Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
a post in the vitalogy lyrics thread got me thinking about this one as well.
What does the phrase tremor christ mean? its a really evocative sounding phrase but I don't know what it is evoking.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 6:10 pm Posts: 88 Location: London, UK and Lisbon, Portugal
it's one of my favorite songs. i've always asked myself that question and (you guessed it...) never found an answer. i don't know if it's just wordplay with two of the lines in the lyrics:
"believe in lies, it's divine" and "little secrets, tremors, turns to quake"
maybe it doesn't have anything to do with it.
i leave you with a disturbing question. doesn't this song apply perfectly to the 26th of December earthquake/tsunami? especially the part "the smallest oceans still get big, big waves...". creepy...
_________________ not remembering the change, not recalling the plan...
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:56 pm Posts: 19957 Location: Jenny Lewis' funbags
jackinsistes wrote:
i leave you with a disturbing question. doesn't this song apply perfectly to the 26th of December earthquake/tsunami? especially the part "the smallest oceans still get big, big waves...". creepy...
A lot of people around here drew that conclusion. It was kind of eerie. Tremor Christ has to be in my top 10 PJ songs. I love it
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
I have always believed the song is about your beloved one cheating on you and you finding it out and not knowing what to do with it. But I still don't know what to think about the title.
And IMO if one PJ song applies perfectly for the 26th of December it is:
tidal waves don't beg forgiveness
crash, then on their way
I never appreciated Tremor Christ until I saw it performed at Hartford '98. Definetly a favorite but I'm also not sure about the title, my favorite line is "triumphant are the angels if they can .. get there first"
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 6:40 pm Posts: 746 Location: Tampa
Isn't there a line in the song that goes like "Gorgeous was his savior..." So, perhaps this dude met some chick and saved him from a crappy, boring life. And then, as that earlier poster posted in his posted post, perhaps his savior (or "christ") cheated on him or betrayed him. His savior was not as steady and stable, say like a rock, as he had previously thought. She faltered and was shaky, or full of tremors. That's my take on the title at least.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:42 am Posts: 11014 Location: Mizzou Gender: Male
turkey sub jr. wrote:
Isn't there a line in the song that goes like "Gorgeous was his savior..." So, perhaps this dude met some chick and saved him from a crappy, boring life. And then, as that earlier poster posted in his posted post, perhaps his savior (or "christ") cheated on him or betrayed him. His savior was not as steady and stable, say like a rock, as he had previously thought. She faltered and was shaky, or full of tremors. That's my take on the title at least.
That's a good observation.
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Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:56 pm Posts: 19957 Location: Jenny Lewis' funbags
To me the song was always about a choice. Being pulled to one side or the other. The lyrics seem to suggest a scenario like having a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The "winded sailor" needs guidance, and he has 2 opposing forces trying to direct him.
As for the tremors/waves, i don't think their significance is literal. The little secrets he is hiding are the "tremors", which have been growing to "quakes", thus implying the growing need to make a choice. A choice that has serious implications/repercussions ("big big waves").
In the end he makes his choice and drops anchor. He has put his faith in love, perhaps the choice that was more of a gamble, instead of a safer choice.
Anyways thats my take on the song. I still have no idea what a Tremor Christ is.
winded is the sailor...drifting by the storm... wounded is the organ he left all...bloodied on the shore... gorgeous was his savior, sees her...drowning in his wake... daily taste the salt of her tears, but...a chance blamed fate... little secrets, tremors...turned to quake... the smallest oceans still get...big, big waves... ransom paid the devil...he whispers pleasing words... triumphant are the angels if they can...a get there first... little secrets tremors...turned to quake... the smallest oceans still get...big, big waves... i'll decide...take the dive... take my time...not my life... wait for signs...believe in lies... to get by...it's divine...whoa... oh, you know what it's like... turns the bow back, tows and...drops the line... puts his faith in love and tremor christ...
Its a man, who's been suffering from a serious heart break. the organ he left all bloodied behind is his heart. He lies alone, battered, beaten from his previous relationship, when someone so much better is "drowning" in his tears. so him and and his new savior start a relationship...but he has doubts because of the last relationship...
so they move on... but he fears she will hurt him just like the other...because if someone better came along and had more to offer "ransom paid the devil, he whispers pleasing words"she would leave him . now hes at an all time low, to kill himself would be his only way out...so triumphant are the angels to get there before he kills himself.
the secrets he thinks she kept from him...that he feared have become into bigger things (quake)
and as small and innocent as she is...she made big waves in his life.(the smallest ocean still gives, big big waves.)
so now...is his decision, to take a dive and die...wait till someone else comes along, waste time being the way hes being...or to believe her lies so he can still love her.
he decides to stay with her..and put his faith and trust into their love..
for some odd reason...I believe this song is connected to Better Man.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Wease wrote:
I saw the term Tremor Christ as having belief in something but that belief has been shaken.
That's pretty good.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 7:50 pm Posts: 10229 Location: WA (aka Waaaaaaaahhhh!!) Gender: Male
shampo41 wrote:
Bammer wrote:
Did you ever think "maybe there's not deep meaning behind this?"
Perhaps Eddie just used two words that he thought sounded cool or interesting next to each other?
Is Ed able to do that?
It is possible, you know.
I was watching that "Live at Chop Suey" promo DVD for Riot Act, and they were interviewing Jeff. He said that the band had been throwing around ideas for the album name for weeks and couldn't really agree on anything. Then, according to Jeff, Eddie just threw out the name "Riot Act" and since they were all so sick of arguing over the title, they just went with it.
I was wondering to myself a little while back "what are the deep social/political meanings behind some of PJ's song lyrics and album titles....?" Turns out, I was reading way too much into it apparently.
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