Close to the Edge
Exegis
Question: Explain "Close to the Edge"
Answer: That's like saying "who'd like to eat this 25 lbs. of fudge?"
Well, here's my 25 lbs. of fudge, or sludge, as the case may be.
To start with, it is 100% the case that Jon definitely writes many
lyrics the way they are mostly because they sound good. However, if
you start from the proposition that Jon is a fairly inspired lyricist,
and that he has a broad range of spiritual experience to draw on,
you can have fun by taking a stab at what a necessarily poetical and
obscure song like "Close to the Edge" means. Although it all
seems pretty straightforward to me, you have to understand that any
interpretation is by definition a misinterpretation.
Jon has on many occasions mentioned that "Close to the Edge" meant
"Close to the Edge of Enlightenment" and that he was particularly
influenced by Hesse's Siddartha while writing it. I think it only
fair to mention that it seems LSD (or some such) had a bit to do with
it too . . . *
* Those interested in finding out how Yes saved my life and turned
my head around when I was on acid at age seventeen should read
In and Around the Lake.
For what it's worth, I don't use psychedelics (last time was in 1975),
but I do have to acknowledge them as a major part of my process..
THE EXEGIS
A seasoned witch could call you from the
depths of your disgrace,
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace,
And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar,
Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour.
The liver has long been associated with special functions of the
soul, the astral body, etc.; the name liver indicates a particularly
vital function. "There exisit spiritually experienced beings (in this
case, female), that can restore your fallen (e. g., fall of man, adam
& eve, etc.) soul to a state of grace. Spiritual harmonies (music)
will come to you. You will then be able to perceive the true value
of human life as it is preserved (recorded) in the spiritual world
against the passing of time."
And assessing points to nowhere, leading
ev'ry single one.
But first you must fully appreciate the dire circumstances you and
all of humanity are in
A dewdrop can exalt us like the music
of the sun,
This is almost a straight ripoff of William Blakes "Eternity in a
grain of sand." In other words, the smallest thing can trigger a perception
of the harmony of the spheres (music of the sun).
And take away the plain in which we move,
And choose the course you're running.
Your old reality will disappear.
Down at the edge, round by the corner,
Not right away, not right away.
Close to the edge, down by a river,
Not right away, not right away.
The individual responds that they are not ready to face the great,
terrible change of full enlightenment that beckons yet terrifies.
The journey to enlightenment takes you teetering past insanity. The
(cosmic or natural, take your pick) river roars by.
Crossed the line around the changes of
the summer,
Reaching to call the color of the sky.
Passed around a moment clothed in mornings faster than we see.
Getting over all the time I had to worry,
Leaving all the changes far from far behind.
We relieve the tension only too find out the master's name..
Mostly more or less nonesense about the childlike fun of liberation,
from "worry" etc. We relieve the stress of fallen existence only to
realize that the "master" is the true self.
Down at the end, round by the corner.
Close to the edge, just by a river.
Seasons will pass you by.
I get up, I get down.
Now that it's all over and done,
Now that you find, now that you're whole.
I see the cyclic (and in a sense futile) wheel of life. I put that
behind me, I begin to identify with the whole wheel, not with the
up-and-down positions on it.
My eyes convinced, eclipsed with the younger
moon attained with love. .
I began to believe that what I was experiencing was real. I came
under the influence of a new (younger) moon. (The moon in many traditions
can have a negative psychic effect; having a "new" moon (attained
with love) indicates liberation from the negative forces of the moon,
leaving only the positive moon-forces).
It changed as almost strained amidst clear
manna from above.
Things were still crazy, metamorphosizing, although it was all in
a shower of bliss/grace.
I crucified my hate and held the word
within my hand.
There's you, the time, the logic, or the reasons we don't understand.
I killed my hate, and the world was "mine" I'm still involved with
the earth/life, I haven't gone beyond - I'm attached to you (other
human beings), the time isn't ripe, or maybe I'm still not getting
something.
Sad courage claimed the victims standing
still for all to see,
As armoured movers took approach to overlook the sea.
There since the cord, the license, or the reasons we understood
will be.
I see others (humanity) still under the sway of spiritual guardians
who keep them from experiencing enlightenment before they are prepared
for it. The cord, the license - they are still bound to suffer through
the evolutionary cycles of time.
Down at the edge, close by a river.
Close to the edge, round by the corner.
Close to the end, down by the corner.
Down at the edge, round by the river.
Sudden call shouldn't take away the startled
memory.
All in all, the journey takes you all the way.
As apart from any reality that you've ever seen and known.
Guessing problems only to deceive the mention,
Passing paths that climb halfway into the void.
As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain.
Down at the edge, round by the corner.
Close to the end, down by a river.
Seasons will pass you by.
A voice, tone, vibration resounds in the spiritual world, I suddenly
begin to recall who I am, the journey entered into with trepidation
eventually delivers you to the goal, a reality unlike anything anticipated.
A world of riddles and questions opens up, each answer brings new
questions, countless directions head towards either the shining spiritual
void, emptiness, sunyata, suchness, or into the abyss that must be
crossed to enter the spiritual world. The phrase "Total Mass
Retain" kind of left me blank, but a friend explained it as "after
everything is said and done, you're left with what you're started
with." You can interpret this materialistically or otherwise. To hear
it is a spiritual experience. We traverse the spiritual landscape
and see that, all in all, the universe remains whole.
I get up, I get down.
In her white lace, you could clearly see
the lady sadly looking.
Saying that she'd take the blame
For the crucifixion of her own domain.
I get up, I get down,
I get up, I get down.
Two million people barely satisfy.
Two hundred women watch one woman cry, too late.
OK, now that enlightenment is starting to set in, what about everyone
else? It appears something spiritually beautiful is saddened to see
that the "domain" of ordinary humans is still suffering (crucified)
on the cross of matter.
The eyes of honesty can achieve.
How many millions do we deceive each day?
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
In charge of who is there in charge of
me.
Do I look on blindly and say I see the way?
The truth is written all along the page.
How old will I be before I come of age for you?
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I will resolve to live my life in the world as honestly and faithfully
as a witness of the spiritual world as I can. So often we deny our
humanity. I still have to make an effort (I get up, I get down).
The time between the notes relates the
color to the scenes.
A constant vogue of triumphs dislocate man, it seems.
I'm beginning to see how the spiritual operates in matter.
Mankind remains enthralled by its own "achievements"
And space between the focus shape ascend
knowledge of love.
Love is omnipresent behind the forms of the material world.
As song and chance develop time, lost
social temp'rance rules above.
Spiritual harmony and freedom (chance) hold sway over the development
of the world and humanity.
In the spiritual world, brotherhood prevails.
Then according to the man who showed his
outstretched arm to space,
He turned around and pointed, revealing all the human race.
I shook my head and smiled a whisper, knowing all about the place.
I am tempted to dwell only in the spiritual world. But the world
of the "human, all to human" cannot be abandoned.
On the hill we viewed the silence of the
valley,
We return gently from our encounter with the spiritual. We see the
profound peace that can be experienced even while living in the world
below (the outer world).
Called to witness cycles only of the past.
Karma is the past. Freedom is the present.
And we reach all this with movements in between the said remark.
It's not what's said, it's what's not said. (Like "the time between
the notes" or "the space between the focus shape".)
Close to the edge, down by the river.
Down at the end, round by the corner.
Seasons will pass you by,
Now that it's all over and done,
Called to the seed, right to the sun.
Now that you find, now that you're whole.
The seed of a solar, spiritual being has been planted in you.
Seasons will pass you by,
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up.
I live in eternity - in - time.
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