Heartland

Ah yes, that's the clipping. Nice read on the wedding couple and for a second there I thought we were on to something, but '1959 and all that' is very much a voice of reason. Can't really argue with that.

MrChris wrote:Thanks

In terms of overall theme, a hard one to figure, but you could pick out a fairly veiled attack on televangelism and perhaps organised religion more generally ('all the things we never needed'...you can hail maries all night to no avail...).

Not totally confident about this one, but the second verse especially says something to me...

'God knows everybody needs
A hand in their decision
Some of us are not so sure
[that we need to make decisions for ourselves]
I've seen his own held out
For a ride on television
[via a televangelist?]
I think he's still in Baltimore'

[1969 And All That wonders if 'Baltimore' refers to the Baltimore Catechisms, which explain the basic elements of Christianity. If you go along this line, the meaning of the verse would be - God's basic ideas are still sound, despite those who have corrupted his message since. Dunno if I'd read it this way or not. Heavy, eh?]

Yes, the Baltimore line always puzzled me. Here is something which may, or may not, have led Mr. E to pick Baltimore:

"The Baltimore Regional Community is one of twenty-five regional communities in the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. The Sisters of Mercy are a community of women religious in the Catholic church. There are Sisters of Mercy throughout the world. The Baltimore Regional Community has sisters and associates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Maryland."

See: http://www.mercybaltimore.org/

I'm off to bed.

Will I dream of sleeping with all the girls in Baltimore?
I dunno.

Isn't there a big mental institution in the Baltimore area ?
Then "still in Baltimore" = still locked up

Badlander wrote:Isn't there a big mental institution in the Baltimore area ?
Then "still in Baltimore" = still locked up

Interesting take on the line. Are you thinking of a particular, well-known place?

The last two lines of the verse I've quoted have always been a mystery to me. People on this thread have suggested that the song is partly about American Teleavengelists.

"I've seen his [God's presumably] hand held out for a ride on televsion". What do you, or anyone else, take this to mean exactly? I've never heard the idiom "holding your hand out for a ride." Does this mean begging for money and taking religious suckers for a ride? It doesn't quite make sense to me. Once I thought this meant that God was trying to hitch a ride (and that it was a reference to a TV show I wasn't aware of), but that he never got further than Baltimore, since people were so uncaring!

"God knows everybody needs
a hand in their decision
some of us are not so sure
I've seen his own held out
for a ride on television
I think he's still in Baltimore"

I do get the double-meaning of "some of us are not so sure," i.e. 1. some of us need help 2. some of us are not so sure that everybody needs help. This is very clever in the typical Eldritchian way, so I assume the rest has meaning--I just don't get it.

Help please!

His own held out for a ride on Television reminded me of:
"We would LOVE you to take part in a challenge. The challenge we have devised is 'The Andrew Eldritch Hitch Hiker Puzzle.' We would film this with secret cameras and it would involve you thumbing a lift near motorway services. When the car stops you would give the driver a quiz question such as, 'What's the Capital of Finland?' If the answer is correct you would then accept the lift."
Foresightedness? For a second I thought I had found something.. alas, they wrote their letter some ten years late. Bastards. Never in time.

I'd see "Baltimore" as meaning "still in Maryland", myself.

There's actually something of an interesting mini-concept going through side 1 of VT here, from "25 whores in the room next door", through Ribbons, then finishing up with this sad exhausted tale of a bloke who's weary of the lifestyle, tries to get away from it, but keeps on coming back.

mh wrote:I'd see "Baltimore" as meaning "still in Maryland", myself.

Of course!