Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Cathedral Meaning

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Cathedral Lyrics

Six o' clock
In the morning I feel pretty good
So I dropped into the luxury of the Lords
Fighting dragons and crossing swords
With the people against the hordes who came to conquer

Seven o'clock
In the morning here it comes I taste the...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jul 14th 2010 report

   A beautiful tune with several possible levels of interpretation. The protagonist is in Winchester Cathedral, a wondrous, magnificent place showing Man's love of God, full of history and strange vibrations. He is struck by the horrible irony of religion, that it has led to many wars and death. Then, he is swept right into the middle of it. The death of the soldier was the same day as his birthday! From death comes life, yet we are so small. Maybe he is dead in a way, as a spirit "high above the altar" looking down upon himself.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Nov 9th 2011 report

   This song is a drug song: I feel pretty good; I taste the warning; seeing things so clear this way; I'm flying; stumbled through the door; I am high; high upon the altar, high
   He's hallucinating and coming to deep, troubling insights about his religion.
3. anonymous

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   Sep 10th report

   En tant que chrétien, je trouve cette chanson absolument magnifique. Le groupe y critique uniquement le Christianisme en tant que religion organisée, ainsi que les dirigeants hypocrites de l'Église qui ont déformé le message d'amour du Christ pour leurs propres intérêts (guerres, richesses, etc.), le tout sans remettre en question la sagesse de Dieu. Il n'y a aucune hostilité vis-à-vis des croyants et de leur foi. Je recommande vivement à tout le monde d'écouter cette chanson.
4. anonymous

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   Jul 19th 2017 report

   Graham Nash actually explains the songs meaning in the liner notes to the CSN box set.
5. anonymous

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   Mar 14th 2017 report

   It's about a woman gone wrong hiding in the church under grace and a man still trying to love her in gods name.
6. anonymous

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   Nov 15th 2008 report

   i thought it was of him, drunk and agnostic, ending up in a church and feeling he has to stay when he truthfully doesn't believe in it.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. arlit

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   May 8th 2008 report

   The song seems to blame god of the death oh his friend that who died in the day of his birthday.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway