This is one of my favorite songs by Seal and simply just one of my favorite songs. It is right down my alley as far as the theme and spirit the song conveys. You could argue that the reason I like it so much is because it is so similar to my worldview, however I like to think that this is one of those songs in particular that have informed on my worldview. Seal, himself, has called "Prayer for the Dying" a celebration of life more than a mourning of death. The song can be found on Seal's self-titled 1994 album. I first heard it in 1996 and I still love it to this day.
This song is quite philosophical. In the first few lines, it immediately identifies the problem it is confronting and, almost as quickly, provides the solution to that problem. First is the issue of the problem of life. "Fearless people/Careless needle/Harsh words spoken/And lives are broken." Working backwards, it is clear that coping with brokenness (sound familiar?) is certainly a struggle. Seal attributes that to a breakdown in personal relationships. He often uses the imagery of a needle & drugs as a symbol for the high we get from love. The seemingly odd inclusion of "fearless" leads me to believe that there is a suggestion that misplaced emotion leads to the breakdown in personal relationships which makes coping with brokenness such a struggle.
Then, Seal arrives at a solution. The most important theme in this song is faith. "Forceful aging/Help me I'm fading/Heaven's waiting/It's time to move on." The first half of this quote says, essentially, that there is no time to lose. The problem can be fixed, and every person can fix it, but they need to start immediately. Next is one of the deeper, multiple-meaning points in the song. First, the listener is reassured in the expected way: move on, don't be afraid, Heaven will be there. There's more to it, however, as you consider that because heaven is waiting, that means it is not here now. That solution is up to us. Life is not waiting, and therefore it's time to move on, literally move, now. The motivation is obvious as is the need for faith in yourself, the last piece is faith in others.
"I may not know what you're going through/But time is the space between me and you." Despite the undercurrent of urgency present, this is another reassuring line. This line is the solution to having faith in others. Essentially, the only external thing that really separates two people is ignorance, and ignorance is removed quite simply by taking the time to remove it. Everything else involved in having faith in other people is literally within the control of the individual.
"I just don't know what's got into me." This is the second most important quote of the song, and the key is in the word, "know." Seal does not, and cannot, know what's got into him but he believes something has. He feels it. This is spirit, that thing which moves him toward faith. And just in case the idea of faith hasn't yet dawned on the listener, he hits you several times with this line: "Hold on, say yes, while people say no."
Now, the most important line: "Life carries on... when nothing else matters, when nothing else matters." To me personally, this quote is extraordinary and would probably require my whole life story and philosophy written down and analyzed for me to convey the extent of the quote's meaning. However, a very superficial interpretation is that when you have everything, life carries on, and yet when you have nothing, life still carries on. So, life is moved by nothing but itself. When everything falls away, if you're lost or suffering, you are still left with your life, and it carries on. Faith says that this should be a comfort. Finally, Seal ends the song with one last thought. "It's just a prayer for the dying... for the dying." This takes us back to the solution of the problem stated at the beginning. The dying refers to us all as, after all, life carries on until it's over. And that's a beautiful thing.
Unfortunately, the demands of radio edits and music videos means that the most important line of the song is not included, but here is the video nonetheless:
3 comments:
...and as we'll eventually all "cross that bridge, with lessons of love" at some point in our lives, I know of no one more cognizant of these lessons than you! Continue to teach, professor! Well done, brother!
This reflection has stuck with me all week. Thanks for another insightful interpretation of an old favorite.
Also, you got me thinking about another song--this one from the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper. George Harrison's sitarred "Within and Without You" has a line that seems to fit with Seal's theme:
"Life flows on within and without you."
Being myself a non-native English speaker, and currently being in a "Sealesque" music season (you know... playing a performer's music on and on for about one or two weeks, no matter your wife and friends complaints), typed "seal prayer dying lyrics story" on Google and found your blog.
I used to identify single, loose but meaningful words and phrases through the song, and that's why I wanted to read the full lyrics.
WOW. I didn't know pop music could be so phylosophical!!! Even better... that phylosophy matching my own...
I try to live up to the song's point of view. It's strange that so many people say they envy my for not spending much time worrying for things and keeping always an optimistic point of view.
I usually say "OK, but would you see the inner developings of that attitude, you wouldn't be so envious". I mean, people "see" your attitude, but aren't able to think "hey, this man may still suffer inside as most of us do".
Life hurts, life challenges, life moves on without you, like it or not. It's not "not bothering at all", it's just a "worrying only as much as it's needed" thing.
Say yes, while people say no...
Greetings from Argentina!
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