Re: 'Judas Be My Guide'
Time to post in this thread...
Simply put,
Judas Be My Guide is one of the best, if not
the best track Maiden have ever put out. Certainly from the 90's era, and even those who despise Fear of the Dark recognise this as one of the shining examples of Maiden proving they are still capable of kicking three hundred kinds of ass in 3 minutes. From the epic intro, the song accelerates into a spectacularly acidic verse, and a great, sing-along chorus. The interlude melody is yet another great take on the kind of minor harmonies that can be heard throughout the album (particularly 'Childhood's End' and 'Afraid to Shoot Strangers'), and the solos are instantly memorable, while being incredibly fluid. The final chorus is the true gemstone, as the song finishes in a cataclysmic fashion, racing towards the end at breakneck pace (without once losing control!). The final solo (Murray?) is particularly excellent.
As to the lyrics, I'm not entirely sure which interperetation I favour. Personally, I see the lyrics as being symbolic of someone delusioned with all that used to be 'sacred' - he sees mankind as entering a 'world of darkness' (a new Dark Age), and that all morals have disappeared ('everything's up for sale'). Perhaps Bruce is referring to the hypocrisy and commercialism that was no doubt very present in the early 90s, particularly looking at the conflicts and turmoils in the music industry and in politics that are still present today. Certainly, it seems that the narrator of the song has lost his faith, and the prayers of the many are falling on deaf ears ('We pray - to God for a better deal'). Similarly, Judas (a Zealot), would have been disgusted with the hypocrisy of the Jewish church in the 1st century A.D. - Jesus' teachings against the hypocrisy of religion (the irony of the past 2000 years of Christianity ignoring this advice brings a bitter smile to my lips) would have influenced Judas at least.
But why would one want Judas as his guide, we should ask? Christian doctrine states that Judas betrayed Christ because he was taken over by Satan, and is trapped in Hell for his sins (Dante places him second only to Lucifer in the circles of Hell...Judas has a harsher punishment than Brutus and Cassius, also being chewed alive by Lucifer). But logic seems to defy this teaching. Jesus' mission was to die for mankind's sins, to redeem them. This the Church teaches. The Church also teaches that the crucifixion was necessary, for Christ to die a martyr for mankind. The key in this puzzle is that without Judas, the Jewish authorities could not have safely lynched Jesus...without Judas, the crucifixion would never have happened. Jesus knew Judas would betray him, yet did nothing...because Jesus knew that Judas' betrayal was necessary.
So, the Bible seems to suggest that Judas was a key part in the Betrayal; thus, he played a key role in the crucifixion and the atonement of sins. Yet Judas is bearing the harsher punishment for mankind's sins, according to the Church's own doctrine! Jesus allegedly rose from Hell three days after his death - most (conservative) Christians hold the view that Judas will remain eternally in Hell. Additionally, there are clues present in the Gospel that indicate that Judas was not as evil as the Church would have us believe. Consider that after the authorities apprehended Jesus, Judas tried to return the 'blood money' of 30 pieces of silver to the Jewish elders. Why would he do this he wanted Jesus captured in the first place? The popular theory is that Judas wanted Jesus to break down the elders' power and be a true Messiah, in a physical and military sense of the word. He simply betrayed Jesus to try and provoke his teacher into acting forcibly against the hypocrisy of the elders and the occupation under the Romans.
If we take this view of Judas, as a revolutionary, rather than a traitor, we can see that following Judas is not a betrayer of humanity; in fact, he is somewhat the opposite - in a world where no morals and values seem to exist, and where our narrator is filled with the bitter irony of life ('Fight wars - die in a blaze of glory'), Judas is someone he attempts to emulate - someone who tries to do something to change the world. The other disciples followed Jesus like sheep - they would later follow out his final words to the best of their ability and despite all hardships, but during his life 'the flesh was weak'. Judas, on the other hand, was the only one who acted to do something - although it turned out very badly.
However, the Judas figure must abandon everything that has gone before...by becoming so disillusioned with the world, he ignores even the small amount of good that may be left. As such he 'lives in the black' with 'no guiding light', with nothing to look up to and nothing to aspire to - all his dreams have already been shattered, and all that's left for him is to attempt to change the situation for the better...at any cost. The loss of all love and respect for a world gone mad means that our Judas forgets ties of kinship or love, and as such will do anything to attempt to make a difference, 'whispering in our dreams', sowing doubt in what we hold as truth...but may not be true at all.
On the other hand, the opposite view is equally valid. Depending on whether the listener
himself feels that 'nothing is sacred', the narrator/Judas can be seen as deluded and pessimistic, or a realist and a desperate hope for an overhaul of society. Personally, I feel that Judas has been wronged down the years, just as have many others by the Church (the ancient pagan religions and their followers, for a start). Whatever the outcome of his actions, I feel that Judas had a good idea, if not necessarily the right one...it was his interperetation of Jesus' message about his mission that meant he [Judas] became so dismayed when he realised his 'plot' (and don't forget Jesus knew all about it!) had backfired horribly.
Certainly, one of the more ambiguous lyrics Maiden (Bruce in particular) have written, and it's one of my favourites. Whatever your interperetation, the delivery of the lyrics and the music perfectly amplifies the effect of the song, with bittersweet melodies playing off powerful, bitter cries and an up-tempo, aggressive feel. If Maiden don't play this at least once before they retire, I'm going to do unimaginable things to Bruce and Steve and their families...
