Heartland

Previous discussion: http://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9760

This may be old news, or obvious in the English cultural context, but I only now noticed there are many parallels between Come Together and the gospel hymn Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. To wit:

Refrain

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see?
Coming for to carry me home,
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

If you get there before I do,
Coming for to carry me home,
Tell all my friends I’m coming, too.
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

I’m sometimes up and sometimes down,
Coming for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

The brightest day that I can say,
Coming for to carry me home,
When Jesus washed my sins away,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

and rough transcriptions of Come Together:

Little child look to the sky
a long white/wedding dress and a black mariah
Some wild idea and I head back home
swing low, sweet Jesus
Come carry me
Carry me home
Swing low, carry me home

Come together, home
Come together, home

Carry on angel
No one can hold you down
Though your fins
Though your fins be scarlet

Come together, home
Come together, home

... follow... rising... fear... (unclear bit)

Though your fins
Though your fins be scarlet

Come together, home
Come together, home

The "look to the sky" and Jesus bits certainly seem to make more sense in this context... though I'm not entirely sure what the context is. The hymn, which on a surface level deals with the ascension of the prophet Elijah, is apparently also interpreted as discussing slavery, and liberation either in the material world or in the next.

Then there's the groovy heavenly chariot and black mariah connection.

Regardless, this song KICKS ASS. The best Sisters tune. Has anyone figured out the complete lyrics yet? The hymn might give some clues.

Also, the "though your fins be scarlet" bit. "Scarlet fins" is apparently a crossword clue, to which the answer is Opah, also known as the kingfish and Jerusalem haddock. Freaky creature: http://fishingartworks.wordpress.com/20 ... opah-fish/

Then there's the "though your sins be scarlet" angle, but he does seem to say something like "fins" or "fence" or "friends".

Kingfish mythology might give some clue here... assuming this is what he says, and such a thing exists.

Edit: so "kingfish" is slang for "powerful man". That makes some sense, especially within the "sins" pun.

Isaiah 1:18:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

centurionofprix wrote:Has anyone figured out the complete lyrics yet?

All we have so far is here ...

Maybe Eldo's a rugby fan.