Heavy Bells

I think johannd is the closest to the real meaning.

Mama knew my mind would know this song - because even as a kid he was all rock-n-roll. I muscle holler and moan, referring to how he sings on stage. Black chords in the night - he was up late, even as a kid, listening to rock and roll on vinyl and radio. Parents don't always approve of the kind of music you want to listen to - Daddy burnt the dirt but the seed survived - maybe his Dad threw his records out, talked shit about what the kind of music he liked. Maybe he physically even threw his records into a burn pile, but the seed survived! Once you fall in love with rock n' roll, you can't end it. It's IN you! I know that old Catholic tone - I live near J. Roddy's hometown, and in the South rock n' roll isn't always so easily accepted by the older, church-going, old fashioned Bible-belt crowd. And you hear those church bells, and they're metal, as metal as your guitar strings. "The heavy bells oh god I felt that metal move. You're gonna wake up You're gonna wake up You’re gonna wake up and find the heavy bells toll their tune for you too." I love that line - oh God I felt that metal move. The same feeling that these church goers get from those church bells, it's the same feeling he gets from hearing that rock and roll heavy metal. It's the same! It's so powerful - it moves you beyond. "You're gonna wake up and find the heavy bells toll their tune for you too!" To me this line is self-explanatory, but I also personally feel an underlying theme: Heavy church bells or heavy metal rock and rock - it means different things to different people. But universally similar, they are designed to move you. To remind you. To touch you in some way. And how you choose to listen - or wake up - to hearing it is all up to you.

To me this song is about a controlling and abusive father. I feel like the father tried to abuse until abortion- "daddy burnt the seed, but the seed survived." Also "oh god I felt that metal move"... metal wire hanger. "Mama knew my mind would know this song-" the mom felt that the fetus was alive and aware, and therefore would not abort. "Blood and honey drip from his beard. Chaser to the taste I've come to fear." Again, this points to an abusive father and and a visceral fear. "I muscle holler and a moan"- it's all he can do. To 'muscle' something (to me) is to struggle to do at least this. He may have struggled to protest the abuse of his mom. Or this could be reference to something like a punch to his mother's stomach while he was in utero, but instead of giving in he gave a holler and a moan- a tiny battle cry.

In summation- I feel the "heavy bells" are the least important thing when interpreting this song, but still very important. The fact that the Heavy Bells are heavy points to weighing one down. Then there's all the religious stuff...that old catholic tone. Well, abortion is wrong in Catholicism, but still the dad attempted to snuff this.

I heard the song on the radio several time--liked it initially. The melody reminds me of the In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry--in a good way.

I watched the video and saw scenes depicting cult ideas. There are also subtle and not so subtle triangles, pointing up, down and even spinning. There are diagrams on the walls of the set that look like crude electrical circuit diagrams. (This would fit the theme with all the scenes of people electrocuting themselves/others throughout the video.) Nothing here is overtly spiritual or even religious.

As for the lyrics, there are clear mention of "Catholic tones", the mention of "heavy bells"--the sounds you used to hear walking into church. So there is obvious religious reference here--"Catholic" even. In the first verse, he mentions that "daddy burnt the dirt but the seed survived". This could refer to plant seed--in which case its completely non-sequitor. Alternatively, there is a verse in the bible that Catholics seam to be the only ones to point out despite the gallons of Whiteout the rest of the denominations have founded their beliefs on: Genesis 38:9. It talks a bout human seed outside of an act open to procreation--something that forbids "pulling out" or even masturbation. (This doesn't win the Church many popularity contests these days.) However the reference is to "daddy"--could give some context to what kind of seed this is meant to evoke. More curious to me is that daddy burned the dirt for some reason is a manner that might make the casual observer think seed of some sort may be destroyed. But the seed survived. I think he is talking about himself in the 3rd person. This would mean that he was created outside the human procreative act despite his father's attempt to kill him. The other conclusion is that this seed has no religious meaning, the seed is not him, it has no catholic context and probably this seed is plant seed. I think that would be out of context.

The triangle is important to Masonic tradition. (The Masons borrow from older Pagan traditions and in their senior circles are actually satanic. But this is somehow denied or glossed over or just somehow unbeknownst to the lower echelon Masons--read: pawns). Anywho, besides their triangle infatuation, they are also obsessed with sex, and in particular, the half men contribute. If the triangle does herald Masonic influence, the reference to "seed" is as I have outlined.

Your thoughts?

I asked J Roddy on his Facebook page about some of the phrases he used in this song and their meaning. Though he didn't answer all my questions he did answer a few and it helped me interpret the rest:

J Roddy Walston and The Business: Chop talking is a hunting reference. The word Catholic can be used to mean "universal". Muscle holler and moan would be how I describe my singing.

Please see my replies to the other two comments...no one else seems to recognize that the "red symbol" flashing throughout the video is the design of a circular "insert" used for a 45 rpm vinyl record's center hole that enables you to play a 45 rpm "single" on a record player meant for 33 1/3 rpm LP's. Yes, I am THAT old lol.

songs about death in the "bell tolls for thee" kinda way "You’re gonna wake up and find the heavy bells toll their tune for you too."

"Mama knew my mind would know this song" maybe the mom has died and thus knows this song.

"I muscle holler and a moan." grieving over the loss

"Black Chords in the night." death\sadness

"Daddy burnt the dirt but the seed survived" the dad leaves them but they survive without him

the rest gets hard to figure out but w/e its a great song.

(Like this web site . . . at least so far . . .)

Heavy Bells

I maintain that most artists don't want you to know "what they were thinkin" at the time or in general . . . they say want the tune/lyric to have it's "own meaning to you" - but i think they are chicken, and don't want to bias your understanding . . . which is cool as far as that goes . . . but I wish they would just say.

Yes, I agree with those who have spoken of the cult or religious symbols (i understand that when Chatholic is capitolized it is the Church, when it is small case, it is universal, but then that would be the person posting this, rather than the artist. Everyone can see in the video there is a "lending of itself" to experiential, religious, spiritual, maybe even "high" or cult-like groups of people. Once "one" has been "inducted" into the "body" or group . . . they get to go into the next room and dance.

This could be anything from cult induction, drug experimentation/useage, maybe even being accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . . . most likely all the above! Ha!

I like the line, "Daddy burnt the dirt but the seed survived". To me . . . and it has nothing to do with the song, it has to do with my background . . . "Daddy" is God, "burnt the earth" is like Noahs' Flood, and "but the seed survived" is the saving of a remenant of people to go forward with the work and plan. (Same thing as: "Charlie stole the handle, and the train, it won't slow down - Jethro Tull")

But again . . . that is a personal "touch" i put on the meaning

I like the song better, now that I have seen the words . . . i was hearing it everyday on the radio and it was "jiberish" . . . now at least it has mystery . . . which may be the "real meaning", after all is said and done!

bet I'm way off but I look at it like heavy bells as heavy music calling you. Like everyone will like metal one day. Mama knew my mind: she knew I was a rock star because I muscle, holler, and main. Black chords in the night. That's effin metal. Daddy burned the dirt: like tenacious d, you can't kill the metal. Daddy tried (hair bands) but the seed survived. You know that old catholic tone: remember when everyone liked metal because it was universally approachable? One day your guna wake up from the crap you are listening to and find the heavy bells tolling through to you too. All hail heavy bells