God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot
Buffy Sainte-Marie Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

God is alive
Magic is afoot
God is alive
Magic is afoot
God is afoot
Magic is alive
Alive is afoot
Magic never died

God never sickened
Many poor men lied
Many sick men lied
Magic never weakened
Magic never hid
Magic always ruled
God is afoot
God never died

God was ruler
Though his funeral lengthened
Though his mourners thickened
Magic never fled
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
Though his words were twisted
The naked Magic thrived
Though his death was published
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe

Many hurt men wondered
Many struck men bled
Magic never faltered
Magic always led

Many stones were rolled
But God would not lie down
Many wild men lied
Many fat men listened
Though they offered stones
Magic still was fed
Though they locked their coffers
God was always served

Magic is afoot
God rules
Alive is afoot
Alive is in command

Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boasted solitude
God was at their side
Nor the dreamer in his cell
Nor the captain on the hill
Magic is alive
Though his death was pardoned
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe

Though laws were carved in marble
They could not shelter men
Though altars built in parliaments
They could not order men
Police arrested Magic
And Magic went with them
For Magic loves the hungry

But Magic would not tarry
It moves from arm to arm
It would not stay with them
Magic is afoot
It cannot come to harm
It rests in an empty palm
It spawns in an empty mind
But Magic is no instrument
Magic is the end

Many men drove Magic
But Magic stayed behind
Many strong men lied
They only passed through Magic
And out the other side
Many weak men lied
They came to God in secret
And though they left him nourished
They would not say who healed
Though mountains danced before them
They said that God was dead
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live

This I mean to whisper to my mind
This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This I mean my mind to serve 'til
Service is but Magic
Moving through the world
And mind itself is Magic
Coursing through the flesh
And flesh itself is Magic




Dancing on a clock
And time itself the magic length of God

Overall Meaning

In this tribute to the resilience of faith and magic, Buffy Sainte-Marie passionately celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The key message of โ€˜God is alive Magic is afootโ€™ is that despite the relentless adversity of life and its many hardships, the spirit of magic, imagination, and creative power resides within us all. This is most eloquently conveyed through the line โ€œThough laws were carved in marble They could not shelter men, though altars built in parliaments They could not order men.โ€ These are the powerful lyrics of a song that is both an affirmation of the power of the human spirit and a call to action, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, the magic that lives within us all can light the way.


Another notable aspect of โ€˜God is alive Magic is afootโ€™ is the way that it highlights the limitations of human power. The lyrics suggest that no matter how powerful and influential individual human beings may be, there are things in life that are beyond their control. The song hints at the idea that magic and faith are spiritual powers that cannot be quantified or controlled. They are always present in the world, and they have the power to transform our lives in ways that we cannot predict or fully understand.


Line by Line Meaning

God is alive
The divine force is still present and active


Magic is afoot
A transformative energy is at work in the world


God is alive
The divine force is still present and active


Magic is afoot
A transformative energy is at work in the world


God is afoot
The divine is present and moving through the world


Magic is alive
A transformative energy continues to thrive


Alive is afoot
Life itself is in motion and energy


Magic never died
The transformative energy has always existed and will continue to exist


God never sickened
The divine force has never weakened or fallen ill


Many poor men lied
Many people have spread falsehoods about the divine and the transformative energy at work


Many sick men lied
Many people have spread falsehoods about the divine and the transformative energy at work


Magic never weakened
The transformative energy has never lost its potency


Magic never hid
The transformative energy has always been present and visible for those who seek it


Magic always ruled
The transformative energy has always been in control


God is afoot
The divine is present and moving through the world


God never died
The divine force has never truly died or disappeared


God was ruler
The divine force was in charge of the world


Though his funeral lengthened
Though it seemed like the divine force had died and disappeared


Though his mourners thickened
Though more and more people believed that the divine force was gone


Magic never fled
The transformative energy has never disappeared or abandoned the world


Though his shrouds were hoisted
Though it seemed like the divine force had been buried and forgotten


The naked God did live
The divine force was still present, even if it seemed hidden or forgotten


Though his words were twisted
Though people misrepresented or misunderstood the divine force


The naked Magic thrived
The transformative energy continued to thrive and do its work


Though his death was published
Though it seemed like the divine force had died and disappeared


Round and round the world
Everywhere


The heart did not believe
Many people did not truly believe that the divine force or transformative energy was gone


Many hurt men wondered
Many people who were suffering wondered why the divine force or transformative energy wasn't helping them


Many struck men bled
Many people who were oppressed or abused suffered greatly


Magic never faltered
The transformative energy continued to do its work, even in the face of suffering and adversity


Magic always led
The transformative energy continued to guide and move the world toward transformation


Many stones were rolled
Many obstacles were put in the way


But God would not lie down
But the divine force would not be defeated


Many wild men lied
Many people who were acting recklessly or maliciously spread falsehoods


Many fat men listened
Many people in positions of power listened to those who spread falsehoods


Though they offered stones
Though they tried to impede the transformative energy with obstacles and hostility


Magic still was fed
The transformative energy still continued to get stronger and thrive


Though they locked their coffers
Though they tried to withhold resources and help from those who sought transformation


God was always served
The divine force continued to inspire and work through those who sought transformation


God rules
The divine force is ultimately in charge of the world


Many weak men hungered
Many people who were suffering and marginalized sought transformation


Many strong men thrived
Many people in positions of power continued to thrive and dominate


Though they boasted solitude
Though they acted as if they were alone in their power and influence


God was at their side
The divine force continued to work through those in power, whether they realized it or not


Nor the dreamer in his cell
Even those who were imprisoned or oppressed continued to seek transformation and connect with the divine force and transformative energy


Nor the captain on the hill
Even those in positions of power and authority continued to seek transformation and connect with the divine force and transformative energy


Magic is alive
The transformative energy continues to thrive


Though his death was pardoned
Though it seemed like the transformative energy had been defeated or destroyed


Round and round the world
Everywhere


The heart did not believe
Many people did not truly believe that the transformative energy was gone


Though laws were carved in marble
Though the powers that be tried to establish systems of power and oppression


They could not shelter men
Those systems could not protect people from suffering and oppression


Though altars built in parliaments
Though the powers that be tried to establish systems of religion


They could not order men
Those systems could not control people's beliefs and actions


Police arrested Magic
Those in positions of power tried to apprehend and suppress the transformative energy


And Magic went with them
The transformative energy appeared to be suppressed, but it continued to thrive and move throughout the world


For Magic loves the hungry
The transformative energy is drawn to those who suffer and seek transformation


But Magic would not tarry
The transformative energy continued to move and act


It moves from arm to arm
The transformative energy is transmitted from person to person


It would not stay with them
The transformative energy cannot be controlled or contained


Magic is afoot
The transformative energy continues to thrive


It cannot come to harm
The transformative energy cannot be destroyed or defeated


It rests in an empty palm
The transformative energy can be accessed by anyone, without any material possessions or resources


It spawns in an empty mind
The transformative energy can be accessed by anyone, regardless of education or intellectual capabilities


But Magic is no instrument
The transformative energy cannot be controlled or manipulated like a tool


Magic is the end
The transformative energy is the ultimate goal and purpose of life


Many men drove Magic
Many people have attempted to control or suppress the transformative energy


But Magic stayed behind
The transformative energy continued to thrive and move through the world


Many strong men lied
Many people in positions of power spread falsehoods about the transformative energy


They only passed through Magic
Those in power may have had brief encounters with the transformative energy, but they could not control or contain it


And out the other side
They did not truly understand or connect with the transformative energy


Many weak men lied
Many people who were suffering spread falsehoods about the transformative energy


They came to God in secret
They sought transformative energy in private, often because of fear or shame


And though they left him nourished
And though they found comfort and strength in the transformative energy


They would not say who healed
They did not want to risk the repercussions of openly embracing the transformative energy


Though mountains danced before them
Though great obstacles seemed to be overcome


They said that God was dead
They claimed that the transformative energy was gone or could not help them


Though his shrouds were hoisted
Though it seemed like the divine force had been buried and forgotten


The naked God did live
The divine force was still present, even if it seemed hidden or forgotten


This I mean to whisper to my mind
This is what I intend to reflect on internally


This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This is what I find joy and humor in when I reflect on it internally


This I mean my mind to serve 'til
This is my guiding principle that I intend to live by


Service is but Magic
The transformative energy is reflected in acts of service and kindness


Moving through the world
The transformative energy is present in and moves through the world around us


And mind itself is Magic
The transformative energy can be accessed and directed through our own thoughts and beliefs


Coursing through the flesh
The transformative energy is reflected in the physical experiences and sensations of our bodies


And flesh itself is Magic
The physical experiences and sensations of our bodies are imbued with transformative energy


Dancing on a clock
Living and moving through the world, regardless of time constraints or limitations


And time itself the magic length of God
Time is part of the divine force, and is imbued with transformative energy




Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Leonard Cohen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@richboyprado

This went perfectly with the Yellowjackets finale

@dennisadams8775

Everyone knows a misty! :)

@SirCoughsalot

The show has great music in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear this track. Used to great effect.

@superhetoric

โ€‹@SirCoughsalot same

@victorhernandez5516

Fuck yeah!!!

@Ashabea21

10000%

8 More Replies...

@stewieadams2656

Yellowjackets brought me here. Heard it in the season 2 finale and thought it was a really cool song. Wanted to hear it again.

@harrymorgan595

Me too

@ItsNotSakai

Same

@gowonfan12

lottie matthews we are so sorry girl

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