Jon says, "Now the verses I've sang Don't add much weight To the story in my head So I'm thinking I should go and write a punchline But they're so hard to find In my cosmic mind So I think I'll take A look out of the window" 1977 Going for the One
My feeling is that it doesn't matter what words Jon sings, they're all beautiful coming from the Voice of Yes. The message is always uplifting and positive. If you feel good after hearing a Yes song, Jon's message got through.
A lot of the time he picks words for their musicality, not meaning, and how they sound with the other instruments. His voice in a literal and figurative way is his instrutment.
No way dude,..you're addicted to YES now!! Congratulations !! We never tire of hearing a YES song over and over and over again...always discovering something new.
Jon was a poet in the truest sense. His lyrics are intricate puzzles. One must listen repeatedly to arrive at one's own understanding. He meant it that way, and that is why their music is still listened to. But if he was an "average" or "above average" vocalist it would fall on deaf ears. It's the power of his voice and delivery that shows you that his songs are full of meaning, but it is up to each listener to decide....with repeated listening....what it means to you. Far from meaningless, the songs have layers of meaning and are impressionistic. Everyone gets to decide, but on the other hand there is an objective truth.
Puzzles? Jon wants us to puzzle over the lyrics and discover our own unique solution. An enigma may be a more apt word rather than puzzle. Puzzles generally have just one solution.
That is the thing about Yes. You can interpret the words any way you want, or not at all. The point is to think. And the music takes you to a different place each time you hear it. One consistent thing is that you float out of the venue every time you see them live. I am fortunate to have seen them many times.
Float out of the venue and remain floating for weeks afterward. I got this effect from multiple performers, but none as powerful or long lasting as The Yes High. Greatest Band Ever. Greatest live performers I ever had the privilege to witness. ❤
The music is so good that I got over my confusion with the lyrics a long time ago. Also, the lyrics can all the sudden make sense depending on when and where you hear it.
“Master of images, songs cast a light on you!” Jon Anderson’s words paint images from melody. Don’t overthink looking for meaning just let the words paint images.
The lyrics on this one are pure abstraction - the words are just chosen for the sound, though in some cases he had images and thoughts in mind for specific phrases. They do have songs with very specific and clear meaning, and some that have specific meaning but are written in a poetic or stream of conscience way. Some are inspired by books or stories, like Gates of Delirium is based on the book War And Peace, and Turn of The Century was inspired by the opera La bohème and the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion, who falls in love with a statue of a woman he carved. Many songs have a non-denominational approach to his thoughts on understanding god, and seeking truth and peace and love, like Awaken. Use your imagination to interpret the lyrics how you want, that's part of why they work so well. They are very visual and get your mind going.
Nope it’s about life. Even Siberia a desolate and sparse place goes through life’s motions. With Yes lyrics just think life. Spiritually, nature , love.
Once you listen to the live versions of these songs of YesSongs you will get a whole new appreciation. Although I love the songs, I wasn't a fan of their earlier recordings many times. When played live these songs bounce and come alive in a fantastic way.
I have a brother who's played bass for over 40 years, professionally, up here in Western Canada. He and his younger brother have always had a ready audience in their area. It's so cool to have witnessed their journey in music, at their level. I played him a Tool song and he didn't get the lyrics. I think he was so overwhelmed by the time signature changes and the lyrics as well, and could not focus on the meaning. I think for you, as my brother, the music is first and foremost and the lyrics and their meaning will come as they're meant to. I'm 66 and am, just recently, coming to this kind of music. Yes, along with LZ, Black Sabbath, are timeless. It is a miraculous thing how a time can bring about these "gods" of music, and it's so wonderful for me to witness so many people having epiphanies reacting to this music. It's the great healer and revealer. Thank you for your, very intuitive and professional reactions. Blessings. 🙏
Overall Jon's lyrics evoke feelings, Can Jon write a solid story? YES! Does he ever do it? YES! 'South Side of the Sky', the real story of a lost expedition to the South Pole, The Gates Of Delirium reads like and Epic Novel! Turn Of The Century, the story of a man losing his lover to illness. A Venture, and Yours Is No Disgrace.
Jon Anderson has said that in his lyrics sometimes, the sound of a word is more important than the meaning. There's no need to try to figure out what the song means, just enjoy it.👍
YES, the greatest show on earth. Of the 36 times I've seen YES, they opened with Siberian Khatru 30 times. However, the first time I saw YES, they opened with SOUND CHASER a jazz fusion piece ala YES. Nice to see the face behind the bass ✨️🎶🙏🎶✨️
Jon's lyrics are a sort of tone poetry. He chooses words that he thinks sound nice next to each other. If you happen to find some meaning in the finished product, so much the better but it's not his primary motivation.
In high school I named my kitten Luther, from this song. He was my best friend and a just a great cat. We'd walk in the field across the street and he'd walk along like a dog. Fond memories, I hope there really is a Rainbow Bridge someday where I'll see Luther again.
Jon and Steve collaborated on the lyrics from this album and Tales from Topographic Oceans. Their approach to the writing was very impressionistic and intentionally non-linear. Close to the Edge dealt with a heavy esoteric theme of personal awakening. Not something easily expressed in ordinary terms, so they took a fairly radical approach and decided to paint with words. YES's finest lyrical achievment is probably The Gates of Delirium, all of the stages of war are expressed in powerful prose and the music takes you right into the terrifying heart of the battle and on to a breathtaking aftermath. It is one of the few epics from Yes that really tells a story, or 'takes you through the story'. I highly recommend.
And I second his recommendation. I love Close To The Edge, both song and entire album. But, Relayer, man. Gates Of Delirium. Freakin’ Yes. The critics, lambasting them mercilessly. And they just went about creating one stone cold classic after another. ❤
If you want Yes lyrics that are understandable, all with music that is still epic and from their prime years, PLEASE react to "The Gates of Delirium." It is based on the classic novel "War and Peace" and is about the buildup to a conflict, the battle itself (as a musical interlude) and its aftermath. As usual, the music itself is amazing and at over 20 minutes there is a lot to enjoy. Love your channel!
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, "Khatru means 'as you wish' in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song." The lyrics discuss "unity among different cultures." (Wikipedia, a free app from a non profit org.)
After listening to this for more than 30 years, forget the lyrics and just revel in the music. No other current band has this combination of singing and variety of instruments.
Jon has said that SOMETIMES he uses words just for their sound. But people listening that don’t get some phrase tend to write it off as one of those cases. I suspect 95% of the time there is some more direct meaning. Just cause we don’t get it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Steve Howe was touring alone some years ago and got tired of one fan’s badgering him about the meaning of the lyrics for some song. He angrily replied, “What does it mean to you!?!” I think there is a lot to that statement. Yes always write music in a way that they want you to work through it. They challenge us to hear and understand what the did. The same is true with their lyrics. Jon would probably love that you are trying to figure it out. There is growth there even if you (we) fail. It’s been a very long time since I last focused solely on lyrics in a Yes song myself. If you read about what their inspirations were at those times you will see they were very heavily influenced by Eastern mysticism and philosophy. In general I think there are recurring themes of understanding and respecting differences in thought and culture, realizing that we all share commonalities regardless of our significant differences; elevation of one’s own vibration and connection to a higher power; and a love of life in general. Darker lyrics do surface at times but generally to allow construction of a more positive contrasting frame. So my advice is to not try to interpret the lyrics while listening for you’ll surely fail, and will miss some amazing musicianship along the way. Approach the lyrics separately and very incrementally. Meditate or pray on it. Don’t try so hard. Instead, relax into it, trust that its intent is positive, and see what surfaces for you. Then, rest assured that Yes would be proud that you respected the words enough to find a meaning relevant for you. They likely know that what those words come to mean for you is more important in your life than whatever it meant to them when they wrote it. It’s not the answer you might want. But we don’t listen to Yes because it’s easy listening. Why should the lyrics be any different. Listen to any of their masterpieces 50 times and you’ll hear something new the 51st time. So it can be with the lyrics as well.
KICKASS KHATRU. One of my favorite grooviest coolest, funkiest, intricate rhythmic jams EVER by classic YES from the greatest album of all time. STOP! This is one song that you DO NOT want to even consider translating into English. JUST LISTEN and let the sound wash over you & allow the "river to run right on over and out of your head!" in 15/8 LOL! 😅 Again, the lyrics are as intricate as the music which makes them compatible viscerally and emotionally.
I echo the live video of "In the Presence Of," from Songs of Tsongas. You'll get to see them in action. A lot of Yes music concerns spiritual enlightenment.
Nobody can get the lyrics. Welcome to the club. But the music, I mean … On the lyrics, ask him. I think he's very approachable and has a lovely soul. He works with another band that covers many Yes songs. The band geeks or something like that. I think Jon Anderson lives in California now.
I think Jon wrote lyrics for the tone and feelings they invoke as much as for poetic meaning. Brian Eno is also a master of this technique. Like most art it takes multiple listens to get a handle on it, and even then it remains mysterious. So cool.
Jon’s lyrical style is often “word painting”… he’ll string together words for their rhythmic or sonic effect or just (very effectively) creating a mood. Trying to figure them out in a traditional narrative sense can often lead to frustration, confusion, and remorse 😜. Just enjoy his voice and vocalizing as just another instrument in their awesome battery of sounds.
With Yes and lyrics, you have to think landscape and soundscape. The language is designed to transport you into a frame of mind, not into a story or narrative, which is what you are trying to do.
Com to think of it, one of the greatest rock Bass Yes songs of all time does not even have Jon on it, so you won't have to suffer through the lyrics! lol. It's on the very underrated and amazing album Drama. It also has some of Steve's best guitar playing! Check out 'Does it Really Happen'....it has a bass solo at the end!
You got it, the lyrics are feelings and impressions of the moment compressed into one or two words with an only oblique connection if an, like a free-form artist expressing themselves on canvass or like a 3 or 4 year old kid inventing words for things based on their impressions. As, an aside, but on the same concept, there is a female Japanese artist (Saori Kanda) but she performed in concert with a band called Shpongle (also very good and totally unique) and with seemingly random hand stokes created a stunning finished work of art as the show all just based on impressions Live at Red Rocks 2015 is a good example if you are interested. It's quite long though.
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, “Khatru means ‘as you wish’ in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song.” In terms of its lyrics, Anderson noted the song is a collection of “interesting words, though it does relate to the dreams of clear summer days”.
Jon Anderson's lyrics by his description are ornamental in many cases and not intended to convey a specific message; not in all cases but many so trying to decipher them is an exercise in futility.
I'm baffled by so, so many things in life, but, oddly, YES songs are not that. With YES, I find 'meaning' by letting it all wash over me and take me on whatever journey my soul wanders through in response to the song. I find beauty. Peace. Joy. Church, if your homework was to write new lyrics to replace Jon's, what would you write? What would you make this song 'be about'?
So since you're obsessed with the lyrics here's some simpler ones: "Turn of the Century", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Onward", "Don't Kill the Whale", "The Rhythm of Love" and a good live one where he explains the meaning before the song: "In the Presence of" ua-cam.com/video/X_KDXoMB5wg/v-deo.html
I’d like to second the suggestion to listen to Turn of the Century. A pretty straightforward narrative. I don’t think you’ll have many problems figuring out what it means.
bunch of metaphors weaved together. You were close at the beginning about some person in bondage. This person is a lovely song bird, held by a nasty cold-heart King of prey. Basically a King holding a lady with a lovely voice and people are coming from all over the land with their gold and other metals to buy this song bird to take home with them. where you mentioned what does that mean: Hold down the windo, Hold out the morning that comes into view.... Warm side the tower, Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru. For me, It's a Maiden singing in a tower on the south side of the tower bathed by the warmth of the early morning sun. where there is sun there is leaves, or ivy, and the lovely Khatru's singing can be heard through the opening at the top of the tower. This Khatru is being held in the tower by a King with a cold heart and may be holding her for ransom to anyone who has the most gold. And a person with a heart of gold coming to her rescue. During the night he climbs up ivy tower and he and Khatru flew away from the tower. As for the river running over the heads, is the moat that surrounds the castle. Bro your sister is wrong you are a smart guy, let your instinct guide you, trust it.
A khatru is Yemeni for "as you wish". The lyrics are borne from the psychedelic mindset that was going on in the 60's/70's. My dadd claims the lyrics made perfect sense to him from the first listen.
Another way to think of this is: what if I made a bunch of videos obsessing over the placement of a bass drum beat, insisting that it has some deeper meaning - that there absolutely had to be some concrete thought about something specific in the world associated with that particular bass drum note - and I kept interrupting the song constantly to get frustrated over it and agonize about it? It’s literally just a beat. It’s not trying to communicate to me who to vote for, or some specific story of interpersonal difficulties with my landlord, or the beauty of a blade of grass. I may infer those things based on how I feel listening to it, but I’m never going to pretend, nor worry, if that was the intent of that bass drum note. Same goes for the vast majority of the lyrics of this band.
This is the song they opened shows with for years! Right after Firebird Suite played...Just saw them last week. Whatever the lineup, amazing shows. I do love Jon Anderson best tho.
Jon often uses words simply for their sound too. As stanjohnson notes, it doesn’t matter what words Jon uses-He puts across many meanings simply by his delivery.
Jon selected a lot of words for their musicality. You know when you write lyrics, you sometimes get stuck trying to find the right sounding with the right meaning? He went for the sound of the word, almost like was creating a new definition for the word.
CB, I need you to listen/react to “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom” and please tell me how Christopher Squires made that bass sing. I’d also like to see you give it a try 😉 because that is my favorite part of your reacts. How you can hear it and get there. Keep doin what you do. I am hooked!! 👊
I think that with ALL of your reactions that you should just listen to the music and words without looking at the lyrics to appreciate everything and not missing the nuances. Then listen again with the lyrics or just read them afterwards.
About the lyrics: Maybe this will help with meanings. Back in the day there were times when i heard this album while tripping. In that state of mind, the main focus was hanging on for dear life because it was a strong dose...later just listening to the strange little sounds they make and sometimes you night for just a moment it all makes sense...rhe next day the thought is gone.
Lyrics that could make any sense appeared only in very early and middle-to-late albums of Yes. When it comes to "Close to the Edge" (1972), "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (1973), "Relayer" (1974), (to an extent) "Going For the One" (1977) and "Tormato" (1978) it is much more difficult to make sense of the lyrics as this is this special kind of poetry where the mood, the sound, the melody of the words and letters create more sense than the actual literal meaning of those words.
Absolutely agree with @T23000PLUS. Jon Anderson is a poet AND a songwriter. But his lyrics are more like a impressionist painters kind of lyric. Like the painters: Monet or Renoir. You're supposed to let the lyrics wash over you like a landscape. Just feeling and images. Rock on!
Khatru means "as you wish" in the Yemini dialect of Arabic. The lyrics here not particularly linear but lean into the idea of unity. My own thought about these lyrics particularly the last section is that it reminds me of a cubist painting, but in stead of a canvas Anderson and Howe are using words. There is an image there, an idea, maybe seen through just flashes of words sttrung together, some religous/spiritual like Luther, Christian, and some natural types of birds, moon, and verbs like mover. In general, later Yes lyrics are easier to understand.
I'm pretty sure you have reacted to Awaken by Yes. When recording that song, Jon with his harp and Rick were both in Saint Martin's Church in Vevey Switzerland near Montreux where the rest of Yes was recording the album. Someone filming the proceedings before recording Awaken and Parallels. Rick also played music for his solo album Criminal Record in the church as well. ua-cam.com/video/nJ0kio9oOzA/v-deo.htmlsi=42nY7ZH0QUGUmNRX
You need to listen to a Trevor Rabin Yes songs that Trevor wrote (most of) the lyrics to such as Lift Me Up or Love will find a way or City of Love and they rock more in a Rush kind of way, not convoluted as you say. I grew up on early Yes music but at this stage of my life I really connect with the Trevor Rabin stuff more. It's not 5 egos playing everything that popped into their head... don't get me wrong, I love most of the 70s stuff but the Rabin Yes played as a band and really seemed to love each other on stage and Trevor is a monster musician, songwriter and producer.
Perhaps most famously with the Beatles, lots of musicians back around 1970 were heavily into Eastern myticism as a viable alternative to Western materialism as a foundation for one's life, especially if it might help sell records to a counterculture of music lovers disillusioned with how their parents lived their lives. The next Yes album, "Tales From Topographic Oceans" was a bit too much for a lot of fans to appreciate, so you, looking back to the past, are ahead of your Yes timeline in confessing total frustration with the lyrics penned by Anderson. I think it was very easy to give Anderson a free pass back then. "He's singing about mystical Eastern spriritual crap, so there is no point in trying to understand it". Most fans are totally in agreement with you. The music is so unique and tremendous that the opaque lyrics can be overlooked. Yes was my first great musical love, and I stayed with them well into the 21st century despite all the personnel changes and the drift towards pop music during the Rabin era. Anderson is on record as saying that, basically, his instrument is his voice, which he expresses through the words his sings, so he chooses words for how they sound together just as much as for what they mean. As I aged, I found myself gravitating towards artists and songs that moved me emotionallly, and that was no longer happening to me when I listened to Yes. Lyrics can more readily move you when compared to instrumental virtuosity. Maybe a bit of boredom happens naturally when you've heard the same song hundreds of times. The tremendous and unique begins to sound a bit mundane. If Yes deserves any criticism (and nothing is perfect), the incomprehensible lyrics would be the right place to start. I don't attend Yes concerts anymore. Instead, I travel to Marillion weekends and concerts to hear Steve Hogarth sing his very accessible, and oftentimes profoundly moving, lyrics. If Yes comes anywhere nearby this summer or fall, Church Boy, buy a ticket directly in front of Steve Howe and enjoy the tribute act to the glory of what once was and will never be ever again.
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, "Khatru means 'as you wish' in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song."[4] The lyrics discuss "unity among different cultures." Howe considered the song to be one of Yes' more collaborative compositions, stating "That song came together with the arranging skills of the band. Jon had the rough idea of the song, and Chris [Squire], Bill [Bruford], Rick and me would collaborate on getting the riffs together.” - Wikipedia Jon's lyrics tend to be more evocative than descriptive. Looking for meaning in every word is a fool's errand.
It's easy: the lyrics don't have any particular meaning in a rational sort of way. He puts together words and makes the choices based on how the words sound together. If it's meaning you're after, listen to anything by Jackson Browne, or listen to Marvin Gay's "What's Goin' On?" Bob Dylan used to do the same thing with his stream-of-consciousness work. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is just one example of Dylan. To paraphrase the great line from the movie, "A Beautiful Mind," "it's life...just add meaning."
As for the lyrics: I think they picked words sometimes for rhyme or number of syllables... I have always listened both to the words and also how the music sounds and how it makes me feel. If you try to force the lyrics into meaning something, with this band it doesn't always become clear. Thank you for reacting to this track.
Every time we say, "Don't try to figure out the lyrics. That way madness lies."
And yet, here we are again... 🤪
Jon says, "Now the verses I've sang
Don't add much weight
To the story in my head
So I'm thinking I should go and write a punchline
But they're so hard to find
In my cosmic mind
So I think I'll take
A look out of the window" 1977 Going for the One
My feeling is that it doesn't matter what words Jon sings, they're all beautiful coming from the Voice of Yes. The message is always uplifting and positive. If you feel good after hearing a Yes song, Jon's message got through.
Anderson's lyrics are like a river running right over our heads. Don't worry about it. Just go with the flow.
A lot of the time he picks words for their musicality, not meaning, and how they sound with the other instruments. His voice in a literal and figurative way is his instrutment.
No way dude,..you're addicted to YES now!! Congratulations !! We never tire of hearing a YES song over and over and over again...always discovering something new.
54 years later, this cd is now in my home CD player at all times.
I listened to it before visiting UA-cam.👍
Jon was a poet in the truest sense. His lyrics are intricate puzzles. One must listen repeatedly to arrive at one's own understanding. He meant it that way, and that is why their music is still listened to. But if he was an "average" or "above average" vocalist it would fall on deaf ears. It's the power of his voice and delivery that shows you that his songs are full of meaning, but it is up to each listener to decide....with repeated listening....what it means to you. Far from meaningless, the songs have layers of meaning and are impressionistic. Everyone gets to decide, but on the other hand there is an objective truth.
The best explanation that has been presented in my view, well said.
Puzzles? Jon wants us to puzzle over the lyrics and discover our own unique solution. An enigma may be a more apt word rather than puzzle. Puzzles generally have just one solution.
That is the thing about Yes. You can interpret the words any way you want, or not at all. The point is to think. And the music takes you to a different place each time you hear it. One consistent thing is that you float out of the venue every time you see them live. I am fortunate to have seen them many times.
Very well said
Float out of the venue and remain floating for weeks afterward. I got this effect from multiple performers, but none as powerful or long lasting as The Yes High.
Greatest Band Ever.
Greatest live performers I ever had the privilege to witness. ❤
@@frankhoulihanfh4972 So *True*
Chris is the primary reason that I chose bass as my main instrument. RIP Chris, we miss you!
I bought a 1977 RIC 4001 in 1977 because of him.
Me, too. Him and Dee Murray w Elton John
Lifelong guitar player here.. with Yes.. treat the lyrics like another instrument and ignore the lyrics :) peace
The music is so good that I got over my confusion with the lyrics a long time ago. Also, the lyrics can all the sudden make sense depending on when and where you hear it.
Very well said
“Master of images, songs cast a light on you!” Jon Anderson’s words paint images from melody. Don’t overthink looking for meaning just let the words paint images.
The lyrics on this one are pure abstraction - the words are just chosen for the sound, though in some cases he had images and thoughts in mind for specific phrases. They do have songs with very specific and clear meaning, and some that have specific meaning but are written in a poetic or stream of conscience way. Some are inspired by books or stories, like Gates of Delirium is based on the book War And Peace, and Turn of The Century was inspired by the opera La bohème and the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion, who falls in love with a statue of a woman he carved. Many songs have a non-denominational approach to his thoughts on understanding god, and seeking truth and peace and love, like Awaken. Use your imagination to interpret the lyrics how you want, that's part of why they work so well. They are very visual and get your mind going.
Nope it’s about life. Even Siberia a desolate and sparse place goes through life’s motions. With Yes lyrics just think life. Spiritually, nature , love.
You should hear the live Yessongs version of this song even more mind blowing than the studio hardly seems possible but it is
Once you listen to the live versions of these songs of YesSongs you will get a whole new appreciation. Although I love the songs, I wasn't a fan of their earlier recordings many times. When played live these songs bounce and come alive in a fantastic way.
I have a brother who's played bass for over 40 years, professionally, up here in Western Canada. He and his younger brother have always had a ready audience in their area. It's so cool to have witnessed their journey in music, at their level. I played him a Tool song and he didn't get the lyrics. I think he was so overwhelmed by the time signature changes and the lyrics as well, and could not focus on the meaning. I think for you, as my brother, the music is first and foremost and the lyrics and their meaning will come as they're meant to. I'm 66 and am, just recently, coming to this kind of music. Yes, along with LZ, Black Sabbath, are timeless. It is a miraculous thing how a time can bring about these "gods" of music, and it's so wonderful for me to witness so many people having epiphanies reacting to this music. It's the great healer and revealer. Thank you for your, very intuitive and professional reactions. Blessings. 🙏
OK Siberian Khatru is Yespeak for, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.
You’re my new official YES reactor! ✌️❤️ P.S.
Please give it up when it comes to the lyrics will you already?
Overall Jon's lyrics evoke feelings,
Can Jon write a solid story? YES!
Does he ever do it? YES!
'South Side of the Sky', the real story of a lost expedition to the South Pole,
The Gates Of Delirium reads like and Epic Novel!
Turn Of The Century, the story of a man losing his lover to illness.
A Venture, and Yours Is No Disgrace.
Jon Anderson has said that in his lyrics sometimes, the sound of a word is more important than the meaning. There's no need to try to figure out what the song means, just enjoy it.👍
You are driving me crasy with your lyrics concern my friend
YES, the greatest show on earth. Of the 36 times I've seen YES, they opened with Siberian Khatru 30 times. However, the first time I saw YES, they opened with SOUND CHASER a jazz fusion piece ala YES. Nice to see the face behind the bass
✨️🎶🙏🎶✨️
Jon's lyrics are a sort of tone poetry. He chooses words that he thinks sound nice next to each other. If you happen to find some meaning in the finished product, so much the better but it's not his primary motivation.
In high school I named my kitten Luther, from this song. He was my best friend and a just a great cat. We'd walk in the field across the street and he'd walk along like a dog. Fond memories, I hope there really is a Rainbow Bridge someday where I'll see Luther again.
Jon and Steve collaborated on the lyrics from this album and Tales from Topographic Oceans. Their approach to the writing was very impressionistic and intentionally non-linear. Close to the Edge dealt with a heavy esoteric theme of personal awakening. Not something easily expressed in ordinary terms, so they took a fairly radical approach and decided to paint with words.
YES's finest lyrical achievment is probably The Gates of Delirium, all of the stages of war are expressed in powerful prose and the music takes you right into the terrifying heart of the battle and on to a breathtaking aftermath. It is one of the few epics from Yes that really tells a story, or 'takes you through the story'. I highly recommend.
And I second his recommendation.
I love Close To The Edge, both song and entire album.
But, Relayer, man.
Gates Of Delirium.
Freakin’ Yes.
The critics, lambasting them mercilessly. And they just went about creating one stone cold classic after another.
❤
"Gold Stainless Nail torn through the distance of man" "Christian Changer Hold out Savior"
Listen to both closely....The guitar intro of Siberian Khatru, is repeated in a different timbre, at the close of 'Awaken' (1977)
If you want Yes lyrics that are understandable, all with music that is still epic and from their prime years, PLEASE react to "The Gates of Delirium." It is based on the classic novel "War and Peace" and is about the buildup to a conflict, the battle itself (as a musical interlude) and its aftermath. As usual, the music itself is amazing and at over 20 minutes there is a lot to enjoy. Love your channel!
Yes lyrics DO mean something. Let them flow. It’s like poetry ,beautiful!
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, "Khatru means 'as you wish' in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song." The lyrics discuss "unity among different cultures." (Wikipedia, a free app from a non profit org.)
its not a song its music and the singer is an instrument
@@jeanpierrebutel6794 Nailed it
After listening to this for more than 30 years, forget the lyrics and just revel in the music. No other current band has this combination of singing and variety of instruments.
I like how you act dumbfounded about the lyrics...😂 good facial expressions, priceless
Jon has said that SOMETIMES he uses words just for their sound. But people listening that don’t get some phrase tend to write it off as one of those cases. I suspect 95% of the time there is some more direct meaning. Just cause we don’t get it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
Steve Howe was touring alone some years ago and got tired of one fan’s badgering him about the meaning of the lyrics for some song. He angrily replied, “What does it mean to you!?!” I think there is a lot to that statement. Yes always write music in a way that they want you to work through it. They challenge us to hear and understand what the did. The same is true with their lyrics. Jon would probably love that you are trying to figure it out. There is growth there even if you (we) fail.
It’s been a very long time since I last focused solely on lyrics in a Yes song myself. If you read about what their inspirations were at those times you will see they were very heavily influenced by Eastern mysticism and philosophy. In general I think there are recurring themes of understanding and respecting differences in thought and culture, realizing that we all share commonalities regardless of our significant differences; elevation of one’s own vibration and connection to a higher power; and a love of life in general. Darker lyrics do surface at times but generally to allow construction of a more positive contrasting frame. So my advice is to not try to interpret the lyrics while listening for you’ll surely fail, and will miss some amazing musicianship along the way. Approach the lyrics separately and very incrementally. Meditate or pray on it. Don’t try so hard. Instead, relax into it, trust that its intent is positive, and see what surfaces for you. Then, rest assured that Yes would be proud that you respected the words enough to find a meaning relevant for you. They likely know that what those words come to mean for you is more important in your life than whatever it meant to them when they wrote it.
It’s not the answer you might want. But we don’t listen to Yes because it’s easy listening. Why should the lyrics be any different. Listen to any of their masterpieces 50 times and you’ll hear something new the 51st time. So it can be with the lyrics as well.
Truth.
Trying to decipher Jon Anderson's lyrics has been a sporting event for over 50 years.
KICKASS KHATRU. One of my favorite grooviest coolest, funkiest, intricate rhythmic jams EVER by classic YES from the greatest album of all time. STOP! This is one song that you DO NOT want to even consider translating into English. JUST LISTEN and let the sound wash over you & allow the "river to run right on over and out of your head!" in 15/8 LOL! 😅 Again, the lyrics are as intricate as the music which makes them compatible viscerally and emotionally.
"River running right on over my head." Jon is writing lyrics just for you!
The rhythm section of Bruford and Squire is right up there with Moon/Entwistle and Jones/Bonham as rocks greatest all-time rhythm sections.
I echo the live video of "In the Presence Of," from Songs of Tsongas. You'll get to see them in action. A lot of Yes music concerns spiritual enlightenment.
YES! 😊
To know they would reproduce these songs live, with the same tempo changes, lyrics, part
movements, and all...
Thank you. To see these guys live at this time check out Yessongs Movie Yours is no Disgrace. Thanks again!
There is a meaning behind them but the words are very symbolic. You have to stop thinking literally when trying to understand them.
I'm sure "close to the edge" had been requested a lot. I would say it is difficult but one can catch the meanng of that one.
Nobody can get the lyrics. Welcome to the club. But the music, I mean … On the lyrics, ask him. I think he's very approachable and has a lovely soul. He works with another band that covers many Yes songs. The band geeks or something like that. I think Jon Anderson lives in California now.
Do some Live versions too, dont forget
I'm Japanese and I'm not good at English. But I love your reaction!
Great reaction.
I think Jon wrote lyrics for the tone and feelings they invoke as much as for poetic meaning. Brian Eno is also a master of this technique. Like most art it takes multiple listens to get a handle on it, and even then it remains mysterious. So cool.
Jon’s lyrical style is often “word painting”… he’ll string together words for their rhythmic or sonic effect or just (very effectively) creating a mood. Trying to figure them out in a traditional narrative sense can often lead to frustration, confusion, and remorse 😜. Just enjoy his voice and vocalizing as just another instrument in their awesome battery of sounds.
Yes lyrics mean exactly what YOU think they do. There are no wrong answers, CB!
Song is about unity across cultures."Khatru" translates to "as you wish" in Yemenite Hebrew. But he is very spiritual with all his lyrics.
With Yes and lyrics, you have to think landscape and soundscape. The language is designed to transport you into a frame of mind, not into a story or narrative, which is what you are trying to do.
Again…the lyrics are poetry. They mean something different to everyone. Just enjoy the beauty.
The beauty of flight… over Siberia
Glorius band. Thanks church boy😮
Com to think of it, one of the greatest rock Bass Yes songs of all time does not even have Jon on it, so you won't have to suffer through the lyrics! lol. It's on the very underrated and amazing album Drama. It also has some of Steve's best guitar playing! Check out 'Does it Really Happen'....it has a bass solo at the end!
You got it, the lyrics are feelings and impressions of the moment compressed into one or two words with an only oblique connection if an, like a free-form artist expressing themselves on canvass or like a 3 or 4 year old kid inventing words for things based on their impressions. As, an aside, but on the same concept, there is a female Japanese artist (Saori Kanda) but she performed in concert with a band called Shpongle (also very good and totally unique) and with seemingly random hand stokes created a stunning finished work of art as the show all just based on impressions Live at Red Rocks 2015 is a good example if you are interested. It's quite long though.
out board. River. Blue tail, tail fly. I always think of a speed boat with bikini girls.
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson,
“Khatru means ‘as you wish’ in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song.”
In terms of its lyrics, Anderson noted the song is a collection of
“interesting words, though it does relate to the dreams of clear summer days”.
Jon Anderson's lyrics by his description are ornamental in many cases and not intended to convey a specific message; not in all cases but many so trying to decipher them is an exercise in futility.
I'm baffled by so, so many things in life, but, oddly, YES songs are not that. With YES, I find 'meaning' by letting it all wash over me and take me on whatever journey my soul wanders through in response to the song. I find beauty. Peace. Joy.
Church, if your homework was to write new lyrics to replace Jon's, what would you write? What would you make this song 'be about'?
Chris Squire was playing only with pick and mostly a Rickenbacker Bass.
So since you're obsessed with the lyrics here's some simpler ones: "Turn of the Century", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Onward", "Don't Kill the Whale", "The Rhythm of Love" and a good live one where he explains the meaning before the song: "In the Presence of" ua-cam.com/video/X_KDXoMB5wg/v-deo.html
I’d like to second the suggestion to listen to Turn of the Century. A pretty straightforward narrative. I don’t think you’ll have many problems figuring out what it means.
bunch of metaphors weaved together. You were close at the beginning about some person in bondage. This person is a lovely song bird, held by a nasty cold-heart King of prey. Basically a King holding a lady with a lovely voice and people are coming from all over the land with their gold and other metals to buy this song bird to take home with them. where you mentioned what does that mean: Hold down the windo, Hold out the morning that comes into view.... Warm side the tower, Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru. For me, It's a Maiden singing in a tower on the south side of the tower bathed by the warmth of the early morning sun. where there is sun there is leaves, or ivy, and the lovely Khatru's singing can be heard through the opening at the top of the tower. This Khatru is being held in the tower by a King with a cold heart and may be holding her for ransom to anyone who has the most gold. And a person with a heart of gold coming to her rescue. During the night he climbs up ivy tower and he and Khatru flew away from the tower. As for the river running over the heads, is the moat that surrounds the castle.
Bro your sister is wrong you are a smart guy, let your instinct guide you, trust it.
Jon's lyrics are like scating just sound
I love how you can't stop yourself from deciphering the lyrics. Kills me.
And it's not YOUR being off. It's Jon's lyrics being mystical.
Percussive words ..
A khatru is Yemeni for "as you wish". The lyrics are borne from the psychedelic mindset that was going on in the 60's/70's. My dadd claims the lyrics made perfect sense to him from the first listen.
Another way to think of this is: what if I made a bunch of videos obsessing over the placement of a bass drum beat, insisting that it has some deeper meaning - that there absolutely had to be some concrete thought about something specific in the world associated with that particular bass drum note - and I kept interrupting the song constantly to get frustrated over it and agonize about it?
It’s literally just a beat. It’s not trying to communicate to me who to vote for, or some specific story of interpersonal difficulties with my landlord, or the beauty of a blade of grass.
I may infer those things based on how I feel listening to it, but I’m never going to pretend, nor worry, if that was the intent of that bass drum note.
Same goes for the vast majority of the lyrics of this band.
This is the song they opened shows with for years! Right after Firebird Suite played...Just saw them last week. Whatever the lineup, amazing shows. I do love Jon Anderson best tho.
Jon often uses words simply for their sound too. As stanjohnson notes, it doesn’t matter what words Jon uses-He puts across many meanings simply by his delivery.
Jon Anderson already back then was with the Hare Krishna movement. Part of the lyrics may be hindu devotional.
To think this was the fill song of the album.
Jon selected a lot of words for their musicality. You know when you write lyrics, you sometimes get stuck trying to find the right sounding with the right meaning? He went for the sound of the word, almost like was creating a new definition for the word.
now this is the good one ... back off and wallow in it
CB, I need you to listen/react to “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom” and please tell me how Christopher Squires made that bass sing. I’d also like to see you give it a try 😉 because that is my favorite part of your reacts. How you can hear it and get there.
Keep doin what you do. I am hooked!! 👊
You want one you can understand? Try Turn of the Century of the album Going for the One.
For a Yes song that you might understand the lyrics to, try "Turn Of The Century".
I think that with ALL of your reactions that you should just listen to the music and words without looking at the lyrics to appreciate everything and not missing the nuances.
Then listen again with the lyrics or just read them afterwards.
About the lyrics: Maybe this will help with meanings. Back in the day there were times when i heard this album while tripping. In that state of mind, the main focus was hanging on for dear life because it was a strong dose...later just listening to the strange little sounds they make and sometimes you night for just a moment it all makes sense...rhe next day the thought is gone.
I think the lick is a Jimi Hendricks lick from Hey Joe intro
Listen to both closely....The guitar intro of Siberian Khatru, is repeated in a different timbre, at the close of 'Awaken' (1977)
Lyrics that could make any sense appeared only in very early and middle-to-late albums of Yes. When it comes to "Close to the Edge" (1972), "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (1973), "Relayer" (1974), (to an extent) "Going For the One" (1977) and "Tormato" (1978) it is much more difficult to make sense of the lyrics as this is this special kind of poetry where the mood, the sound, the melody of the words and letters create more sense than the actual literal meaning of those words.
I accepted long ago that most Yes lyrics are word salad... just go with it. It'll mean anything that pops into your mind the day you listen to it.
Absolutely agree with @T23000PLUS. Jon Anderson is a poet AND a songwriter. But his lyrics are more like a impressionist painters kind of lyric. Like the painters: Monet or Renoir. You're supposed to let the lyrics wash over you like a landscape. Just feeling and images. Rock on!
You are kicking against the pricks. it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Khatru means "as you wish" in the Yemini dialect of Arabic. The lyrics here not particularly linear but lean into the idea of unity. My own thought about these lyrics particularly the last section is that it reminds me of a cubist painting, but in stead of a canvas Anderson and Howe are using words. There is an image there, an idea, maybe seen through just flashes of words sttrung together, some religous/spiritual like Luther, Christian, and some natural types of birds, moon, and verbs like mover.
In general, later Yes lyrics are easier to understand.
If that’s what you want it to be about
I'm pretty sure you have reacted to Awaken by Yes. When recording that song, Jon with his harp and Rick were both in Saint Martin's Church in Vevey Switzerland near Montreux where the rest of Yes was recording the album. Someone filming the proceedings before recording Awaken and Parallels. Rick also played music for his solo album Criminal Record in the church as well.
ua-cam.com/video/nJ0kio9oOzA/v-deo.htmlsi=42nY7ZH0QUGUmNRX
Jon Anderson already back then with the Hare Krishna movement. Part of the lyrics may be hindu devotional.
You need to listen to a Trevor Rabin Yes songs that Trevor wrote (most of) the lyrics to such as Lift Me Up or Love will find a way or City of Love and they rock more in a Rush kind of way, not convoluted as you say. I grew up on early Yes music but at this stage of my life I really connect with the Trevor Rabin stuff more. It's not 5 egos playing everything that popped into their head... don't get me wrong, I love most of the 70s stuff but the Rabin Yes played as a band and really seemed to love each other on stage and Trevor is a monster musician, songwriter and producer.
Perhaps most famously with the Beatles, lots of musicians back around 1970 were heavily into Eastern myticism as a viable alternative to Western materialism as a foundation for one's life, especially if it might help sell records to a counterculture of music lovers disillusioned with how their parents lived their lives. The next Yes album, "Tales From Topographic Oceans" was a bit too much for a lot of fans to appreciate, so you, looking back to the past, are ahead of your Yes timeline in confessing total frustration with the lyrics penned by Anderson. I think it was very easy to give Anderson a free pass back then. "He's singing about mystical Eastern spriritual crap, so there is no point in trying to understand it".
Most fans are totally in agreement with you. The music is so unique and tremendous that the opaque lyrics can be overlooked. Yes was my first great musical love, and I stayed with them well into the 21st century despite all the personnel changes and the drift towards pop music during the Rabin era. Anderson is on record as saying that, basically, his instrument is his voice, which he expresses through the words his sings, so he chooses words for how they sound together just as much as for what they mean.
As I aged, I found myself gravitating towards artists and songs that moved me emotionallly, and that was no longer happening to me when I listened to Yes. Lyrics can more readily move you when compared to instrumental virtuosity. Maybe a bit of boredom happens naturally when you've heard the same song hundreds of times. The tremendous and unique begins to sound a bit mundane. If Yes deserves any criticism (and nothing is perfect), the incomprehensible lyrics would be the right place to start.
I don't attend Yes concerts anymore. Instead, I travel to Marillion weekends and concerts to hear Steve Hogarth sing his very accessible, and oftentimes profoundly moving, lyrics. If Yes comes anywhere nearby this summer or fall, Church Boy, buy a ticket directly in front of Steve Howe and enjoy the tribute act to the glory of what once was and will never be ever again.
Don't give up on those lyrics.
You will eventually get hints.
This song is full of abstract hints.
"Christian, Changer, Called out, Savior."
According to an interview with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, "Khatru means 'as you wish' in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic. When we were working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant. I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song."[4] The lyrics discuss "unity among different cultures."
Howe considered the song to be one of Yes' more collaborative compositions, stating "That song came together with the arranging skills of the band. Jon had the rough idea of the song, and Chris [Squire], Bill [Bruford], Rick and me would collaborate on getting the riffs together.” - Wikipedia
Jon's lyrics tend to be more evocative than descriptive. Looking for meaning in every word is a fool's errand.
You did good nonetheless :D
It's easy: the lyrics don't have any particular meaning in a rational sort of way. He puts together words and makes the choices based on how the words sound together. If it's meaning you're after, listen to anything by Jackson Browne, or listen to Marvin Gay's "What's Goin' On?" Bob Dylan used to do the same thing with his stream-of-consciousness work. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is just one example of Dylan. To paraphrase the great line from the movie, "A Beautiful Mind," "it's life...just add meaning."
"Music in the abstract, positively."
Oops, that's Rush.
As for the lyrics: I think they picked words sometimes for rhyme or number of syllables... I have always listened both to the words and also how the music sounds and how it makes me feel. If you try to force the lyrics into meaning something, with this band it doesn't always become clear. Thank you for reacting to this track.
Herman Hesse
Siddharta.
Have you done Close to the Edge?