The Most Philosophical Song You Ever Heard

Peter Hammill

From solo album, "In Camera"

The Comet, the Course, and the Tail

(existentialism, free will)

They say we are endowed with Free Will
--at least that justifies our need for indecision.
But between our insticts and the lust to kill
We bow our heads in submission.
They say that no man is an island
But then they say our castles are our homes;
It's felt the choice is ours, between peace and violence
... Oh, yes, we choose, alone?
While the comet spreads its tail across the sky
It nowhere near defines the course it flies,
Nor does it find its own direction.
Though the path of the comet be sure,
Its constitution is not,
So its meaning is possibly more
Than the tracing of a tail
In one brief shot at glory.
Love and peace and individuality--
So order and society are man-made?
War and hate and dark depravity--
Or are we slaves?
Channeling aggressive energies,
The Death Wish and the Will to survive
Into finding and preserving enemies--
Is that the only way we know that we're alive?
In the slaughterhouse all corpses smell the same,
Whether queens or pawns or innocents at the game;
In the cemetery a uniform cloaks the graves
Except for outward pomp and circumstance.
There is a time set in the calendar
When all reason seems barely enough
To sustain all the shooting stars:
Times are rough.
I'm waiting for something to happen here,
It feels as though it's long overdue:
Maybe a restatement of yesteryear
Or something entirely new.
And the knowledge that we gain in part
Always leads us closer to the very start,
And to the founding questions:
How can I tell that the road signed to hell
Doesn't lead up to heaven?
What can I say when, in some obscure way,
I am my own direction?

The Pusher, Steppenwolf.

The way the camera follows us in slo-mo

The Games People Play by Joe South.

A vastly underated lyric.

Here's a great rendition by Lucinda Williams.

I like the Tim MCGraw song "Live like you were dying". One of the verses is "I gave the forgiveness, I'd been denying".

Alone Again (Naturally)

+1 noromance

I didn't think anyone would remember Cat's in the Cradle 

How about Harry Chapin's Taxi  (didn't scan all responses)

Here's a really deep one; William Shatner "Struggle"

So many of the songs chosen are touching stories, or romances but have little to do with philosophy. I think that this thread has been off track for quite a while.

Douglas, I'm surprised that you wouldn't think anyone would remember Cat's in the Cradle. It still gets play on the radio. 

Moody Blues, Threshold of a Dream. 'In the beginning'

"It riles them to believe that we percieve the web they weave"

The Q anon group should use this as their battle cry...

Just bought all the remastered versions and DAMN some of them are outstanding.

That band is really unique. As a kid I enjoyed the occasional 'trip', and was into

astral traveling, metaphysics, etc, so they really spoke to me.

Suzanne by Leonard Cohen is another.

"And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them"

The Moody Blues in general were most philosophical. Nothing like it/them and their run of excellent and unique recordings in their day.  They took the musical experimentation of the Beatles to the next level. The rock critiques generally despised them as "pretentious" , but overall, much of their music has aged very well and still has something uniquely philosophical to say that people can relate to. Not to mention some very good digital remasters to choose from that should make audiophiles happy.

Anyone nominate Whole Lotta Rosie yet?

I believe that was covered with the Dina Moe Humm.

Roxy54, I haven't listened to radio/station for  a decade.  

Christmas is a time, a special time of year
With peace and joy and happiness and, wonderment and cheer
Opening your presents underneath the tree
And spending countless hours with your family

That's why I'm drinking drinking drinking
I'm gonna drink all day
I'm coming home for Christmas and my family's insane
Just got to make it through the day
And there's no other way
I'm gonna get drunk, drunk, drunk on Christmas

So I can't be sober when I'm over, everyone's bipolar
So cut the crap and get some Jack and put it in my soda
And make it strong enough to put a reindeer in a coma
Gonna get drunk, drunk, drunk on Christmas

I'm heading home for the Holiday season
My dad has a stick up his butt for some reason
My mother and my sister, they're no longer speaking
And me, I'm drinking

Rumple Minze by the shot
Gin and tonic, yeah why not
Black and Tan, that's my jam
Irish whiskey I will slam
Jägermeister, Hefenweisser
Stella, Stoli and Budweiser

Santa, Santa, Santa, I've got the family blues
Just fill my stocking full of vodka, any brand you choose
I need some Christmas spirit, and by spirit I mean booze
Gonna get drunk, drunk, drunk on Christmas
Gonna get drunk, drunk, drunk on Christmas
Gonna get drunk, drunk, drunk...
On Christmas Day
 

but we love them anyway...................

Santa. He's got his eye on you.

Yes Douglas, but it was a big hit many years ago, and everyone knew it.

"I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive". Written by Hank Williams and recorded in June of ’52. Six months later he was dead.

Row row row your boat. 

Two old, but wise, songs:

Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious
Life's too mysterious
You work, you save, you worry so
But you can't take your dough
When you go, go, go
Keep repeating, it's the berries
The strongest oak must fall
The best things in life to you were just loaned
So how can you lose what you never owned
Life is just a bowl of cherries
So live and laugh at it all

Dancing in the dark 'til the tune ends
We're dancing in the dark and it soon ends
We're waltzing in the wonder of why we're here
Time hurries by, we're here and we're gone

Looking for the light of a new love
To brighten up the night, I have you love
And we can face the music together
Dancing in the dark