“I've fallen from favour while trying to savour experience”
song ~ “I Believe”
artist ~ The Buzzcocks
In these times of contention, it's not my intention to make things plain
I'm looking through mirrors to catch the reflection that can't be mine
I'm losing control now, I'll just have to slow down a thought or two
I can't feel the future, and I'm not even certain that there is a past
I believe in the worker's revolution
And I believe in the final solution
I believe in
I believe in
I believe in the shape of things to come
And I believe I'm not the only one
Yes I believe in
I believe in
When I poison my system, I take thoughts and twist them into shapes
I'm reaching my nadir and I haven't an idea of what to do
I'm painting by numbers but can't find the colours that fill you in
I'm not even knowing if I'm coming or going, if to end or begin
I believe in the immaculate conception
And I believe in the resurrection
And I believe in
I believe in
I believe in the elixir of youth
And I believe in the absolute truth
Yes I believe in
I believe in
There is no love in this world anymore
There is no love in this world anymore
I've fallen from favour while trying to savour experience
I'm seeing things clearly but it has quite nearly blown my mind
It's the aim of existence to offer resistance to the flow of time
Everything is and that is why it is will be the line
I believe in perpetual motion
And I believe in perfect devotion
I believe in
I believe in
I believe in the things I've never had
I believe in my Mum and my Dad
And I believe in
I believe in
There is no love in this world anymore
There is no love in this world anymore
I'm skippin' the pages of a book that takes ages for the foreword to end
Triangular cover concealing another aspect from view
My relative motion is just an illusion from stopping too fast
The essence of being these feelings I'm feeling I just want them to last
I believe in original sin
And I believe what I believe in
Yes I believe in
I believe in
I believe in the web of fate
And I believe in I'm going to be late
So I'll be leavin'
What I believe in
There is no love in this world anymore (repeat) (Image source)
Comments
The song “I Believe” appeared on The Buzzcocks 3rd album, on which the band had started to move beyond the basic punk-pop of its first 2 albums.
Exuberant angst
On songs such as this one and “Hollow Inside,” the band retained the exuberant angst of its early years, while experimenting with slightly different musical styles.
Light philosophy
As for the lyrics, they featured the same light and easily digestible existential musings as in some of their previous songs. But now they were cloaked in clever phrasings and catchy rhymes. They were also a bit more profound.
A world of love
The poet / musician / lyricist Pete Shelley died on 6 December 2018. As he stated at the end of this song, “So, I’ll be leaving.” I believe he is now in a world of love. Pure, transcendent love. (Image source)
note – This song has many interesting and inspiring phrases, and I considered using various ones for click-bait. In addition to the above highlighted lyric, here are 4 other of my faves.
“I can't feel the future and I'm not even certain that there is a past”
“When I poison my system I take thoughts and twist them into shapes”
“It's the aim of existence to offer resistance to the flow of time”
“I believe in the elixir of youth, And I believe in the absolute truth”
The Buzzcocks – "I Believe" (Right-click to hear on YouTube)
Lyrics by Pete Shelley, courtesy of – AZLyrics.com
References – Wikipedia
This is my entry in the 60-Day Lyrics Challenge.
Click here to learn about @SteemitCentral’s – Lyrics Challenge.
The lyrics of this song, to say the least, are quite philosophical. It is thrilling to have them perused.
While I share some of the beliefs of the singer, I do not believe that the workers of this world will ever revolt under the spell of a capitalistic world.
The singer must have been influenced by Karl Marx's theory of class conflict wherein he advanced the view that the workers of the world would revolt, bringing an end to the reign of Capitalism.
However, that is quite unlikely to happen. Above all, this is a great song, one that should be added to the playlist of any lover of philosophy.
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Yes, I've always loved it for its intriguing little philosophical nuggets, as well as for its optimistic tone.
As for Shelley's political views, we just have to realize that this song was written during the punk era of the late 1970s in the UK. Most punks leaned far left, particularly those in the UK.
As for the worker's revolution, the Yellow Vests in France (and now elsewhere) seem to indicate that they're fed up with the increasing wealth gap. Clearly, something has to give, and something will give, soon if not eventually.
Also, I'm sure that Shelley often used words and phrases to mean things that we might not expect them to mean. For instance, he says he believes in "the final solution" – which was the term the Nazis used for their plan to exterminate the Jews. Certainly, Shelley would never have believed in that plan nor supported it. At least "I believe" he never would have. :-)
So, he used the phases worker's revolution and final solution, combining them into a great rhyme. Clearly, he knew his modern history.
But like any good artist, he stood apart from history and devised interesting creations that reflected his time in history. We can debate for hours what his creations mean, or we can sit back and enjoy them for a few minutes. Or both.
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Love this
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Strong words, great lyrics.
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