Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
The Temple
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roll on up for my price is down
Come on in for the best in town
Take your pick of the finest wine
Lay your bets on this bird of mine
Name your price I got everything
Come and buy it's all going fast
Hurry now while stocks still last
My temple should be a house of prayer
But you have made it a den of thieves
Get up, get out
My time
Is almost through
Little left to do
After all
I've tried for three years
Seems like thirty
Seems like thirty
See my eyes I can hardly see
See me stand I can hardly walk
I believe you can make me whole
See my tongue I can hardly talk
See my skin I'm a mass of blood
See my legs I can hardly stand
I believe you can make me well
See my purse I'm a poor, poor man
Will you touch, will you mend me Christ?
Won't you touch, will you heal me Christ?
Will you kiss, you can heal me Christ
Won't you kiss, won't you pay me Christ?
Oh, there's too many of you, don't push me
Oh, there's too little of me, don't crowd me
Heal yourselves!
The song The Temple by Ian Gillan is a powerful commentary on the commercialization of religion. The lyrics begin with an invitation to moneylenders and merchants to come and take advantage of the singer's wares at low prices. The singer is essentially a salesman, hawking his goods to anyone who will buy. He offers everything, even wine and birds, and encourages people to buy quickly, before the stock runs out. These lyrics are a metaphor for the way that religion has been turned into a business, with churches and other spiritual institutions selling their faith like just another product.
The chorus of the song is a condemnation of this practice. The singer says that his temple should be a house of prayer, but that it has been turned into a den of thieves. This is a reference to Jesus's anger when he saw merchants selling their wares in the temple in Jerusalem. The singer is saying that religion has become corrupt, and that the people who run these institutions are more interested in making money than in serving their congregations. The last few stanzas of the song are a desperate plea for help, with the singer asking Jesus for healing and salvation. It's a cry for help from someone who is lost and in need of spiritual guidance.
Line by Line Meaning
Moneylenders and Merchants
People who are interested in wealth and business
Roll on up for my price is down
Come closer, because I'm selling everything I have for a low price
Come on in for the best in town
Enter my place and find the best things in town
Take your pick of the finest wine
Choose whichever finest wine you want
Lay your bets on this bird of mine
Invest your money on something that is uncertain (a bird)
Name your price I got everything
Tell me the amount you want to pay, I have everything to sell
Come and buy it's all going fast
Hurry up and buy, because it is selling quickly
Borrow cash on the finest terms
Take a loan with the best conditions
Hurry now while stocks still last
Don't waste time, because the products will soon run out
My temple should be a house of prayer
My place should be where people come to pray
But you have made it a den of thieves
But you have changed it into a place of illegal activities and dishonest people
Get up, get out
Leave my place now
My time
The time I have left on Earth
Is almost through
Is almost finished
Little left to do
There is not much more that I need to do
After all
Despite everything that has happened
I've tried for three years
I have been trying for a significant amount of time
Seems like thirty
It feels like I have been trying for thirty years
See my eyes I can hardly see
I am physically impaired
See me stand I can hardly walk
I am physically unable to stand properly
I believe you can make me whole
I have faith that you (Christ) can heal me completely
See my tongue I can hardly talk
I am physically unable to talk properly
See my skin I'm a mass of blood
My skin is covered in blood
See my legs I can hardly stand
I am physically unable to stand properly due to my legs
I believe you can make me well
I believe that you (Christ) can heal me
See my purse I'm a poor, poor man
I am very poor
Will you touch, will you mend me Christ?
Can you (Christ) touch me and heal me?
Won't you touch, will you heal me Christ?
Can you (Christ) please heal me?
Will you kiss, you can heal me Christ
Can you (Christ) heal me with a kiss?
Won't you kiss, won't you pay me Christ?
Can you (Christ) please pay attention to me?
Oh, there's too many of you, don't push me
There are too many people around, which makes me uncomfortable
Oh, there's too little of me, don't crowd me
I am feeling too small and insignificant, so please don't crowd me
Heal yourselves!
You should heal yourselves, rather than relying on me or someone else
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALICIA SERRAT, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, TIM RICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind