Hugh Foulkes
Lieutenant
Birth: 1773
Deat… Read Full Bio ↴Winchester Cathedral
Hugh Foulkes
Lieutenant
Birth: 1773
Death: Feb. 2, 1799
British Army officer. The inscription reads: "Hugh Foulkes, Esq., Lieutenant in the Royal Cheshire Militia, died Febr. 2nd. 1799, aged 26 years." Lieutenant Foulkes is of interest because he is the subject of the song "Cathedral", which appears on Crosby, Stills and Nash's "CSN" album of 1977. Graham Nash, who was born in Lancashire but who has lived in America since the late sixties, was on a visit to the land of his birth, driving from London to Stonehenge, when he paused at Winchester Cathedral. Later, Graham explained in an interview: "I was once walking down the central aisle of Winchester Cathedral and felt a presence at my feet. I happened to be standing on the grave of Hugh Foulkes, a soldier who died in 1799 on the same day that I was born. I find that most wars are fought in the name of God. You know, my God's better than your God and I'll kill you to prove it".
Cathedral
Crosby Stills & Nash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the morning, I feel pretty good
So I dropped into the luxury of the Lords
Fighting dragons and crossing swords
With the people against the hordes
Who came to conquer.
Seven o'clock
I taste the warning and I am so amazed
I'm here today, seeing things so clear this way
In the car and on my way
To Stonehenge.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral
Sunlight pouring through the break of day.
Stumbled through the door and into the chamber,
There's a lady setting flowers on a table covered lace
And a cleaner in the distance finds a cobweb on a face
And a feeling deep inside of me tells me
This can't be the place
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral.
All religion has to have its day
Expressions on the face of the Savior
Made me say
I can't stay.
Open up the gates of the church and let me out of here!
Too many people have lied in the name of Christ
For anyone to heed the call.
So many people have died in the name of Christ
That I can't believe it all.
And now I'm standing on the grave of a soldier that died in 1799
And the day he died it was a birthday
And I noticed it was mine.
And my head didn't know just who I was
And I went spinning back in time.
And I am high upon the altar
High upon the altar, high.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral,
It's hard enough to drink the wine.
The air inside just hangs in delusion,
But given time,
I'll be fine.
The lyrics to Crosby Stills & Nash's song 'Cathedral' describe a journey of self-discovery and spiritual exploration. The song opens with the singer feeling good and dropping into the "luxury of the lords," suggesting a sense of comfort and safety in religion. However, this feeling is quickly challenged as the singer describes fighting dragons and crossing swords with people against the hordes. The hordes are likely those who oppose religion, and the singer portrays himself as a defender of faith.
As the song progresses, the singer travels to Stonehenge and Winchester Cathedral, where he experiences a profound sense of awe and clarity. He describes flying in the cathedral and feeling the sunlight pouring through the break of day, suggesting a connection to a higher power. However, the singer's experience is not entirely positive. He encounters a lady setting flowers on a table covered in lace and a cleaner finding a cobweb on a face, which make him question if this can be the place. He realizes that all religions have their day, including Christianity, and that many people have lied and died in the name of Christ, leading him to say, "open up the gates of the church and let me out of here."
The song's final verse takes a surreal turn as the singer stands upon the grave of a soldier who died in 1799, and on his birthday. He realizes that his head doesn't know just who he is and goes spinning back in time, before concluding that he is high upon the altar. The song ends with the singer saying that it's hard enough to drink the wine and that the air inside just hangs in delusion, but given time, he'll be fine.
Overall, 'Cathedral' is a song about questioning faith and seeking a deeper understanding of spirituality. The singer encounters moments of both wonder and doubt, ultimately realizing that religion has a place in the world but is not without its faults.
Line by Line Meaning
Six o'clock
In the morning, I feel pretty good
So I dropped into the luxury of the Lords
Fighting dragons and crossing swords
With the people against the hordes
Who came to conquer.
The singer wakes up at 6 am feeling great, goes to church to face the challenges of the day, imagining he is a brave knight fighting against his enemies.
Seven o'clock
In the morning, here it comes
I taste the warning and I am so amazed
I'm here today, seeing things so clear this way
In the car and on my way
To Stonehenge.
The singer leaves church at 7 am, feeling enlightened and amazed by the clarity of his mind, driving to Stonehenge to continue his spiritual journey.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral
Sunlight pouring through the break of day.
Stumbled through the door and into the chamber,
There's a lady setting flowers on a table covered lace
And a cleaner in the distance finds a cobweb on a face
And a feeling deep inside of me tells me
This can't be the place
The singer feels like he is flying in a church, enchanted by the light, but is disturbed by a dissonance of the dirty cobweb and the lady arranging flowers. He is doubtful if this is a place for him to find spiritual solace.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral.
All religion has to have its day
Expressions on the face of the Savior
Made me say
I can't stay.
The artist continues to fly in the church, acknowledging that all religions have their value, but ultimately he cannot stay as the expressions on the face of the Savior make him feel judged and unwelcome.
Open up the gates of the church and let me out of here!
Too many people have lied in the name of Christ
For anyone to heed the call.
So many people have died in the name of Christ
That I can't believe it all.
The artist calls for the gates to be opened to let him leave, as too many people have lied and died in the name of Christ, making it impossible for him to believe and follow blindly.
And now I'm standing on the grave of a soldier that died in 1799
And the day he died it was a birthday
And I noticed it was mine.
And my head didn't know just who I was
And I went spinning back in time.
And I am high upon the altar
High upon the altar, high.
The singer finds himself standing on the grave of a soldier who died on his birthday and feels disoriented, spinning back in time while feeling elevated like he is on an altar.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral,
It's hard enough to drink the wine.
The air inside just hangs in delusion,
But given time,
I'll be fine.
The singer continues to fly, struggling to take communion in the church due to his disconnection from the environment, feeling like he is in a state of delusion but holding hope that he will heal in time.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: GRAHAM NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MEEPEES
Six o' clock
In the morning, I feel pretty good
So I dropped into the luxury of the Lords
Fighting dragons and crossing swords
With the people against the hordes
Who came to conquer.
Seven o'clock
In the morning, here it comes
I taste the warning and I am so amazed
I'm here today, seeing things so clear this way
In the car and on my way
To Stonehenge.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral
Sunlight pouring through the break of day.
Stumbled through the door and into the chamber,
There's a lady setting flowers on a table covered lace
And a cleaner in the distance finds a cobweb on a face
And a feeling deep inside of me tells me
This can't be the place
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral.
All religion has to have its day
Expressions on the face of the Savior
Made me say
I can't stay.
Open up the gates of the church and let me out of here!
Too many people have lied in the name of Christ
For anyone to heed the call.
So many people have died in the name of Christ
That I can't believe it all.
And now I'm standing on the grave of a soldier that died in 1799
And the day he died it was a birthday
And I noticed it was mine.
And my head didn't know just who I was
And I went spinning back in time.
And I am high upon the altar
High upon the altar, high.
I'm flying in Winchester cathedral,
It's hard enough to drink the wine.
The air inside just hangs in delusion,
But given time,
I'll be fine.
Songwriters: Graham Nash
Cathedral lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
@brianbenson8598
Thanks for. a point well taken.....
And yes, I do believe the pianannissimo geniusious also is Graham's too.
Better than Wawguhs as well.
How can their be a comparison twixt Supertramp & these lads?
Mr. Hodgson was great
The guys ARE par excellance.
With or without Mr. Neil.
God bless all,. Brian.
@moonsetproductions
Late 70's, I had dropped acid the night before, and I woke up the next morning, flicked on the clock radio above my bed, and this song started playing. I immediately regressed into the acid trip and spaced out on the lyrics of this song the rest of the day. Great memory provided by Graham Nash
@aboxofbroken8tracks983
Okay, but you should be thanking Graham.
@paulbissonnette3650
MoonSet Productions did you drop it on the floor ?
@newmanoutdoors1564
Moonset cool story
@vkngwmn6636
You mean Graham Nash...David Crosby was a hanger on
@moonsetproductions
@Vkng Wmn Apologies, it's been edited... since it's a song about being high on acid, I assumed it was Crosby!
@annamagari
Che tuffo nel passato !!!!!...quanti ricordi bellissimi della mia gioventù..❤!!!!
Bellissima era tanto che non la ascoltavo ...
@finessinlive
My dad used to play this album driving in the bronco w me clinging to this song. I was maybe 8 years old. It had been out for a while, but I was infatuated with it. Now I’m 33 and just came back to it after decades and it gives me the same chills it gave me when I was 8. My dad was quite the party boy and despite this song having a clearly different meaning to me now - it’s still just as mesmerizing. One of the best songs ever made imo
@melmeister4755
It's about reincarnation, cleverly disguised. This song haunts me.
@MrBraganzalouie
Nostalgic. Love this song ❤❤❤