I looked under chairs[1]Non-album single released in 1971, smack dab in between The Who’s two most classic albums Tommy and Who’s Next.
I looked under tables
I’m tryin’ to find the key
To fifty million fables[2]“For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from … Continue reading
They call me the seeker[3]“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” (Psalms 27:8
I been searchin’ low and high
I won’t get to get what I’m after
Till the day I die[4]“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).
I asked Bobby Dylan
I asked The Beatles
I asked Timothy Leary
But he couldn’t help me either[5]“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do … Continue reading
They call me the seeker[6]“Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee” (Abraham 2:12).
I been searchin’ low and high
I won’t get to get what I’m after
Till the day I die[7]“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).
People tend to hate me ’cause I never smile
As I ransack their homes, they want to shake my hand[8]I first became aware of this Classic Rock standard as a teen in 1999, when it featured on the Oscar-winning Kevin Spacey flick American Beauty, an idealized vision of a Boomer midlife crisis, wherein … Continue reading
Focusing on nowhere, investigating miles
I’m a seeker, I’m a really desperate man[9]“Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, … Continue reading
I won’t get to get what I’m after
Till the day I die[10]“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5).
I learned how to raise my voice in anger
Yeah, but look at my face; ain’t this a smile?
I’m happy when life’s good, and when it’s bad, I cry
I got values, but I don’t know how or why[11]“This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power … Continue reading
I’m looking for me
You’re looking for you
We’re looking at each other
And we don’t know what to do[12]“That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27).
They call me the seeker
I been searchin’ low and high
I won’t get to get what I’m after
Till the day I die[13]“Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” (Psalms 105:4).
References
| ↑1 | Non-album single released in 1971, smack dab in between The Who’s two most classic albums Tommy and Who’s Next. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | “For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—” (D&C 123:12). |
| ↑3 | “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” (Psalms 27:8 |
| ↑4 | “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). |
| ↑5 | “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” (Jacob 2:18-19). |
| ↑6 | “Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee” (Abraham 2:12). |
| ↑7 | “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). |
| ↑8 | I first became aware of this Classic Rock standard as a teen in 1999, when it featured on the Oscar-winning Kevin Spacey flick American Beauty, an idealized vision of a Boomer midlife crisis, wherein Spacey’s suburban Dad intentionally sabotages his relationships with his employer, wife and children in order to achieve some sort of self-actualization. The film has not particularly aged well, in part due to what a monster Spacey later turned out to be (turns out the reason he was so good at playing villains is because he was just playing himself), and also due to how much worse the current economy is (oh no, the protagonist has a stable middle-class job and an affordable house in suburbia, quelle horreur!). But maybe this song on the soundtrack was a stronger signpost than we have it credit for, that we’re supposed to find the actions of this otherwise-sympathetic character reprehensible—that he really did do his searching all wrong. |
| ↑9 | “Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.” (Mormon 9:28). |
| ↑10 | “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5). |
| ↑11 | “This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (D&C 88:7-13). |
| ↑12 | “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27). |
| ↑13 | “Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” (Psalms 105:4). |