Ghost On The Canvas

[butzodaddy]

I know a place between life and death for you and me
Best take hold on the threshold of eternity
And see the ghost on the canvas
most people don't see there
Ghost on the canvas
most people don't know
When they're looking at soul *

In between here and there, there is a place that we can grow
The spirits make love in the wheat field with crows
Like the ghost on the canvas
most people don't see this
Ghost on the canvas
No, they never see a soul

Ring around the rosary
pocket full of prose you read
Ashes ashes we all fall in love
with the ghost on the canvas

We dream in color, others they color their dreams
It takes one to know one
The spirit always knows what it sees

Like the ghost on the canvas
never can have us
The ghost on the canvas,
it's the soul, it makes them go
to the ghost on the canvas

I'm a ghost on the canvas

(* not sure)

[Placemat]

I can't make it through this tune.

Half way in, & I can't help thinking Achin' to Be did it better, skip...

[dee]

Sounds like he was getting in his Jimmy Webb mode to write some songs for Glen Campbell.

[deebee76]

Love these lines:

Ring around the rosary
Pocket full of prose you read
Ashes to ashes, we all fall in love
With the ghost on the canvas

[nathanmaas]

I don't know if this has been stated yet, but I'm not getting any religion from this song, although many people are.

The first time I heard it I was almost certain it was about Vincent Van Gogh. Given PW's love for tortured artists, this would not be a stretch.

Coincidentally, "Wheatfield With Crows" is my favorite painting.



Keep in mind that Van Gogh struggled with Catholicism his whole life, so this may be where the religious overtones come from. Overall, I interpret the song as how his "soul" is put into his work, therefore making a "ghost on the canvas".

-Nathan Maas

[raccoon]

Nice theory! You have great taste.
This song is plenty sad in the trademark PW way - makes you thirsty for a drink!
Ghost On A Canvas always reminds me of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Grey.

[Squaw]

Life is the canvas.
We paint it with our souls.
Most people can’t see this.

Our spirit absorbs, interprets and radiates art and love. It always knows what it sees, like a mirror, and paints accordingly. Just like in songs, silence is the canvas; every lyric is paint on that canvas.

Or I may be totally wrong.

This is one of many songs that show the depth, complexity, and intelligence of Westerberg. He's sharing what he has learned of life in little snippets like these. That's why anything he has to say is important to me.

[FreeRider]

nice interpretation, Squaw!

and I agree, there's always another meaning behind some of his lyrics, or another interpretation from the initial reading. but sometimes, there's no right or wrong. and that's what a good artist does---holds the mirror up to you and it is dependent upon YOU to find meaning in the work as you see fit. everyone will find his/her own meaning as to how it fits their lives.

[Squaw]

Jul 13, 2011 13:28:05 GMT -5 FreeRider said:

nice interpretation, Squaw!

and I agree, there's always another meaning behind some of his lyrics, or another interpretation from the initial reading. but sometimes, there's no right or wrong. and that's what a good artist does---holds the mirror up to you and it is dependent upon YOU to find meaning in the work as you see fit. everyone will find his/her own meaning as to how it fits their lives.

Thanks! Exactly what I was trying to say FreeRider! That’s why two people can experience identical things and yet see them differently. It is the ghost on the canvas that we are seeing.

One dog may see a crowd of people and be very excited to get a pat on the head. Another dog sees a crowd of people and hides in fear. Same vision, yet the observer can see both dogs' life experiences mirrored in their reactions.