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From one source all things depend: ambiguity

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:56 pm
by hGc
Although the title 'From one source all things depend' obviously refers to the catholic God, the title can also imply other things. The 'source' can also be a child, answering the question who God is. It depends what is perceived as God from the speaker, as there is no real answer. Also, the 'source' can also refer to the fact that the whole catholic religion came to us by Jesus and its followers, thus one source 2 millennia ago that impacted people up until now.

The answers from the children strengthen this ambiguity: some answers can be perceived to either believers and non-believers as a reinforcement of proof of the (non-)existence of a God, and what He does (for example, the passage of 'there wouldn't be electricity (...) that would happen when God is bad')

I am sorry for the rather incoherent post, but I want to hear your takes on the song and if these (and more) meanings were intended. Still, I think I maybe over-analyzed this beautiful piece of music, but I just had to post this :)

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:21 pm
by turquoise70
<-- taking a good look at this beautiful, untouched thread before it becomes what it inevitably will.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:03 am
by GloamLight
From one source all things depend...

Does that remind anyone else of the theorized singularity preceding the big bang? Or mitochondrial DNA?

lawlzor ;)

I'm serious though.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:09 am
by meat like product
Jesus? Catholicism? They must've thrown in "baruch atah adonai eloheinu.." just for kicks I guess :wink:

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:33 am
by zeitgeist
jesus who?

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:25 am
by isawdrones
I think the title of that track is kind of like a presentation (for lack of a better word) of the blissful ignorance and comfort of the idea that "from one source all things depend". Its a very innocent sounding track melodically and everything,.... I think they are trying to get you into the heads of the little kids and their simplistic, innocent, almost intoxicated view of how absolutely everything works.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:16 pm
by CoBoC
isawdrones wrote:I think the title of that track is kind of like a presentation (for lack of a better word) of the blissful ignorance and comfort of the idea that "from one source all things depend". Its a very innocent sounding track melodically and everything,.... I think they are trying to get you into the heads of the little kids and their simplistic, innocent, almost intoxicated view of how absolutely everything works.


This.

...

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:17 pm
by Green Pylon
It could be about pantheism.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:10 pm
by eppers
isawdrones wrote:I think the title of that track is kind of like a presentation (for lack of a better word) of the blissful ignorance and comfort of the idea that "from one source all things depend". Its a very innocent sounding track melodically and everything,.... I think they are trying to get you into the heads of the little kids and their simplistic, innocent, almost intoxicated view of how absolutely everything works.


they're not intoxicated, we are.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:14 pm
by saturdayindex
WHITE RABBIT

No, but in all seriousness... I'm not sure where your idea came from that this song "obviously" refers to the Catholic god. I'm not saying it definitely doesn't, I'm saying that there's not much evidence that it does.

You have to analyze meaning in reference. So, with that in mind, we refer to BoC's other work. What do they say in their other tracks? What does their worldview seem to be? How can what we know about BOC (albeit a very little) inform our interpretation of their tracks?

My own interpretation is that this song represents a sort of self-superimposed dichotomy of two beliefs about the nature of God/god: One being that he is the "Source [from which] All Things Depend"--both good and evil--this derived from the apparent relatively gnostic nature of BOC's beliefs, inasmuch as I can interpret from their music, symbolism, lyrics, etc. and the other being the childlike, naive belief that God is simply an old man with a huge white beard floating up in the sky, smiling down at us and making everything good.

It's the creepy integration of darkness and innocence, it's like a superimposition of two elements (in this case ideas), not necessarily opposing, but somewhat dissonant, which I think kind of gives BOC its mystery...

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:07 pm
by meat like product
eppers wrote:
they're not intoxicated, we are.


and they're atheists until they get religion poured down their throat.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:10 pm
by aorta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VLAUXn_0E

I like how it's edited to make you think the kids shown are the ones talking.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:13 pm
by meat like product
aorta wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VLAUXn_0E

I like how it's edited to make you think the kids shown are the ones talking.


haha they had to edit out the jewish prayer at 0:18.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:31 pm
by turquoise70
!DEATH PREDICTION UPDATE!

i'm going to spend my last days withering away in an institution for the criminally insane for spreading dangerous ideologies and beliefs that are not rationally justifiable or founded on a body of scientific knowledge

gogo logical positivists, only you can make it happen! onwards toward glorious future!

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:52 pm
by isawdrones
eppers wrote:
isawdrones wrote:I think the title of that track is kind of like a presentation (for lack of a better word) of the blissful ignorance and comfort of the idea that "from one source all things depend". Its a very innocent sounding track melodically and everything,.... I think they are trying to get you into the heads of the little kids and their simplistic, innocent, almost intoxicated view of how absolutely everything works.


they're not intoxicated, we are.


What do you mean?

Those ideas can be kind of an ecstasy to kids or even adults. I see what I think your point is in that those kids, are kind of like "closer to the truth" than us. But then this song, I think, is just kind of like a soundtrack to their corruption. Their innocence and gullibility being exploited, the conditioning that they're society presses on them, etc. They were "one with the universe" and closer to objectivity at birth but now they are being pulled away from that and corrupted with knowledge/ideas/concepts that the world of little minds before them has created.

I think BoC are very objective thinkers, its why their music is so good. Atmosphere itself is objective, its the unknown. Its hard to create amazing, innovative things if your mind is bogged down with tradition or past knowledge, etc (the known).

That being said, I think this track is like more of an emotional experiment for them rather than them trying to take a side on religion or whatever. They just want to synthesize that "religous experience", that emotional ecstasy. I don't think it goes much further than that.

Kids arent atheist, kids arent christians. They just are. I think BoC is the same way.

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:59 am
by saturdayindex
isawdrones wrote:I think BoC are very objective thinkers, its why their music is so good. Atmosphere itself is objective, its the unknown. Its hard to create amazing, innovative things if your mind is bogged down with tradition or past knowledge, etc (the known).

That being said, I think this track is like more of an emotional experiment for them rather than them trying to take a side on religion or whatever. They just want to synthesize that "religous experience", that emotional ecstasy. I don't think it goes much further than that.

Kids arent atheist, kids arent christians. They just are. I think BoC is the same way.


Well said, my friend.

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 3:44 am
by isawdrones
saturdayindex wrote:
isawdrones wrote:I think BoC are very objective thinkers, its why their music is so good. Atmosphere itself is objective, its the unknown. Its hard to create amazing, innovative things if your mind is bogged down with tradition or past knowledge, etc (the known).

That being said, I think this track is like more of an emotional experiment for them rather than them trying to take a side on religion or whatever. They just want to synthesize that "religous experience", that emotional ecstasy. I don't think it goes much further than that.

Kids arent atheist, kids arent christians. They just are. I think BoC is the same way.


Well said, my friend.

:wink: