...but then, as Abraham was about to follow through in his obedience to God,
God stopped Abraham, God stilled Abraham's hand. And, then nearby, Abraham and Isaac discovered a lamb ( trapped in brush I think), that they could offer to God, for the ritual and required Sacrifice.
If you know the story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, then you know that similarly, He was our perfect sacrifice, and as such, we are no longer required to offer 'holocausts' to God.
@AJtheory At least you admit that you're that you're narrow-minded. A piece of art isn't supposed to mean one thing. The experience of enjoying art is supposed to be subjective. It means what it means to you, not anyone else including who created it.
@MonstroMuggins I'll give you subjective dude, you try Michael Gira screaming at you at full force for 2 hours, that's one subjective-frickin experience!
@jootoob1000 That is true, even though it's a non-sequitur. You know, I'm starting to get kinda pissed off at the 16 people who voted my first damn comment to be the top one. I'm getting sick of replying to replies about what the song means. We should start commenting about the Ennio Morricone influence.
Mr Monstromuggins you overstep the mark and are full of shit. This is a musicians interpretation of his own mind, We all have our own opinions but SHUT THE FUCK UP NOW.
@royallonghope What mark? Also, notice how I said "I think" and you are saying "this is"? Yes, we all have our opinions and thankfully we are able to express them on here. So I don't know what in the name of Holy Shit you think the point of telling me to shut the fuck up is.
The tension in his voice builds and builds, and just explodes in one of the climactic lines. So much better than so-called "angry" or "heavy" music today.
the "beautiful child" is the innocent, untainted self that has not been corrupted by the cruel institutions of the world that seek to brainwash, abuse, and manipulate. To kill the child is to embrace your station as an ignorant and powerless follower of lies.
"Beautiful Child" recognises the choice factor - available whether abortion is legal or not - but the song is far from a simplisitic show of support or opposition to abortion - it looks at the effect on the conscience:
You can't seriously believe that this song is about abortion. The Swans aren't political in any conscious sense. The Abrahamic implication is much more likely.
I love this entire album because, to me, it's about appeasing a God that requires things that seem abhorrent to us. No one in the Bible is told "Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy" by God. THAT is satanic; "Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law." I'm atheist but respect someone who sacrifices to their beliefs more than I respect someone whose beliefs are based on not having to sacrifice anything, ever.
I think the song is about Abraham. Abraham did not know whether it was God or Satan asking him to sacrifice his own son. He was prepared to do it nonetheless. He chose to believe it was God. Choosing to believe is what religious people call faith, and it often involves killing innocents.
@MonstroMuggins U R Brilliant! I was raised in a church w/ deep theological study. My husband was the minister's son. This was one of our favorite albums when we were newlyweds.
@ppjenkins333 According to Kierkegaard, even if it was Satan asking Abraham to sacrifice his son and not God, since Abraham had faith that it was God,he would not be doing any evil had he killed him. So, if you believe you are doing the Lord's work, you are in effect doing the Lord's work even if what you are doing is evil. This is why religion is so dangerous, at least to people who don't actually think about what they're choosing to believe in carefully. People need to think, not believe.
@MonstroMuggins The way we believed in God or religion (2 different things) was not the way the rest of the Christians around us believed. We thought of them as irresponsible and hypocritical, entirely missing the message of the religion. Religion is about honest self-reflection, hence all the references to being "naked in the eyes of God," etc. If one does not delude themselves about their ego, there is little room for sociopathic behavior or the need to justify evil as god's will.
@ppjenkins333 I'm glad you were able to appreciate Christianity that way. Too bad most Christians are just blind morons. Anyway, I can wax theological with you all damn day, but let's just leave it at that and agree this is one fucking masterpiece of an album.
@MonstroMuggins Poo head. Abraham's dilemma never involved uncertainty about whether it was Satan or God. Read Kierkegaard's writing on it for accuracy... or better yet, just read the actual bible. And also, there is nothing in christianity that calls for killing anybody (unless of course you choose to extract a bunch of old testament versus taken entirely out of context, which seems to be what ad hoc bitter atheists seem to do best).
Abraham's dilemma is that God is commanding him to do something that is evil. God equals good. If God's intentions were for Abraham to kill his son and commit an evil act, then that would make God evil. But God can't possibly be evil, so the only conclusion to make is that it isn't the true God but Satan (the God of Evil). This isn't overt in Kierkegaard's writings, but it is implied, and that was the way it was presented to me when I was tought phillosophy.
@SnakesAndWorms Also, I never said there was anything in Christianity that calls for killing anyone. But how many people have been killed in the name of the Christian God?
@findingphunc I know all about it. All I said was "I didn't say there were", not that there aren't. That would have just started another argument, and it's tiresome.
Face it, god has never existed like no god existed at all and when our life is at it's end, we all will just rot away, our flesh will fall off the bones and be eaten by worms and bugs. We will stop to exist. There is no heaven, nothing continues there, it's the end.
Now go on, have fun NOW, fuck your neighbor, get drunk, be happy and most of it all, live, make the best out of your life and dont waste your time with religion. :)
living as an atheist does not entail living forever in a hedonistic manner towards pleasure. A man can stand upon his own morals, the ones he sees fit.
My viewpoint is called "reality", my "sins" are what's called "life". But I accept your different opinion and wish you lots of fun with your imaginary friend and your UFO's. :P
why do they use such a misleading title, this is by no means christian, it's satanic! They should have named the album "The Pleasure of Satan and Abortion" instead, to stick with the music and not name it to something misleading. I saw this album and i thought "what a wonderful title" and OH LORD! I had it on pretty loud and it echoed through the house, my children are crying now and i am waving with my cross staff in my backyard to make god punish this band!
In what way is this satanic??? Just because the music is foreboding and dark doesn't mean that it's satanic. And if you get right down to Judeo-Christian ideology, this song appears to parallel the struggle which Abraham had when he was tested by God to sacrifice Isaac. I'm not even really a Christian and I can see that. This song is about a man being forced by an angry god to sacrifice a child. It's the same story which has happened in any and every religion. It's masterfully done.
One more thing to add. Just because the title is "Children of God," doesn't mean it's necessarily the Christian 'God.' That's just the way we say it in English. In French it's "Dieu," and the Muslims say Allah, and the Rastafarians say Jah, etc. etc. etc. I imagine that The Swans are anthroposophic enough to express themselves outside of our limited little puritanical American morays and societal constraints. Jeez.
@zackjmack Anthroposophic? How existential? How Kierkegaardian? The first time I've heard that word. I'd never of known of anthroposophy perhaps. Thanks.
A reviewer once termed M Gira as "the voice of God from the whirlwind". This song is beyond intense, this version in particular. Thanks so much for sharing.
@wordupassholes Michael Gira himself stated that the song is in fact inspired by the story of Abraham; he said that he "wrote that song after reading this bit in the bible about Abraham and Isaac—it was just sort of a thought about where morality begins and ends, and the importance of making a choice." Also, I'm not exactly sure where you got the "Abraham did not know whether it was God or Satan asking him" thing from, he clearly believed it was God and was ready to do whatever he commanded.
@AStableReference Yeah I found out that recently. It was also his favourite song to play live because it would turn into this beautiful, brutal creature
@AStableReference He probably got it from a philosophy class like I did. It is the basis of the existentialist idea of being "in the right" as opposed to being right; if what you believe is good is actually evil, it is tantamount to good because it is for you because you believed it is. So, even if it was Satan trying to trick Abraham by impersonating God, if Abraham believed it was God it would not be an evil act. "The importance of making a choice"-to believe or not.
I love the artwork on the original Children of God album. I wish I could find it somewhere ... I mean, for a reasonable price. All I have is the Children/World of Skin reissue.
Comment removed
AJtheory 1 month ago
...but then, as Abraham was about to follow through in his obedience to God,
God stopped Abraham, God stilled Abraham's hand. And, then nearby, Abraham and Isaac discovered a lamb ( trapped in brush I think), that they could offer to God, for the ritual and required Sacrifice.
If you know the story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, then you know that similarly, He was our perfect sacrifice, and as such, we are no longer required to offer 'holocausts' to God.
AJtheory 1 month ago
Pray to understand the meaning of His Words:
"It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice"
AJtheory 1 month ago
If you know that story, you might become even more aware, of the overwhelming power delivered thru this song
AJtheory 1 month ago
@AJtheory hahahahahahahahhahaha!! Um yeah, OK... (ahem) Righty-oh
jootoob1000 1 week ago
@jootoob1000 I know what lol stands for....what does "hahahahahahahahhahaha" stand for?
AJtheory 1 week ago
@AJtheory "hahahahahahaha" stands for Take Your Stupid Religion To Stupid People Because Swans Fans Are Not Stupid People. Can you dig it?
jootoob1000 1 week ago
@jootoob1000 No.. Your replies were boring and predictable
AJtheory 1 week ago
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Aside from interpretations the songs' meaning, i.e. regarding the biblical account of Abraham and Isaac:
God was testing Abraham's faith. In the days of the Old Testament,
God required regular sacrifice ('holocaust'), from Abraham and his people.
When God advised Abraham that his son would be required as a sacrifice,
Abraham must have been overcome with agony and sorrow,
because of course he loved his son Isaac as a father does...
AJtheory 1 month ago
Comment removed
AJtheory 1 month ago
This illustrates a rite of passage, not any of the other dumb shit people say it's about...and I *am* that narrow minded
AJtheory 1 month ago in playlist Liked videos
@AJtheory At least you admit that you're that you're narrow-minded. A piece of art isn't supposed to mean one thing. The experience of enjoying art is supposed to be subjective. It means what it means to you, not anyone else including who created it.
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
@MonstroMuggins I'll give you subjective dude, you try Michael Gira screaming at you at full force for 2 hours, that's one subjective-frickin experience!
jootoob1000 1 week ago
@jootoob1000 That is true, even though it's a non-sequitur. You know, I'm starting to get kinda pissed off at the 16 people who voted my first damn comment to be the top one. I'm getting sick of replying to replies about what the song means. We should start commenting about the Ennio Morricone influence.
MonstroMuggins 1 week ago
I want some metal head to tell me the most brutal song that he had ever heard, show him this one, and then hear what he says about that
albundie3 3 months ago
Wow!
doubleder 5 months ago
Mr Monstromuggins you overstep the mark and are full of shit. This is a musicians interpretation of his own mind, We all have our own opinions but SHUT THE FUCK UP NOW.
royallonghope 7 months ago
@royallonghope What mark? Also, notice how I said "I think" and you are saying "this is"? Yes, we all have our opinions and thankfully we are able to express them on here. So I don't know what in the name of Holy Shit you think the point of telling me to shut the fuck up is.
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
I would listen to this whilst tripping balls but I would worry about it becoming a traumatizing experience.
robinzhooded 8 months ago 3
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I played this while in the company of a lady friend and she challenged its musicality. She didn't like it. I must say I find that rude.
Also I like swans they are good yay.
yipchak 8 months ago
It's so nice to rediscover this band!
JupiterHormone 10 months ago
what can you say about this song ... its insane... it borders to be illegal ... its almost evil in itself
stiggyh 11 months ago 2
this is about illuminati child sacrifice to satan !!!
stiggyh 11 months ago
@stiggyh lol no it isn't
perleatsworld 10 months ago
The tension in his voice builds and builds, and just explodes in one of the climactic lines. So much better than so-called "angry" or "heavy" music today.
annefrankisaho 1 year ago
the "beautiful child" is the innocent, untainted self that has not been corrupted by the cruel institutions of the world that seek to brainwash, abuse, and manipulate. To kill the child is to embrace your station as an ignorant and powerless follower of lies.
Endoloc 1 year ago
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This song is boring
tomcwe 1 year ago
"Beautiful Child" recognises the choice factor - available whether abortion is legal or not - but the song is far from a simplisitic show of support or opposition to abortion - it looks at the effect on the conscience:
"I can kill the child
The beautiful child...
This is my life
This is my choice
This is my damnation
This is my only regret...
This is my sacrifice".
motoxrider6848 1 year ago
@motoxrider6848
You can't seriously believe that this song is about abortion. The Swans aren't political in any conscious sense. The Abrahamic implication is much more likely.
fujihakyito 1 year ago
I think this song is about rite of passage, and all that such encompasses
AJtheory 1 year ago
I love this entire album because, to me, it's about appeasing a God that requires things that seem abhorrent to us. No one in the Bible is told "Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy" by God. THAT is satanic; "Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law." I'm atheist but respect someone who sacrifices to their beliefs more than I respect someone whose beliefs are based on not having to sacrifice anything, ever.
hex0D 1 year ago 2
I think the song is about Abraham. Abraham did not know whether it was God or Satan asking him to sacrifice his own son. He was prepared to do it nonetheless. He chose to believe it was God. Choosing to believe is what religious people call faith, and it often involves killing innocents.
MonstroMuggins 1 year ago 17
@MonstroMuggins U R Brilliant! I was raised in a church w/ deep theological study. My husband was the minister's son. This was one of our favorite albums when we were newlyweds.
ppjenkins333 1 year ago
@ppjenkins333 According to Kierkegaard, even if it was Satan asking Abraham to sacrifice his son and not God, since Abraham had faith that it was God,he would not be doing any evil had he killed him. So, if you believe you are doing the Lord's work, you are in effect doing the Lord's work even if what you are doing is evil. This is why religion is so dangerous, at least to people who don't actually think about what they're choosing to believe in carefully. People need to think, not believe.
MonstroMuggins 1 year ago
@MonstroMuggins The way we believed in God or religion (2 different things) was not the way the rest of the Christians around us believed. We thought of them as irresponsible and hypocritical, entirely missing the message of the religion. Religion is about honest self-reflection, hence all the references to being "naked in the eyes of God," etc. If one does not delude themselves about their ego, there is little room for sociopathic behavior or the need to justify evil as god's will.
ppjenkins333 1 year ago
@ppjenkins333 I'm glad you were able to appreciate Christianity that way. Too bad most Christians are just blind morons. Anyway, I can wax theological with you all damn day, but let's just leave it at that and agree this is one fucking masterpiece of an album.
MonstroMuggins 1 year ago
@ppjenkins333 good one mate
MonstroMuggins 10 months ago
@MonstroMuggins Poo head. Abraham's dilemma never involved uncertainty about whether it was Satan or God. Read Kierkegaard's writing on it for accuracy... or better yet, just read the actual bible. And also, there is nothing in christianity that calls for killing anybody (unless of course you choose to extract a bunch of old testament versus taken entirely out of context, which seems to be what ad hoc bitter atheists seem to do best).
SnakesAndWorms 10 months ago
@SnakesAndWorms SUck it ;)
MonstroMuggins 10 months ago
Thank you.
touchandgod 8 months ago
Abraham's dilemma is that God is commanding him to do something that is evil. God equals good. If God's intentions were for Abraham to kill his son and commit an evil act, then that would make God evil. But God can't possibly be evil, so the only conclusion to make is that it isn't the true God but Satan (the God of Evil). This isn't overt in Kierkegaard's writings, but it is implied, and that was the way it was presented to me when I was tought phillosophy.
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
@SnakesAndWorms Also, I never said there was anything in Christianity that calls for killing anyone. But how many people have been killed in the name of the Christian God?
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
@MonstroMuggins Well, except for multiple parts of the bible that call for killing people...
findingphunc 1 month ago
@findingphunc I know all about it. All I said was "I didn't say there were", not that there aren't. That would have just started another argument, and it's tiresome.
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
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MonstroMuggins 1 year ago
One of the best songs ever, no doubt.
EMKTTHL 1 year ago
Face it, god has never existed like no god existed at all and when our life is at it's end, we all will just rot away, our flesh will fall off the bones and be eaten by worms and bugs. We will stop to exist. There is no heaven, nothing continues there, it's the end.
Now go on, have fun NOW, fuck your neighbor, get drunk, be happy and most of it all, live, make the best out of your life and dont waste your time with religion. :)
fritzo62 2 years ago 2
@fritzo62 If there is a God, and God is good, God wants us to get drunk, fuck our neighbors, be happy, live, and not waste our time with religions ;)
MonstroMuggins 1 year ago
@MonstroMuggins
living as an atheist does not entail living forever in a hedonistic manner towards pleasure. A man can stand upon his own morals, the ones he sees fit.
opeth7878 1 year ago
@fritzo62 your wrong about god and the afterlife !!! we live on and your viewpoint is just an excuse to live in sin !
stiggyh 11 months ago
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fritzo62 11 months ago
@stiggyh
My viewpoint is called "reality", my "sins" are what's called "life". But I accept your different opinion and wish you lots of fun with your imaginary friend and your UFO's. :P
fritzo62 11 months ago
@fritzo62 youre the one thats imagining and everyone knows ufos are real except you
stiggyh 11 months ago
@stiggyh
I didnt say that UFOs dont exist. I just doubt we will see some here. ;)
fritzo62 11 months ago
@fritzo62 youre a sinner and you know it :) good riddance
stiggyh 11 months ago
@stiggyh
u2 :)
fritzo62 11 months ago
why do they use such a misleading title, this is by no means christian, it's satanic! They should have named the album "The Pleasure of Satan and Abortion" instead, to stick with the music and not name it to something misleading. I saw this album and i thought "what a wonderful title" and OH LORD! I had it on pretty loud and it echoed through the house, my children are crying now and i am waving with my cross staff in my backyard to make god punish this band!
Iamcola65 2 years ago
Fail.
codeaires 2 years ago
This band is punishing God
Nargaaz 2 years ago 2
In what way is this satanic??? Just because the music is foreboding and dark doesn't mean that it's satanic. And if you get right down to Judeo-Christian ideology, this song appears to parallel the struggle which Abraham had when he was tested by God to sacrifice Isaac. I'm not even really a Christian and I can see that. This song is about a man being forced by an angry god to sacrifice a child. It's the same story which has happened in any and every religion. It's masterfully done.
zackjmack 1 year ago 2
One more thing to add. Just because the title is "Children of God," doesn't mean it's necessarily the Christian 'God.' That's just the way we say it in English. In French it's "Dieu," and the Muslims say Allah, and the Rastafarians say Jah, etc. etc. etc. I imagine that The Swans are anthroposophic enough to express themselves outside of our limited little puritanical American morays and societal constraints. Jeez.
zackjmack 1 year ago
@zackjmack Anthroposophic? How existential? How Kierkegaardian? The first time I've heard that word. I'd never of known of anthroposophy perhaps. Thanks.
MonstroMuggins 1 year ago
@Iamcola65 lol successful troll is successful
sweeterthananything 1 year ago
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Power2theFlyingV 1 year ago
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Power2theFlyingV 1 year ago
The live version of
SWANS' "Beautiful Child",
posted by KingsOf Independence,
is incredible
AJtheory 2 years ago
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scary. and not very good vocals
AlexanderDavidBand 2 years ago
amazing *____*
annexaddiction 2 years ago
Terrifying
telijencio 2 years ago 2
A reviewer once termed M Gira as "the voice of God from the whirlwind". This song is beyond intense, this version in particular. Thanks so much for sharing.
Goodbye and Good luck
thegreatannihilator 2 years ago 5
Now this is brutal
wordupassholes 2 years ago 10
@wordupassholes Michael Gira himself stated that the song is in fact inspired by the story of Abraham; he said that he "wrote that song after reading this bit in the bible about Abraham and Isaac—it was just sort of a thought about where morality begins and ends, and the importance of making a choice." Also, I'm not exactly sure where you got the "Abraham did not know whether it was God or Satan asking him" thing from, he clearly believed it was God and was ready to do whatever he commanded.
AStableReference 7 months ago 2
@AStableReference Yeah I found out that recently. It was also his favourite song to play live because it would turn into this beautiful, brutal creature
wordupassholes 6 months ago
@AStableReference He probably got it from a philosophy class like I did. It is the basis of the existentialist idea of being "in the right" as opposed to being right; if what you believe is good is actually evil, it is tantamount to good because it is for you because you believed it is. So, even if it was Satan trying to trick Abraham by impersonating God, if Abraham believed it was God it would not be an evil act. "The importance of making a choice"-to believe or not.
MonstroMuggins 1 month ago
*___*
ScazzoModeOn 2 years ago
amazing
snakemandan1011 2 years ago 3
I love the artwork on the original Children of God album. I wish I could find it somewhere ... I mean, for a reasonable price. All I have is the Children/World of Skin reissue.
nobukowski 3 years ago 2
check mininovadotorg. You might be able to find it there.
exacerbatedtaboo 2 years ago
You should have bought it when it was released in 1988.
SkeeterNYC 2 years ago
Ha ha. But I wasn't born till 1989!
nobukowski 2 years ago