[sub]Apologies if this has been done before.[/sub]
Let’s all take a moment to discuss that staple of Classic Rock radio, and more recently of karaoke bars… that 70’s classic: Dust in the Wind, by Kansas (written by Kerry Livgren, who has been in and out of the band a couple of times throughout his career).
The first question I’d like to ask is: WTF was going through Kerry’s mind when he wrote it? A quick search of the web didn’t turn up anything conclusive, although I did learn that he wrote a book, Seeds of Change, that may or may not shed light on the issue (I haven’t read it). Maybe a Doper who has read it can give us some insight.
DitW is a good song- nice vocals, nice violin, nice harmony… and totally fucked-up lyrics. It’s fatalism at its most raw- it basically says:
“Look, kid. You’re gonna die, your corpse is going to turn to dust, the world is going to keep on turning, and no one is going to remember you when you’re gone. All of your accomplishments mean Jack Shit. Death is inevitable and there is no hope.”
I’m to understand that these days Mr. Livgren is a devout born-again Christian. I’m assuming that DitW was written when Mr. Livgren was going through a personal/spiritual transition of sorts, because his words certainly don’t seem to be those of one who has just recently found hope in the Lord Jesus. At least, I don’t think they are…
I believe that the lyrics are from the Bible. I don’t know if it’s taken word for word, or is paraphrased - perhaps someone who knows the Bible better than I do (in other words: pretty much anyone) could elaborate?
This from a disagreement with the momma a few years back about the “dark” things I like (see also: username [taken from Neil Gaimen’s excellent Sandman comic book series]), where I pointed out that she likes this song as much as I do, and it’s totally fatalistic. She said that since it was from the Bible it didn’t count (which is a big :rolleyes:, but that’s not the point here), and then told me where it was from, but I don’t remember. I’ll ask her about it later on today.
Genesis 2.7: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 3.19: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Psalms 1.1-4: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.”
Psalms 103.14-16: “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”
OK, I’ll concede that references to dust and wind and all that are similar to passages in the Bible. However, the overall message of the song just doesn’t jibe with the message of hope in the Bible.
Compare: “Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.” to
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved.” Romans 8:22-24 (NIV)
NOTE TO MODS: I hope nobody thinks I’m “witnessing,” because I’m certainly not trying to.
But “Dust in the Wind” came out on Point of Know Return in 1977, two years before Kerry Livgren’s religious epiphany, so the song’s alleged scriptural association may well be wishful projection with the benefit of hindsight.
My mom once told me that Livgren was on a religious program, probably 700 club or PTL, and dicussed how he had written the song in times of despair before he “found Jesus” or whatever.
This was probably at least 10 years ago when she told be this, so I could be misrembering.
The message of the song is that nothing humanity can accomplish is enduring or worthwhile. All is dusty and returns to dust. Being dust, we can build nothing. OTOH the song is how old now? It has endured. More, it is stirringly beautiful. If nothing lasts, how is the song still around? If we can accomplish nothing, how can some one create such marvellous art? The song’s message is one of fatalism. But its existence is proof that the mesage is wrong.
Re-Biblical origins
I’d always assumed it was the Book Of Ecclesiastes. “Vanity of vanities. All Is vanity.” and “There is nothing new under the sun.”. Here is the same message-nothing man does is lasting, nothing man creates is worthwhile. But, Ecclesiastes is centuries upon centuries old. It is written in high poetry. Again, the very existence of the message disproves the content of the message. If all returns to dust, how is the Book Of Ecclesiastes still around? If we are only dust and nothing we do is significant, how can we achieve such heights of poetry?
BTW-I’d also say that there’s a good chance of witnessing hijacks in this thread. It’s something about the song. I suspect that hidden message of hope beneath the lyrics of despair is one of the reasons Dust In The Wind is a classic.
