[tenwatt]

I've been utterly fastenated with Aaron's song "The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate". The lyrics are very obviously inspired by M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's "The Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness". There is a lot of metaphors in this song (and in Bawa's writings) that are straight forward but I think it's worthy of discussion. What do you take out of these lyrics?

Originally Posted by mewithoutYou

As the moon rose and the hour grew late,
the day-help on The Coconut Estate
raked up the dried leaves that fell dead from the trees,
which they burned in a pile by the lake.

The beetle king summoned his men
and from the top of the rhododendron stem,
"Calling all volunteers who can carry back here,
the great mystery that's been lit once again."

One beetle emerged from the crowd
in a fashionable abdomen, shroud.
Said, "I'm a professor, you see, that's no mystery to me.
I'll be back soon, successful and proud."

But when the beetle professor returned,
he crawled on all six as his wings had been burned
and described to the finest detail all he'd learned.
There was neither a light nor a heat in his words.

The deeply dissatisfied king
climbed the same stem to announce the same thing.
But in his second appeal sought to sweeten the deal
with a silver padparadscha ring.

The lieutenant stepped out from the line
as he lassoed his thorax with twine,
thinking, "I'm stronger and braver and I'll earn the king's favor.
One day all he has will be mine."

But for all the lieutenant's conceit,
he too returned singed and admitting defeat.
"I had no choice, please believe, but retreat.
It was bright as the sun, but with ten times the heat
and it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes.
Though smothered with sticks, it advanced undeterred.
Carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky, my lord
like a flock of dark vanishing birds."

The beetle king slammed down his fist.
"Your flowery description's no better than his!
We sent for the great light and you bring us this?!
We didn't ask what it seems like, we asked what it is!"

His majesty's hour at last is drawn nigh.
The elegant queen took her leave from his side.
Without understanding, but without asking why,
she gathered their kids to come bid their goodbyes.
And the father explained, "You've been somewhat deceived,
we've all called me your dad, but your true Dad's not me.
I lay next to your mom and your forms were conceived.
Your Father's the light within all that you see.
He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds;
holds without hands and He speaks without sounds.
He provides us with the cow's waste and coconuts to eat;
giving one that nice salt taste, and the other is sweet.
Sends the black carriage the day death shows its face;
thinning our numbers with kindness and grace.
And just as a flower and its fragrance are one,
so must each of you and your Father become."

"Now distribute my scepter, my crown, and my throne
and all we've known as wealth to the poor and alone."
Without further hesitation, without looking back home,
the king flew headlong into the blazing unknown.

And as the smoke ring hurled higher and higher,
the troops flying loops round the telephone wires;
They said, "Our beloved's not dead, but his highness instead,
has been utterly changed into fire."

Why not be utterly changed into fire?

[tenwatt]

Okay…I’ll start…

I love the way this song is arranged. It starts with the King Beetle giving a challenge to his colony to bring back an item that is a great mystery to them…fire.

The wise Professor Beetle is the first to step up to accept the task. The Professor’s wisdom is his folly. In his arrogance he rush’s in to close to the fire to the point of being wounded. Upon his return, his explanation of what he encountered is too educated. Aaron says “There was neither a light nor a heat in his words.” This leads me to believe that he spoke above the understanding of the Beetles. His arrogance remained and he still wanted to sound intelligent in his explanation so he gave an exhausted explanation of the fire that STILL didn't help the others understand what it was.

Next the King offers a reward. A expensive, jeweled ring. It’s then that the Lieutenant steps up. Greed and arrogance is his folly. Aaron says that this beetle covets the Kings wealth. But he has the same experience with the fire as the Professor. He returns without the fire but with an explanation that should scare anyone else from attempting to retrieve it. “It’s ten times as hot as the sun.” “It towers into the sky.” It can’t be smothered.” I think he says this in an attempt to keep the other beetles from trying. If someone successfully retrieved the fire than he would look weak.

The next part of the song makes me think that the King Beetle knew all along what would happen. Aaron’s description of the King leads you to believe he is good and just (distributing his wealth, praising good, etc). I can’t help but think the King knew he was dying and used his own dramatic death to encourage his colony to become one with God. I also notice that he doesn’t leave his rule with anyone but rather reminds them all that God has and will provided for them.

Any other thoughts?

[tenwatt]

Okay...since no one bit on the somewhat straight forward "Beetle King" let's try a little trickier one. mewithoutYou's "Fig With a Bellyache" is VERY confussing to me. I know it's dealing with sexual temptations and again references "The Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness" but I'm really left scratching my head on this one. Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by mewithoutYou

the camel in the desert took a ship across the lake
while the fish in search of water found a fig with a bellyache
who overheard the waves as they headed for the shore
"we're not so sure of separations anymore."

at the caterpillar picnic, brother butterfly stole
a rhubarb stem, licked and dipped it in the sugar bowl

caught up for Massachusetts in a double-stacked train
through the adirondacks spinning like a weathervane
gathering and cutting and splitting and stacking the wood
our fuel is neatly piled and we all feel good

we pretend to care and like we understand, our eyes go soft but know it now -
what we're thinking about is your mammary glands and how to sail your birth canal
we found the pot that fit the lid no less now then when we were smarter did
our thoughts are like a tea bag on the saucer, all the flavor gone

that dog below our waist aroused, when arms embraced the pretty gals
it came much more as a surprise, it happening when i hugged the guys
we planted for the final frost, we once were found and now we're lost
we got a heck of a lot to learn about remaining taciturn.

[tenwatt]

Anyone? Come on! These are an intriguing set of lyrics. No one wants to dive into picking them apart? I know there are other mwY fans on this board.

[Skeeter]

Sorry, mate, I just got the album a week ago. I'm certainly interesting in discussing the lyrics of this album, but I think I need to let it simmer a little while longer.

[tenwatt]

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Sorry, mate, I just got the album a week ago. I'm certainly interesting in discussing the lyrics of this album, but I think I need to let it simmer a little while longer.

Aaron's Sufi background really comes out on this album. It's awesome how he relates Muslim teachings to his relationship with God.

[tenwatt]

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Sorry, mate, I just got the album a week ago. I'm certainly interesting in discussing the lyrics of this album, but I think I need to let it simmer a little while longer.

Come on Skeet...you've gotta have something for us by now. Surely there are others who like to tear into lyrics as I do.

[Skeeter]

I largely agree with your analysis on "The King Beetle...", but I think you could take it a bit further. I think the fire is a symbol of God. The wise professor, the academic, attempts to understand God, but his explanation comes up short. He attempts to analyse God but is unable to quantify who or what God is to any satisfactory degree.

The proud lieutenant tries to subdue God, make him fit into things he understands. Ultimately he discovers that God cannot be contained and is scared. His descriptions of God are meant to evoke fear to cause people to avoid God. Another way to look at the lieutenant is to seem him as a poet. Thus, the professor represents the academic approach to understanding God and the lieutenant represents the artistic/emotional approach to understanding God. Neither comes close to what or who God actually is.

The king, on the other hand, doesn't care what God seems like or looks like; he wants to know who God is. The only way for him to do this is to be "utterly changed into fire." He must become one with God and become utterly changed. In this act, he becomes consumed by the fire; note, he does not die, but is changed. The only way to understand the fire is to be consumed by it. By becoming the fire, he understands what it is. In the same sense, the only way to understand God is by being consumed by God and being changed into a likeness of Christ.

"Fig With a Bellyache" is one of my favorite songs on the album, but I can't for the life of me figure it out.

[tenwatt]

Well, I know that in Muhaiyaddeen’s "Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness" he compares man struggles with sexual temptation to a camel traveling across the dessert. He reminds his readers that we have what it takes to cross the desert but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. He also compares the same temptation to a ship crossing a lake. The waves are the roughest near the shoreline but once you fight your way past the breakers to the flat waters there are still struggles in navigating. So basicly, man will always struggle with sexual temptation. Some times will be easier and some times will be harder. Muhaiyaddeen also compares man’s search for God to a fish in search of water. Searching for something that we are utterly surrounded by.

So…in the first section of the song I think he’s describing someone being overwhelmed with, and even giving into, sexual temptations that realizes he’s offending God but doesn’t turn away from his sin. Aaron gives another example of compound offenses with the butterfly stealing the rhubarb and double dipping in the sugar bowl.

I don’t really have any assumption on what the train ride through Massachusetts has to do with anything.

I feel like the last parts of the song are a little more obvious in saying that Aaron believes that we have become more and more tolerant to our perversions.

[Ethan.Bassist.]

"King Beetle..." is I'm pretty sure is about a bug zapper. Literally of course. Not metaphorically.

"the great mystery that's been lit once again"

"he crawled on all six as his wings had been burned"

"I had no choice, please believe, but retreat.
It was bright as the sun, but with ten times the heat
and it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes.
Though smothered with sticks, it advanced undeterred.
Carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky, my lord
like a flock of dark vanishing birds."

Bug zappers are "smothered in sticks" as in the cage to keep us from zapping ourselves.
They crack like thunder. They are bright (especially if you're a bug)
They burn up wings I'm sure.

[Skeeter]

It's about a literal fire. Thus the ash cloud cast to the sky. Fires crack like thunder.

[tenwatt]

The first sentence in the song sets the scene.

[Skeeter]

"raked up the dried leaves that fell dead from the trees,
which they burned in a pile by the lake."

[tenwatt]

Originally Posted by guyskankrye

Well, I know that in Muhaiyaddeen’s "Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness" he compares man struggles with sexual temptation to a camel traveling across the dessert. He reminds his readers that we have what it takes to cross the desert but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. He also compares the same temptation to a ship crossing a lake. The waves are the roughest near the shoreline but once you fight your way past the breakers to the flat waters there are still struggles in navigating. So basicly, man will always struggle with sexual temptation. Some times will be easier and some times will be harder. Muhaiyaddeen also compares man’s search for God to a fish in search of water. Searching for something that we are utterly surrounded by.

So…in the first section of the song I think he’s describing someone being overwhelmed with, and even giving into, sexual temptations that realizes he’s offending God but doesn’t turn away from his sin. Aaron gives another example of compound offenses with the butterfly stealing the rhubarb and double dipping in the sugar bowl.

I don’t really have any assumption on what the train ride through Massachusetts has to do with anything.

I feel like the last parts of the song are a little more obvious in saying that Aaron believes that we have become more and more tolerant to our perversions.

Okay back to the "Fig with a Bellyache".

Any ideas on the train ride part? Does my theory on the song add up?

[tenwatt]

This could have been a fun discussion...