Spirits In The Material World Lyrics
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
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With at least equal sophistication [to De Do Do Do De Da Da Da], “Spirits in the Material World,” from the 1981 album Ghost in the Machine, was based on the writings of Arthur Koestler. Koestler’s text concerned the mind-body split, the relation between reason and imagination, and the potential for our higher logical functions to be overpowered by hate and anger. That is, to be swayed by the more primitive core brain structures enfolded from our earlier periods of “troubled evolution.” (Those primitive structures are the “ghost in the machine,” invisibly shaping our use of reason and language.) Attempted political, constitutional and revolutionary solutions to our world’s problems will ever run aground on that underlying penchant for destruction.
[From Rock & Holy Rollers: The Spiritual Beliefs of Chart-Topping Rock Stars in Their Lives and Lyrics by Geoffrey D. Falk.]
we are the ghost in the machine and those primitive structures are being exploited to distract us and seperate our bodies from our souls
we are the ghost in the machine and those primitive structures are being exploited to distract us and seperate our bodies from our souls
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Just a softer form of Gnosticism (spirit-body separation) which has infected Eastern and Western thought for centuries.
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There is no political solution To our troubled evolution Have no faith in constitution There is no bloody revolution
We are spirits in the material
Means: Even though styles of governments have ascended to great power in recorded history, none of them have the solutions to the needs of human nature, and have all failed. One common trait in us humans is religion and the belief our spirits live on in an afterlife.
Our so-called leaders speak With words they try to jail you They subjugate the meek But it's the rhetoric of failure
Means: It is human nature to always reach for more power over our fellow human beans. The most successful way to do this is with political rhetoric. But like before in the song, there is no political solution, so it will fail.
Where does the answer lie? Living from day to day If it's something we can't buy There must be another way
Means: “where does the answer lie” Us humans don’t have the answer as to how to live, so political leaders both religious and secular have clever lies that they pass off as facts. “Living from day to day” —No one knows what tomorrow will bring. “If it's something we can't buy There must be another way” The monetary system us humans use is a reflection of our failed attempts at government----“there must be a another way”...
nice breakdown :) thanks for posting
nice breakdown :) thanks for posting
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And then there's the already mentioned 'Spirits In The Material World', with its memorable chorus and everything - I always get the feeling it's a bit too simplistic and Marley-ish compared to the rest of this stuff, but that's just me. It's still one of the best known Police tunes, so just shoot me. [George Starostin]
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This song is actually based on The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. The spirits are in purgatory, which is "the material world" the way it really is. I reccommend the book, it's amazing.
@ginadoll187 The problem I have with all sorts of spiritual teachings is that only the victims of terrible crimes have to learn the "lesson" (if is there such a thing). The perpetrators of aggressions, rapists, child abusers, all of those continue on to live perfectly normal lives without a single trace of remorse, and nothing ever happen to them, their planes don't crash, their cars don't front hit a truck. The abused child, male or female, turns into a depressed and traumatized adult, a life sentence of perpetual misery and never being understood by no one, specially nowadays with this...
@ginadoll187 The problem I have with all sorts of spiritual teachings is that only the victims of terrible crimes have to learn the "lesson" (if is there such a thing). The perpetrators of aggressions, rapists, child abusers, all of those continue on to live perfectly normal lives without a single trace of remorse, and nothing ever happen to them, their planes don't crash, their cars don't front hit a truck. The abused child, male or female, turns into a depressed and traumatized adult, a life sentence of perpetual misery and never being understood by no one, specially nowadays with this perpetual crysis where the young don't find jobs, which used to be the most effective way of letting go of the past and building its own life, nowadays even that was taking away from us, while the aggressors are receiving their retirement checks every month without a single day worrying about how to pay the bills. This place here is HELL in all forms. You can try to explain this place, but no philosophy will ever explain the anomalities and exceptions. For me, this place needs to be CLEANSED from these bacteria amongst us. If you have a lion in your village, you hunt that bitch down, it will not hesitate of eating your children with a single paw.
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It means we've become so materialistic that we don't see society crumbling around us. Our politicians are corrupt and we should start a revolution to return to the Constitution but we're more interested in getting that new Smart Phone that everyone else is getting. We are all spiritual beings and material things cannot fill our spiritual needs.
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The material world has no importance, existence is a spiritual matter.
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This song's lyrics are pretty vague, despite the use of "big words" not usually found in songs - but whatever you say, Sting. Must be on the Synchronicity album, or however it's spelled, judging by its "anti-establishment" tone. What I find weird about this song is actually the final verse (Where does the.... be another way), where the tempo of the lyrics, the drums and the keyboards all go out of synch. I still can't get myself to teach my ear what the right tempo is during that verse, it's confusing.
Yea I agree with the "out of tempo" statement. Very much so.
Yea I agree with the "out of tempo" statement. Very much so.
Actually this song was on Ghost In The Machine, the album that came before Sychronicity.
Actually this song was on Ghost In The Machine, the album that came before Sychronicity.
@stoolhardy agreed
@stoolhardy agreed
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One unforgettable night You gave me such chill embraces As the snow covered heights Receive from clouds In northern Auroral nights A beautiful thing—alert—serene With passionate dreaming—wistful eyes Dark and deep as mysterious skies
They say that love is a light thing A foolish thing A slight thing
So I am with you to take your kiss And perhaps I value you more for this But whether you love me Who shall say Or whether you—drifting down my way In the great sad river of chance and change With your looks so weary and your words so strange Lit my soul from some hidden flame To passionate longing—without a name While every gust of the jungle night Was fanning the flame you set alight Whether I love you—you do not ask Nor waste yourself—on this thankless task In the little noon-tide of love’s delights Between two nights
[paraphrased]
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Zenyatta was arguably the peak - and the guys obviously knew that, otherwise why should they have called the album 'Top of the world'? - and, of course, there's nowhere but down after the peak, right? That's what most people think anyway, I guess. But you see, some people reach the top and then crash down to the bottom in a matter of seconds using the same way they came up. The Police, on the other hand, preferred to descend slowly and gradually, and using the other side of the mountain of artistic success as well. Which means seriously modifying their sound. Having messed around with the XTC producer for some time, they were convinced to 'modernize' the sound a bit, and so, in addition to the drums/bass/guitar fireworks of yore, Sting and Co. bring in synthesizers, thus getting closer to the treacherous world of synth-pop, and even saxophones, getting closer to the treacherous world of funky rave-up. This definitely muddles the sound up a bit, since the Police do not sound unique with this album - not on every single track, at least. After a few listens you get to understand that the change is not as significant as it seemed at first; for instance, after sitting several times through 'Spirits In The Material World' it becomes obvious that the synth lines upon which the song is based are actually a mere substitute for a reggaeish/tangoish guitar rhythm of the 'Roxanne' type, and with a different production, the song could have easily fit onto Outlandos D'Amour. But the extra production angles do take away from the classic idiosyncratic style, and this explains the disappointment of the many and complaints about 'overproduction'. Then again, who wants to tally all the time within a given framework? The Police certainly wouldn't want to do that. [George Starostin]