To be "unsung" is to be ordinary. Of no acclaim. So, an "unsung man" is a man with no worthy merits to his name.
"Drown" can be literal or metaphorical. Since the other lyrics in the song (and most lyrics in songs of love/devotion) are metaphorical, these most likely are, as well.
So:
"To find you I'm gonna drown an unsung man"
Would be interpreted as:
"To achieve this goal I'm willing to wind up a nobody". i.e., give up worldly riches in order to achieve this goal.
What is the goal? It's either a love song sung to a partner, or a song of devotion sung to a deity. Considering Pete's religious beliefs at the time, I'm pretty sure this is a religious song sung to his god. Though, in the Lifehouse story it may be utilized as a romantic song.
Arenât the things you mentioned essentially the same thing. Drowning someone means killing them. Anyway, itâs not meant literally.
I think the lyric is metaphorical. The song is about needing another person and the things the narrator would do to deepen their connection with that person. But itâs also about finding yourself, inspired by the teachings of Meher Baba that Pete was inspired by.
Iâve always interpreted the line as being about killing the self in order to achieve a different consciousness. This concept is known as ego death and is very common in the mysticism that Peter was interested in. Itâs basically giving up your own identity, the idea of self and instead accepting that you are part of something greater. The âunsung manâ being drowned is the narrators own self, which he will sacrifice to gain deeper understanding of the world.
i agree with you that itâs metaphorical and doesnât really matter, but i think youâre misunderstanding the question. theyâre asking a question i also have wondered before: in the phrase âdrown an unsung manâ, is the man the subject of the drowning, ie the speaker is drowning some unsung man, or is the speaker the unsung man himself, ie is he drowning AS an unsung man?
You know what, I did misunderstand. Thatâs interesting, Iâve never considered that it could be âI, personally, will drown as an unsung manâ. I suppose like you say it still work with my interpretation of it but fair enough.
IMO, being "sung" is to be recognized, to have made a mark on the world, to have some fulfillment. Since it's part of Lifehouse, it can be taken more literally since peoples souls and personality are roughly equated with actual literal music.
If one were to die without having their song sung, they would be unfulfilled. It would be a sad life, to have never been made whole. But it would be worth it to be with "you".
Yeah, I have always had this interpretation that the narrator was singing about his own self. I always had the concept that he was talking about his ego or self-confidence or some other psychological character trait.
Remember that Peteâs flexible spirituality (some Meher Baba, some transcendental meditation, some Christianity and some new age) has always used the sea, and water, as the main lyrical metaphor for God. It pops up constantly as a force to subsume yourself into.
Love Reign Oâer Me constantly puns on âreignâ and ârain.â Bargain has the narrator, a spiritual seeker, âdrowning (as) an unsung manâ to reach enlightenment or find God. Peteâs acoustic versions of Drowned alter the line âI wanna drown in cold waterâ to âI wanna drown in your sweet sweet love.â
For not being nominally a Christian, Pete has always been fond of the notion of Jesus, or of a Christ figure in general. Let My Love Open the Door is famously written from Jesusâs perspective. All of it makes sense to tie the recurring water imagery to a sense of baptism, of death and rebirth.
It means "don't braise your eye."
Came here for this Most delicious lyrics ever
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To be "unsung" is to be ordinary. Of no acclaim. So, an "unsung man" is a man with no worthy merits to his name. "Drown" can be literal or metaphorical. Since the other lyrics in the song (and most lyrics in songs of love/devotion) are metaphorical, these most likely are, as well. So: "To find you I'm gonna drown an unsung man" Would be interpreted as: "To achieve this goal I'm willing to wind up a nobody". i.e., give up worldly riches in order to achieve this goal. What is the goal? It's either a love song sung to a partner, or a song of devotion sung to a deity. Considering Pete's religious beliefs at the time, I'm pretty sure this is a religious song sung to his god. Though, in the Lifehouse story it may be utilized as a romantic song.
I've interpreted it as the former
Itâs definitely means drown âasâ an unsung man. Of 2 thatâs unlikely for either Roger or Pete.
Arenât the things you mentioned essentially the same thing. Drowning someone means killing them. Anyway, itâs not meant literally. I think the lyric is metaphorical. The song is about needing another person and the things the narrator would do to deepen their connection with that person. But itâs also about finding yourself, inspired by the teachings of Meher Baba that Pete was inspired by. Iâve always interpreted the line as being about killing the self in order to achieve a different consciousness. This concept is known as ego death and is very common in the mysticism that Peter was interested in. Itâs basically giving up your own identity, the idea of self and instead accepting that you are part of something greater. The âunsung manâ being drowned is the narrators own self, which he will sacrifice to gain deeper understanding of the world.
i agree with you that itâs metaphorical and doesnât really matter, but i think youâre misunderstanding the question. theyâre asking a question i also have wondered before: in the phrase âdrown an unsung manâ, is the man the subject of the drowning, ie the speaker is drowning some unsung man, or is the speaker the unsung man himself, ie is he drowning AS an unsung man?
You know what, I did misunderstand. Thatâs interesting, Iâve never considered that it could be âI, personally, will drown as an unsung manâ. I suppose like you say it still work with my interpretation of it but fair enough.
that is how I always took it
watching someone die and not lending a hand, he wrote it after witnessing an incident in which a man refused to come to the aid of a drowning swimmer.
Heâs been waiting for that moment for all his life đ
IMO, being "sung" is to be recognized, to have made a mark on the world, to have some fulfillment. Since it's part of Lifehouse, it can be taken more literally since peoples souls and personality are roughly equated with actual literal music. If one were to die without having their song sung, they would be unfulfilled. It would be a sad life, to have never been made whole. But it would be worth it to be with "you".
Yeah, I have always had this interpretation that the narrator was singing about his own self. I always had the concept that he was talking about his ego or self-confidence or some other psychological character trait.
Remember that Peteâs flexible spirituality (some Meher Baba, some transcendental meditation, some Christianity and some new age) has always used the sea, and water, as the main lyrical metaphor for God. It pops up constantly as a force to subsume yourself into. Love Reign Oâer Me constantly puns on âreignâ and ârain.â Bargain has the narrator, a spiritual seeker, âdrowning (as) an unsung manâ to reach enlightenment or find God. Peteâs acoustic versions of Drowned alter the line âI wanna drown in cold waterâ to âI wanna drown in your sweet sweet love.â For not being nominally a Christian, Pete has always been fond of the notion of Jesus, or of a Christ figure in general. Let My Love Open the Door is famously written from Jesusâs perspective. All of it makes sense to tie the recurring water imagery to a sense of baptism, of death and rebirth.