're a fraction of a spec of dust to the universe, and that our problems really mean absolutely nothing in the big picture. also,I don't think it's about god. if anything it's about there being no god "One day we'll be free, we won't care, just you wait and see"

I think Davies is saying there is no God. When people look up, they are not seeing God...just a big sky. I think the interpretation that the big sky is God comes from Davies personification of the sky. The sky is just really that...a big sky...and nothing more. It cannot solve peoples problems because it is ambivalent...it just is. In fact, it cannot even "see people like you and me". Davies is comforted by this fact...that our human, made up problems are meaningless to a vast universe...and if we just realise this we can be free of them. In fact I would go as far as to say free from religion, fear, guilt. If one day we can accept that our problems are insignificant, they won't mean that much to us. We will be free of the anxiety and strife that the belief our lives have deep significance brings. There is virtue in this Atheistic philosophy...we just are...like the big sky just is...so lets just live and not worry about the insignificant problems that we tend to get caught up in. Just realise that human beings just are and free yourself to marvel at the wonder of it all. See the lyric to Wonder Boy..."I see you, and you see me, and ain't that wonder"

The original "Dear God" before XTC expressed similar thoughts. This is more hopeful, though.

For some reason the incorrect lyrics are posted and it won't let me change them, so here they are:

Big Sky looked down on all the people looking up at the Big Sky Everybody's pushing one another around Big Sky feels sad when he sees the children scream and cry But the Big Sky's too big to let it get him down

Big Sky too big to cry Big Sky too high to see People like you and me

One day we'll be free We won't care, just you see 'Til that day can be Don't let it get you down

And when I feel That the world's too much for me I think of the Big Sky And nothing matters much to me

Big Sky looked down on all the people who think they got problems They get depressed and they hold their heads in their hands and they cry People lift up their hands and they look up to the Big Sky But the Big Sky is too big to sympathise

Big Sky's too occupied Though he would like to try And he feels bad inside Big Sky's too big to cry

One day we'll be free We won't care, just you wait and see 'Til that day can be Don't let it get you down