The boys of mewithoutYou have outdone their selves (the case with most of their songs, really) with "the King Beetle on a Coconut Estate." While the lyrics are taken
almost directly from a tale told by the Sufi poet Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Aaron still makes them his own, and the accompanying melodies amp the allegory's... ahem, "epic-ness" nearly tenfold. The alternating background instruments, though subtle, suit each character of the story they follow so perfectly. If you don't have goosebumps by the end of the song, you will. The finale is flawless.
Take some time to listen to the song, read the lyrics and reflect upon it. Please, it's so worth it. Then, if you so choose, my thoughts, interpretation and research will be at the bottom of this post.
Here is the song:
http://www.last.fm/music/mewithoutYou/_/The+King+Beetle+on+a+Coconut+EstateAnd here are the lyrics:
As the Moon rose and the hour grew late, the day help on a Coconut estate raked up the dry leaves that fell dead from the Trees, which they burned in a pile by the lake. The Beetle King summoned his men, and from the top of the Rhododendron stem: Calling all volunteers who can carry back here, the Great Mystery’s been lit once again. One Beetle emerged from the crowd in a fashionable abdomen shroud, said: I’m a Professor, you see, that’s no mystery to me... I’ll be back soon, successful and proud. But when the Beetle Professor returned he crawled on all six, as his wings had been burned, and described to the finest detail all he’d learned. There was neither a light nor a heat in his words. The deeply dissatisfied King climbed the same stem to announce the same thing, but in his second appeal sought to sweeten the deal with a silver Padparadscha ring. The Lieutenant stepped out from the line as he lassoed his thorax with twine, thinking: I’m stronger and braver and I’ll earn the King’s favor. One day all he has will be mine! But for all the Lieutenant’s conceit he, too, returned singed and admitting defeat: I had no choice, please believe, but retreat... it was bright as the sun, but with ten times the heat! And it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes, though smothered with sticks it advanced undeterred. Carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky, my Lord, like a flock of dark, vanishing birds.
The Beetle King slammed down his fist: Your flowery description’s no better than his! We sent for the Great Light and you bring us this? We didn’t ask what it seems like, we asked what it IS! His Majesty’s hour at last has drawn nigh! The elegant Queen took her leave from his side, without understanding but without asking why, gathered their Kids to come bid their goodbyes. And the father explained: You’ve been somewhat deceived... We’ve all called me your dad, but your True Dad’s not me. I lay next to your mom and your forms were conceived, your Father is the Life within all that you see. He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds, holds without hands and He speaks without sounds, provides us with the Cow’s waste and coconuts to eat, giving one that nice salt-taste and the other a sweet. Sends the black carriage the day Death shows its face, thinning our numbers with Kindness and Grace. And just as a Flower and its Fragrance are one so must each of you and your Father become. Now distribute my scepter, my crown and my throne and all we’ve known as ‘wealth’ to the poor and alone... Without further hesitation, without looking back home, the King flew headlong into the blazing unknown! And as the Smoke King curled higher and higher, the troops, flying loops ’round the telephone wires, they said: Our Beloved’s not dead, but His Highness instead has been utterly changed into Fire!!!
Why not be utterly changed into Fire?
As mentioned before, the lyrics are Aaron's rehash of an excerpt from "
The Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness" by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a Sufi poet. The story itself is about seeking truth and what that entails. When the King Beetle's subjects fail to retrieve or reveal to him what the "light" is, he is forced to pursue it himself. He realizes that it's an all-or-nothing decision and even gives up his possessions to the needy before flying head on into the unknown.
An examination of the last line, "Why not be utterly changed into fire?" helps to dispel the song's ambiguity. This line is a quote from "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers."
Abbot Lot came to Abbot Joseph and said: ‘Father, to the limit of my ability, I keep my little rule, my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and to the limit of my ability, I work to cleanse my heart of thoughts, what more should I do?’ The elder rose up in reply, and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: ‘Why not be utterly changed into fire?’
The Desert Fathers and Mothers were among the very first Christian monastics to abandon their homes and possessions to seek God in the solitude of deserts and wastelands. As you can see above, Abbot Lot, in the pursuit of holiness, inquires Abbot Joseph about what more he can do. Abbot Joseph, rather mystically, replies, "Why not be utterly changed into fire?" This sentence represents the inevitable, utter loss of oneself in search of the Great Mystery that is God.
Just as the King Beetle was forced to give up his family, his kingdom, his riches, his entire being for the sake of knowing the truth, we face the same fate in knowing Christ. Jesus tells us to disperse our wealth and become our neighbors' servants. When slapped on the cheek, reveal the other. When credit is due, deny it. We are to love one another, and the definition of love alone is enough to wear oneself out (please refer
here).
This song is no aesthetic gem. This is serious, heavy stuff. I could make parallels all day, but this will be my final note. If we want to know the truth, there is a long, abusive road ahead of us. Constant rejection of our bodies' desires, endless, toilsome work at the feet of others and a whole slew of counter-intuitive, irrational Christian ethics are at hand for any Christ follower. Jesus is a stubborn refusal of the world and an utter denial of oneself. It's impossible to answer his call and not lose sight of anything you want to do, see or become in this world, and that is what it means to "be utterly changed into fire" - to virtually vanish altogether. Yet, this is the cost of truth.
But, if it's really worth it, then why not be utterly changed into fire?
