No Subject

[news@cs.vu.nl]

Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Path: awphili
From: awphili@cs.vu.nl (Albert Philipsen)
Subject: Big Stripy Lie explained
Message-ID: <CFLsJ9.8wD@cs.vu.nl>
Sender: news@cs.vu.nl
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, VU, Amsterdam
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 10:45:09 GMT
Lines: 125

This is a first attempt at giving an interpretation to Kate's new song
"Big Stripy Lie".  I'll first give a transcription of the lyrics.  I
hope this is mostly correct.


	BIG STRIPY LIE

	Oh big stripy lie moving like a wavy line
	Coming up behind-ind-ind

	All young gentle dreams drowning in life's grief
	Can you hang on to me

		Don't wanna hurt you baby
		Only wanna help you
		I could be good for you

	Your name is being called by sacred things
	That are not addressed nor listened to
	Sometimes they blow trumpets

		Only wanna help you
		Never wanna hurt you
		I know I could be good for you

	Oh my God it's a jungle in here
	You've got wild animals loose in here

		Wanna help you
		Never hurt you
		Good for you

	Hey all you little waves run away
	Hmm run away


My theory is that this song is about spiritual emergency.  To
understand what this is, you'll need to read the book _The Stormy
Search for the Self (Understanding and Living With Spiritual
Emergency)_, by Christina Grof & Stanislav Grof, MD.  Here is a little
quote from the back cover of the book:

  Many people are undergoing a profound personal transformation
  associated with spiritual opening.  Under favourable circumstances,
  this process results in emotional healing, a radical shift in values,
  and a profound awareness of the mystical dimension of existence.  For
  some, these changes are gradual and relatively smooth, but for others,
  they can be so rapid and dramatic that they interfere with effective
  everyday functioning.  Unfortunately, many health professionals do not
  recognize the positive potential of these crises, but see them as
  manifestations of mental disease and treat them with suppressive
  medication.

I'll now go through the lyrics a few lines at a time, and try to
explain the song in terms of spiritual emergency.  There are three
characters playing in this song, I think.  The first is the person
going through the spiritual emergency.  He/she doesn't have any
lyrics.  The second person is a friend or relative of the first, and
he/she sings the verses.  The third person is the evil psychiatrist
who sings the indented bits.

	Oh big stripy lie moving like a wavy line
	Coming up behind-ind-ind

My first impression was that "big stripy lie" could be a reference to
the American flag, and more specifically a reference to the American
materialistic value system.

	All young gentle dreams drowning in life's grief
	Can you hang on to me

A spiritual emergency is often triggered by a sudden loss, such as the
death of a loved one or an unrequited love.

		Don't wanna hurt you baby
		Only wanna help you
		I could be good for you

This is the psychiatrist talking, who thinks the first person is
obviously going mad, and wants to "help" him/her using a standard
treatment with suppressive medication.

	Your name is being called by sacred things
	That are not addressed nor listened to

Such experiences are possible for someone going through spiritual
emergency.

	Sometimes they blow trumpets

Sometimes things get so intense that you crumble to dust, or completely
break down.

		Only wanna help you
		Never wanna hurt you
		I know I could be good for you

The psychiatrist is getting more desperate.

	Oh my God it's a jungle in here
	You've got wild animals loose in here

People going through spiritual emergency sometimes have experiences of
encounters with wild animals, and dying as a result of it.  This could
be experiences from a previous life surfacing.

		Wanna help you
		Never hurt you
		Good for you

The psychiatrist just keeps repeating the same old stuff.

	Hey all you little waves run away
	Hmm run away

This last bit is about the good results of the spiritual emergency.
The old materialistic value system is rejected for something better.
This is also reflected in the music at this point, which gets more
gentle.

Albert
-- 
Albert W. Philipsen  <awphili@cs.vu.nl>  | "For I believe of all my lives,
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam             |  this is one I must define."
Artificial Intelligence Group            |                  -- H.T. Rhodes