It's about time that we got some fucking music onto this blog. But before you listen, I'm going to give you some background. You're free to skip past it if you don't care about it.
This song deals with a subject I've had on my mind for quite some time now, that being humanity's (and religion's) persecution of those who are different from the norm, especially those whose existence begins to threaten that norm. Acting as the metaphors driving this theme are two differing events from two different points in time. One is documented in history. The other is documented in the Bible.
Our first event is the European "Great Hunt" of the late 16th and early 17th century, A.K.A. one of the longest-running series of witch hunts in human history. (Said hunts included the Basque Witch Trials, which made up the single largest witch hunt in human history.) The number of people executed, all or close to all of which have been recognized to have been innocent well after the fact, numbered in the tens of thousands. Countless theories have been put forth as to what actually spurred these witch hunts on (since, rather understandably, not many people believe that the trials were motivated by what they seemed to be on the surface), but regardless of one's stance on why they happened, the fact remains that the Great Hunt was a widespread tragedy that was fueled by superstition and fear of the unknown. One of the trials was even caused by a king's personal fear that he was targeted by witches, stemming from the fact that he had to endure storms during his travels to Denmark in 1590. (Yes. People were ultimately killed in late-16th century Scotland because the king had to deal with thunder and lightning while traveling.)
The fact also remains that many of those killed were either forsaken or outright turned against by those who knew them beforehand. Society effectively threw them away the moment their involvement in witchcraft became a possibility.
Our second event is, of course, the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Those of you who have actually read the Bible—and I perfectly understand your reasons for not wanting to if you haven't—will know that Jesus' trial was a result of a political agenda fueled by anger, fear and paranoia. Jesus' entire existence was a threat to the Sanhedrin's rule and their way of life. His beliefs and opinions were in direct conflict with theirs, and the deeds, miracles and acts of kindness he performed gave him sway over the people during a time in which there was great unrest. Upon being arrested after his betrayal at the hands of Judas, his trial was a rushed and sloppily-rigged mess that would make even the most astounding kangaroo courts in history look tame by comparison. During that trial, the people who had followed him up to that point eventually turned on him; his disciples deserted him, and the people who praised him at the beginning of the trial were shouting for his crucifixion by the end of it.
Obviously, there are some major differences between the two events if you actually know the context of both. But there are plenty of parallels as well, and they paint a shockingly similar narrative. People in positions of religious power reacted with pure hostility and fear towards perfectly innocent individuals they perceived as threats, calling for torture and death to be administered in response. Hastily tried and hurried along to their own executions, these individuals were killed not for what they did, but for what the powers of the time feared they were capable of. And in the end, they died alone, abandoned by those who knew them.
But, as I noted at the beginning of this little essay, those two events and the parallels they share aren't the primary subject of this song. They're allegorical metaphors for the song's theme, used to paint a picture of social abandonment and victimization. Because when you strip the imagery and specifics away, that's what the song deals with; society's swiftness in rejecting, abusing and vilifying those who are at odds with the established ideal.
Alright, alright. I'm getting off my soapbox now. Click the Play button and listen to the song already.
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