Prophet released his solo debut Brother Aldo in 1990 on Fire records,(later reissued in the late 1990's on Walter Yetnikoff's Velvel imprint. His immediate career path took him through mostly European touring markets and his followup "Balinese Dancer" came out in 1993 & later the Steve Berlin produced "Feast of Hearts" came out in Europe only through the Fire imprint. After a decade long bout with substance abuse, Prophet resurfaced refreshed and renewed on the critical breakthroughs 1998's "Homemade Blood", 2000's "The Hurting Business" and 2002's live "Turn The Pigeons Loose" (all available via Cooking Vinyl in UK). By 2000 he'd recorded a side project with his wife Stefanie called Go Go Market and begun incorporating electronic influences into his traditional roots rock formula, resulting in some mainstream radio play and expanded exposure, culminating in the wider distribution of albums "No Other Love" from 2002 and 2004's "Age of Miracles" on New West Records. Chuck signed a new arrangement in the US with North Carolina based Yep Roc for 2007's "Soap and Water", an album that saw the musician invited to play twice on National Public Radio, as well as on televison talk shows like Late Night With David Letterman, and The Carson Daly Show.
Over the years he also began collaborating with other songwriters like Kelly Willis, Steve Yerkey and contributing as a guitarist/musician to studio efforts from folks like Jonathan Richman, Warren Zevon, Kim Carnes, Cake, Tom Heyman and Jewel. Alejandro Escovedo's upcoming 2008 release produced by Tony Visconti entitled Real Animal was co-written and recorded with Prophet. In addition to having his songs recorded by artists like Solomon Burke, Heart & Cyndi Thomson he has also recorded with men who started out as his influences like Jim Dickinson, Dan Penn and the late Warren Zevon.
www.chuckprophet.com.
Temple Beautiful
Chuck Prophet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Temple beautiful
The lights went on and the band came on at the
Temple beautiful
She got so excited
So excited
Temple beautiful
Her mind was dirty but her hands were clean at the
Temple beautiful
Two guitars, raise the drums at the
Temple beautiful
She got so excited
Manchester United
There she stood right next to me at the
Temple beautiful
Someday, there's gonna be a revolution
Till then, you need an eye on constitution
The lights came on it was a whole new world at the
Temple beautiful
I got the kid but I lost the girl at the
Temple beautiful
She got so excited
Manchester United
Her mind was dirty but her hands were clean at the
Temple beautiful
Everybody doing criminal acts
Temple beautiful
And now the future's here, but it feels like the past
Temple beautiful
I don't remember what happened last
Temple beautiful
Well we might've got high, we might've just left
Temple beautiful
Someday this is all gonna be gone
Temple beautiful
That's right
Chuck Prophet's song "Temple Beautiful" portrays the plight of young individuals seeking refuge and excitement in a music venue known as the Temple Beautiful. The song has a nostalgic feel to it, highlighting the past experiences that have made the venue iconic, such as the lights going on and the band starting to play. The individual's fond memories of the venue are emphasized through the repetition of the line "there she stood right next to me at the temple beautiful." The excitement that one feels in the presence of great music is also highlighted through the line "she got so excited" - this, coupled with her enthusiasm for Manchester United soccer team stokes up the passion for fandom in a music venue.
The chorus of the song contains several themes that suggest that there is more to the Temple Beautiful than just music. one such theme is the notion that there is a revolution coming soon. This prophetic statement highlights that the venue is not just about partying and enjoyment, but also about radical social change. Moreover, the reference to the constitution suggests that there is a political angle to the venue. Finally, the song highlights that over time, the great experiences of the past might fade away as they are replace by new ones. However, the line "someday this is all gonna be gone" is ominously suggestive of the idea that time catches up with everything, with the possibility that the venue may become nothing more than a memory.
Line by Line Meaning
There she stood right next to me at the
Temple beautiful
The singer and a woman are standing together at the Temple Beautiful.
The lights went on and the band came on at the
Temple beautiful
The lights turn on and the band starts playing music at the Temple Beautiful.
She got so excited
So excited
The woman feels very excited.
Her mind was dirty but her hands were clean at the
Temple beautiful
The woman has immoral thoughts but has not acted upon them.
Two guitars, raise the drums at the
Temple beautiful
There are two guitars and a drum set being played at the Temple Beautiful.
She got so excited
Manchester United
The woman is very excited and may support the Manchester United soccer team.
Someday, there's gonna be a revolution
Till then, you need an eye on constitution
There may be a revolution in the future but, in the meantime, it's important to uphold the constitution.
I got the kid but I lost the girl at the
Temple beautiful
The artist became a father but lost the woman he was with at the Temple Beautiful.
Everybody doing criminal acts
Temple beautiful
There are illegal activities occurring at the Temple Beautiful.
And now the future's here, but it feels like the past
Temple beautiful
Even though it's the future, it feels like the past at the Temple Beautiful.
I don't remember what happened last
Temple beautiful
The singer does not recall what happened previously at the Temple Beautiful.
Well we might've got high, we might've just left
Temple beautiful
It's possible that the artist and others got high or simply left the Temple Beautiful.
Someday this is all gonna be gone
Temple beautiful
The Temple Beautiful will eventually no longer exist.
That's right
An affirmation or agreement with a previous statement.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FairlyOptimistic
He's back! Absolutely loved "Sonny Liston's Blues" on his last set with KEXP and this has the sound to match
MegaRoughnready
I have the new cd and cant wait to see him live again when he rocks new york
Adam Loveday
I moved from the UK to New Zealand, and one of the [very] few regrets I have is that I may not see Chuck play live again! There is a world outside of the US and Europe Chuck, so please help a long time fan out.