When performing live, John Grant has said this song is about how the USA is not a theocracy (a form of government in which a deity is the source from which all authority derives).
It relates to how people treat each other, rooted in a society driven by archaic religious values.
John Grant is both...
[Verse 1]
You just want to live your life
The best way you know how
But they keep on telling you
That you are not allowed
They say you are sick
That you should hang your head in shame
They are pointing fingers
And want you to take the blame
[Verse 2]
There are days when people are
So nasty and convincing
They say things beyond belief
That sting and leave you wincing
And to boot, they say their words
Come straight down from above
And they really seem to think
That what they're doing counts as love
[Chorus]
This pain
It is a glacier moving through you
And carving out deep valleys
And creating spectacular landscapes
And nourishing the ground
With precious minerals
And other stuff
So don't you become paralyzed with fear
When things seem particularly rough
[Verse 3]
Don't you pay them fuckers
As they say "No, never mind"
They don't give two shits about you
It's the blind leading the blind
What they want is commonly referred to as theocracy
And what that boils down to is referred to as hypocrisy
[Verse 4]
Don't listen to anyone
Get answers on your own
Even if it means that sometimes
You feel quite alone
No one on this planet can tell you what to believe
People like to talk a lot
And they like to deceive
[Chorus]
This pain
It is a glacier moving through you
And carving out deep valleys
And creating spectacular landscapes
And nourishing the ground
With precious minerals
And other stuff
So don't you become paralyzed with fear
When things seem particularly rough, oh
[Chorus]
This pain
It is a glacier moving through you
And carving out deep valleys
And creating spectacular landscapes
And nourishing the ground
With precious minerals
And other stuff
So don't you become paralyzed with fear
When things seem particularly rough
Glacier was written by John Grant.
Glacier was produced by John Grant & Biggi Veira.
John Grant released Glacier on Mon Mar 11 2013.