hot_tamale_holly September 17th, 2005 07:55PM  
This song, I believe, is about a girl whose lover has died or killed himself. He comes to her in dream/vision to convince her that they can still be together in death. He compares them to Romeo and Juliet, who are together in eternity. He wants her to become like "them" - people in the afterlife.

"Came the last night of sadness-(the last night she could bear to be sad about his death)
And it was clear that she couldn’t go on
And the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew and then disappeared
The curtains flew and then he appeared-(He comes to her to take her to the afterlife with him)

Saying don’t be afraid
Come on, baby
And she had no fear
And she ran to him
Then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodbye
She had become like they are
She had taken his hand
She had become like they are (She kills herself and joins him in eternity)

stublues February 17th, 2006 11:10AM  
The band has said that this song is actually about the cycle of life and death. (40,000 men and and women every day, another 40,000 come in every day...) The main point is that you shouldn't fear death, since it is just a part of life. They said it is not about suicide, and although they can see where that interpretation could be drawn, it wasn't intended. By the way, they said the "40,000" number was just a guess. They did no research as to how many people are born and die on any given day...

anonymous September 16th, 2007 10:52PM  
Jim Jones only had about 1000 followers, and a few where able to escape.

This is what Dharma had to say:

“ I felt that I had just achieved some kind of resonance with the psychology of people when I came up with that, I was actually kind of appalled when I first realized that some people were seeing it as an advertisement for suicide or something that was not my intention at all. It is, like, not to be afraid of it (as opposed to actively bring it about). It's basically a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners. "

anonymous October 14th, 2007 11:29PM  
I think it's about love after death.

anonymous January 25th, 2008 03:36AM  
Ya, I agree with Aries26155. And who said anything about the devil? I'm pretty sure he wasn't mentioned at all here. (reaper not counting)

anonymous January 25th, 2008 11:27AM  
I think people tend to over analyze this song. It's not a song about suicide or a romance on the rocks. It's simply about living your life as best you know how and not being afraid to die.

anonymous March 10th, 2008 07:08PM  
This song has nothing to do with the Jonestown mass suicide/murder as the song was released in 1976 and the massacre in 1978. If anything Jim Jones has taken the line out of the song!

canfield727 June 21st, 2008 06:15PM  
I like to think this song is about an elderly woman whose passed husband comes to get her. She is dying of natural causes and he comes back to her in dreams appearing the way he did in his younger years. Typically, in life, the man dies before the woman and she is left alone. Its the cycle of life; just like the seasons.

anonymous August 6th, 2008 05:34PM  
I tend to agree with Donald Roeser's own interpretation (if you can't trust the guy who wrote the song, who CAN you trust??) Moreover, I'd argue that the song, far from having anything to do with - let alone endorsing - suicide - is really about learning to accept death as a natural, indeed essential, part of life, in addition to celebrating the kind of love that transcends death. Reread the first verse. Roeser is saying, in essence, if nature doesn't fear death, why should humans?

anonymous March 6th, 2009 04:55PM  
Regardless of the meaning, it's a hell of a creepy song and one of my favorites of all time. The lyrics are brilliant!

connifer June 11th, 2009 02:21AM  
This song is about life, and how life inevitably leads to death. In meantioning Romeo and Juliet, they are stating that life and love though limited, are timeless. BOC is saying you should live and not be afraid to die, for it is something that comes cretain as "the changing of the seasons" It states that life starts and ends every day without society batting an eye, and we are no different. Lost in orbit, so we should live the way we want to live, love the way we want to live, and take advantage of every day because our days are limited, and when the time draws near, keep living until we do no more.