I was reading Violet on the thread "Daddy's Little Princess" (Poetry by forum members) and I ended up here as this thread discusses the song which Violet referenced.
Steven wrote, (above)
“Pbshel67,
I haven't looked at the lyrics recently nor played the song in awhile, but my take on
the walking the streets lines were of an introspective, self-absorbed walking,
the kind that a pensive loner might do.”
Imaginary friend says, above,
“This is what it says to me:
Whether in war, or martyrdom or for a cause, individuals have faced death from the beginning of civilization, death is 'old'; but each time it's a new (and frightening) experience to the person who's facing it ("I freeze with fear...")
I think 'There for You' speaks about devotion – to a person, or a cause, or a God, that is powerful enough to direct and dictate our actions, even when we are not conscious of being directed."
Eckard Tolle in his book “The power of now” states that there is someone behind the individuals chattering mind; someone deeper, universal, but still you, the real you. There is nothing new in this idea of someone else residing alongside/within each of us, but Tolle says it fresh; and well.
And the Hindus talked for aeons about the “Dweller” existing at a distance behind incessant thought, inside each human being waiting to be discovered by each searching individual.
Perhaps Leonard discovered this ‘dweller’ and realized their mutually beneficial, symbiotic “there for you” matrix-existence.
I like to view the song “There for you” as all of the above; plus: In a similar vein to my “Master Song” “a song about Trinity (L. Cohen)
comments, (
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=23694)
It could be interpreted as Leonard making an observation that his life has meaning in that he is experiencing it “for God”. Jung argues in “Answer to Job” that god needs us so that he can experience spacial / time existence.
And, of course the flip side is that God is “there” for us. The “dweller” (soul?) in each of us, is in a position to be “lover” of both God and individual/Leonard/you/me.
So I feel that the song is coming from this “Trinity” perspective again; as, in my opinion, does much of his writing, like the Master Song.
My thanks to Violet for taking me down these thought alleys.
Mat.