'journeyman'
A Journey ends with a single step, it begins only when we have reached the end . . .
"[This song is] About the whole process of writing & being a musician... & although we have finished the song, we haven't finished the journey... The song is called Journeyman"
That’s what Bruce says about the song on the Death on the Road DVD & even though I can completely understand why there is such an awful lot of confusion about the depth/meaning of this song, I felt almost necessary to throw in my 2 cents…
The song to me symbolizes all journeys that we begin, all journeys that lead us somewhere... anywhere…
Maybe not at the destination we had planned for, maybe not even one we wanted, but a journey will always end...
In all our lives, all our cultures, all our dependency, we leave behind the one constant, which is
"we are sleeping and we’ll dream forever more"
And as our Journey draws to a finish, we are always left with the feeling of... dread or dismay at the unfortunate and/or unforeseen outcome of our journey. The feeling of warmth that is bright and brilliant to shine our last steps into this home we have found...
Or sometimes, we are left with nothing so complete, just anxiety and paranoia. Scared and unsure of our self, our own Journey.
It is here that we must make another decision. Our first decision, if the Journey and destination were merely played for this moment by Fate…
As
"the memory still remains" we have to ask if we are free of its haunt & control…
Free to hold onto
“shadows we made with our hands” or to leave them be for other Journeymen?
Can we sacrifice the moments that got us here for a future that may or may not be?
As we walk into our new destination, we must make a choice. This one, we make within ourselves. Do I believe in myself, my decisions, my path, my destination, my Journey...
We must chose, for this choice is the first step to a greater Journey than all others… And it is here that we can either play into our own shadows of deceit & denial and enslave ourselves with their iron bonding, or give wings to them so they might fly and rest with the shadow we leave behind one last time…
The harmonic chorus is mind shattering in its simplicity and depth... Just a single hymn chanted by thousands in a single voice to give strength to their desperate cry of either proclaiming in triumphant joy, or asking through the veiled curtain of self-doubt,
"I know what I want, I say what I want… And no one can take it away . . . "
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Okay, having said that, I’d like to point out that personally, I love acoustic stuff like this.
(Especially if it’s by Bruce) Prodigal Son, Strange World, Tears of the Dragon, Navigate the Seas of the Sun . . .
All brilliant, in my opinion.
Also, and I’m not sure why I add this, but this song always reminds me of two very distinct verses from two very distinct songs…
If there isn't light when no one sees
Then how can I know what you might believe?
A story told that can't be real
Somehow must reflect the truth we feel, yeah…
Fade away, fade away
Vanish into small
Fade away, fade away . . .
The Sign of the Southern Cross – Black Sabbath
Leave… But don't leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.
Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be…
Breathe – Pink Floyd
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