Underwhelmed by the oversaturation of ego and empty characters found in the western music industry, Bloom, after years of writing and recording her debut album in Sydney, fled to Jordan in the Middle East where she discovered a jewel of a producer in Kassim Sabounchi with whom she recorded the vocals for “Beautiful Beautiful” and “The History of Things to Come” and enlisted the talents of musicians from the Amman Symphony Orchestra to feature on her album. “I can’t stand the vacuity of the endless self promotion found in the industry today. It is spiritually destructive and unsettling. Hence why I love recording here in Jordan, against a backdrop of melodies doused in thousand-year culture and national confidence. Musicians respect melody here. Not celebrity.”
She also learned Arabic, adding to her French, Spanish and Italian, had a forbidden love affair, performed for children in Nablus, Palestine and met Rana Husseini, one of the worlds leading women’s rights activists at the forefront of the battle against honor crimes.
After working for a year in Soho London as a music producer , she now resides in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she writes music for local NGO’s for various cultural projects and is busy completing a new EP to be released in mid 2011.
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Magdalene
Amanda Bloom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deny the "God" in color
Use "The Word" while she is crying out to you....
You know the lines
But you escape their meaning
Take your orders back 'cause you're a sinner too...
For goodness sake stop praying
Judge yourself until there's nothing left of you
You were afraid
But now you fear your mother
Face the light we want to see the God in you
When you mistook your vow as pious
Did you leave your pain in the dark
I call your name but you hide behind God
Who do you hide from now?
Your duty is done
The light begins to flicker
All your faith won't change the fate awaiting you
Your mother cries
A mother's sickened pride
Waste the life that she so kindly gave to you
When you mistook your vow self-righteous
Did you think you'de die in the dark?
One and the same but you kill for your "God"
Who do you kill for now?
You wear it well
The shame of being a woman
Hide the grace dare not embrace for fear of him
Your daughter cries
but you no longer know her
How you can condone his unenlightened sin
When you mistook your veil as pious
Did you see him there in the dark?
Suffer the shame, suffer all that he's done
Woman without a sound........
When you mistook your
When you mistook
If you mistook your vow as pious
Who do you worship now?
The song "Magdalene" by Amanda Bloom is a powerful critique of religious institutions and their failure to live up to their beliefs. The lyrics describe a hypocritical figure who claims to follow God but does not truly understand the meaning behind the words they recite. They are contrasted with a woman who has been victimized by this institution, forced to hide her identity and experiences due to fear of judgment from those who claim to speak for God. The song speaks to the pain of those who have been oppressed and hurt by religious institutions, and encourages listeners to question the values and beliefs they have been taught.
The first verse sets the stage for the rest of the song, with the lines "You're black and white / Deny the 'God' in color / Use 'The Word' while she is crying out to you" painting a picture of a person who is rigid in their beliefs but lacks compassion and empathy for others. The second verse calls this figure out for their hypocrisy, questioning whether they truly understand the words they are saying or if they are simply going through the motions. The third verse speaks to the danger of blindly following religious leaders, urging listeners to judge themselves and their actions rather than relying on external guidance.
The chorus of the song contrasts the grim picture painted in the verses with the idea of facing the light and finding redemption. This is followed by a bridge that asks whether those who have been victimized by religion have truly left their pain behind, or if they are still hiding behind their faith. The final verse returns to the theme of hiding one's true self, this time focusing on a woman who has been forced to wear a veil and is no longer able to connect with her own daughter.
Overall, "Magdalene" is a poignant and deeply felt critique of religious institutions and the harm that they can cause. It encourages listeners to question the values and beliefs they have been taught, and to be mindful of the harm that can come from blindly following those who claim to speak for God.
Line by Line Meaning
You're black and white
You see the world in absolutes with no room for grey area or diversity.
Deny the "God" in color
You reject any spirituality or higher power that is not presented in a simple, one-dimensional way.
Use "The Word" while she is crying out to you....
You cling to religious text and dogma instead of listening to the voices and experiences of those who are hurting.
You know the lines
You are well-versed in religious text and dogma.
But you escape their meaning
You refuse to see the deeper implications and interpretations of religious text and dogma.
Take your orders back 'cause you're a sinner too...
You should not be blindly following religious orders because you are just as flawed and capable of sin as anyone else.
You pray for God
You feel the need to ask for divine intervention or guidance.
For goodness sake stop praying
You need to stop relying on divine intervention and start taking responsibility for your own actions.
Judge yourself until there's nothing left of you
You should constantly introspect and examine your own flaws and shortcomings in order to better yourself.
You were afraid
You used to be fearful of something or someone.
But now you fear your mother
You are more afraid of your mother's judgment or wrath than anything else.
Face the light we want to see the God in you
You need to be honest and embrace your true self rather than hiding behind religious dogma and pretending to be someone you're not.
When you mistook your vow as pious
When you thought that just sticking to the religious rituals and dogma without understanding their deeper meanings was all it took to be a good person.
Did you leave your pain in the dark
Have you ignored your own suffering and pain because you thought it was not in line with religious teachings or dogma.
I call your name but you hide behind God
I ask for you to be accountable for your actions but you tend to use religion as a shield or excuse for your behavior.
Who do you hide from now?
Who or what are you using to shield yourself from accountability now that religion is not enough?
Your duty is done
You have completed the tasks or obligations that religion requires of you.
The light begins to flicker
Your faith is starting to wane or falter.
All your faith won't change the fate awaiting you
No amount of prayer or faith will change the outcome of your actions.
Your mother cries
Your mother is upset or disappointed by something that you have done.
A mother's sickened pride
Your mother's pride in you has been damaged or poisoned by your actions.
Waste the life that she so kindly gave to you
You are not fulfilling your potential or living up to the expectations your mother had for you when she gave you life.
When you mistook your vow self-righteous
When you thought that following religious rituals and dogma made you morally superior to others.
Did you think you'de die in the dark?
Did you believe that by doing what was expected of you religiously and being pious, you would be guaranteed a place in heaven or afterlife.
One and the same but you kill for your "God"
Despite preaching love and peace, you are capable of committing heinous acts of violence in the name of your religion or God.
Who do you kill for now?
Who or what motivates you to commit acts of violence now that religion is not enough?
You wear it well
You have become accustomed to carrying the burden of being a woman in a patriarchal society.
The shame of being a woman
The societal stigma associated with being a woman has affected you deeply.
Hide the grace dare not embrace for fear of him
You are afraid to display any femininity or grace for fear of judgement or repercussions from men.
Your daughter cries
Your daughter is upset or hurt by something that you have done.
but you no longer know her
Your actions have caused a rift between you and your daughter and you no longer recognize who she is.
How you can condone his unenlightened sin?
How can you justify or turn a blind eye to the sexist, oppressive, or immoral behavior of the men in your life?
When you mistook your veil as pious
When you thought that simply following religious dress codes or covering your face was all it took to be considered pious.
Did you see him there in the dark?
Did you believe that hiding behind a veil or keeping yourself hidden from society gave you a closer connection to God or divinity?
Suffer the shame, suffer all that he's done
You are forced to carry the weight of the shame and guilt of someone else's actions because of the patriarchal society you live in.
Woman without a sound
Women in your society are not allowed to use their voice or speak up against oppression and injustice.
If you mistook your vow as pious
If you thought that following religious rituals and dogma was all that was needed to be considered a good person.
Who do you worship now?
Who or what are you relying on to guide your morals and actions now that religion is not enough?
Contributed by Owen R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.