Finn was born 4 March 1951 in Godalming, Surrey, UK, moved to London in 1967, where his first performance was opening for Al Stewart at the Marquee Club in Soho. He released his "Pass the Distance" LP in 1970, which in later years attained legendary status as it was so hard to obtain. The album featured contributions from Rob Buckin, Paul Burwell, Ken Elliot, and David Toop. "Pass the Distance" was remastered and re-released on Durtro/Jnana Records in 2004 and again in 2008 on vinyl by Mayfair Music. In the same year, after a thirty-five year absence from the music scene, he began touring again. His first performance was in support of the band Current 93 at St George the Martyr Church in Toronto in June 2004. Since then he has performed in Moscow, Athens, Glasgow, Barcelona, New York, Chicago and many other cities around the world. His second album, Magic Moments, was released by Durtro/Jnana in June 2005.
Simon Finn has played shows with Current 93, Graham Coxon, Thurston Moore, Antony and the Johnsons and more.
Finn resides in Montreal, Canada, and continues to tour both as a solo artist and as a member of British experimental music group Current 93.
He released "Accidental Life" in 2007, Rats Laugh Mice Sing (2009), Through Stones (2011).
Jerusalem
Simon Finn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came sifting through the palm trees
My eyes they were blinded
By the sun reflecting on the seas
One hundred dozen mermaids smiled
As I passed through the haze
The sound of familiar voices
Of yonder days
Jerusalem was made by a guy
Oh I forget his name
And Jesus was a drop-out
A king who bore no crown
Only his long hair
Flowing and blowing in the wind
And Jesus was a fisherman
That's all he had to say
Oh yeah, said "Now follow me disciples.
Lead your lives a different way."
And he rode into Jerusalem
On a donkey both bedraggled and lame
And his Pharisees cursed
His every word but did not laugh
That made a change
And Jesus was a good guy
Who lived on figs and wine
A political revolutionary
Out to let you have a good time
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
The sun it was rising
Just to christen his cross of fame
Did he imagine at that moment
Two hundred million hypocrites
Would praise his name?
And were he now to come down those
Hypocrites would crucify him again
And through the sweating crowds
Tears streaming down my face
Till I'm going insane
I'm crying
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
The smell of newly-cut corn
Came sifting through the palm trees
My eyes they were blinded
By the sun reflecting on the seas
Well that same sun was rising
Just to christen his cross of fame
Did he imagine at that moment
Two hundred million hypocrites
Would praise his name?
And were he now to come down those
Hypocrites would crucify him again
And through the sweating crowds
Tears streaming down my face
Till I'm going insane
I'm crying
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
They're gonna put him inside
And I'm yelling all I can
Can't you see he's the Christ? oh no no
And they don't understand
A single word I say
But I'm crying just the same
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
Gonna put him inside
I'm yelling all I can
Can't you see he's the Christ
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
The song "Jerusalem" by Simon Finn portrays the singer's emotional turmoil and deep grief upon witnessing the hypocrisy of people in Jerusalem towards Jesus Christ. The first verse starts with the singer describing the beautiful surroundings of Jerusalem, but then quickly transitions to memories of mermaids and yonder days before diving into the main message of the song. The first two lines of the second verse make a paradoxical statement about Jesus being a drop-out king who bore no crown. The singer also highlights Jesus' simple lifestyle by saying that he lived off figs and wine and that he was a fisherman. The third verse describes the crowd's adoration towards Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey, but it ends with a powerful message that these same people would crucify him again if he was to show up today. The song ends with the singer's frustration about not being able to convince people that Jesus is the Christ.
"Jerusalem" is a powerful critique of religious hypocrisy and political revolutionary ideas that challenges the audience to think deeply about the life of Jesus Christ. The lyrics and message of the song are timeless and can be applied to situations that relate to modern society. Finn uses powerful imagery and metaphors throughout the song to paint a vivid picture for the listener; for example, in the opening verse, he describes mermaids smiling through the haze, which could be a metaphor for the illusion that deceives people and prevents them from seeing the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
The smell of newly-cut corn
The sweet scent of fresh cut corn filled my nostrils
Came sifting through the palm trees
And reached me through the leaves of the surrounding palm trees
My eyes they were blinded
The bright sun reflected off the ocean, temporarily making me unable to see
By the sun reflecting on the seas
Since the sun was reflecting off of the sea waters and directly into my eyes
One hundred dozen mermaids smiled
I hallucinated about a hundred mermaids swimming and smiling my way
As I passed through the haze
While moving through the dreamlike state
The sound of familiar voices
The voices of people I once knew
Of yonder days
Many years ago
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem oh no
Oh no, Jerusalem, a place of great religious significance
Jerusalem was made by a guy
Jerusalem was built by a man
Oh I forget his name
However, I don't remember the builder's name
And Jesus was a drop-out
Jesus was not highly educated
A king who bore no crown
Yet he was a king in his own right, even without a crown
Only his long hair
Most of what Jesus was known for was his long hair
Flowing and blowing in the wind
That flowed in the wind as he traveled
And Jesus was a fisherman
Jesus started his journey as a simple fisherman
That's all he had to say
Jesus needed only say a couple of words to attract followers
Oh yeah, said "Now follow me disciples.
He simply told them to follow him
Lead your lives a different way."
And to change the direction of their lives from that moment on
And he rode into Jerusalem
Jesus traveled into Jerusalem
On a donkey both bedraggled and lame
On top of a weak and sickly young donkey
And his Pharisees cursed
The Pharisees present disapproved of his presence
His every word but did not laugh
But they didn't make fun of him
That made a change
That was unusual
And Jesus was a good guy
Jesus was a great person
Who lived on figs and wine
And he got by on just figs and wine
A political revolutionary
Jesus was also a political freedom fighter
Out to let you have a good time
He wanted people to enjoy their lives
The sun it was rising
The sun began to rise
Just to christen his cross of fame
Just as he was about to reach unparalleled celebrity and fame
Did he imagine at that moment
Could he have foreseen that very moment?
Two hundred million hypocrites
That two hundred million people would in the future pretend to follow him despite their hypocrisy
Would praise his name?
Would they really be praising him?
And were he now to come down those
If he returned to Earth or was somehow resurrected
Hypocrites would crucify him again
These same people would probably have him killed again, just like the first time around
And through the sweating crowds
Fighting his way through noisy, emotional crowds
Tears streaming down my face
I cried tears of joy or sorrow
Till I'm going insane
Until I was almost losing my mind
I'm crying
And couldn't help but cry
They're gonna put him inside
People will put Jesus inside of a tomb
And I'm yelling all I can
I'm screaming as loud as I can
Can't you see he's the Christ?
Can't everyone see that he's the Messiah?
And they don't understand
But no one seems to comprehend
A single word I say
My words were not getting through
Writer(s): NAOMI SHEMER-SAPIR
Contributed by Elena K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RealVCT
There is nothing more passionate and full of emotion than a musician straight up suffering an emotional breakdown while singing and playing the guitar
@octangula7914
i heard this on my spotify discover, was very surprised to see that it was released in the 70’s! it sounds so much like modern indie folk.
@koryander.
the same thing happened to me!! this song's amazing
@rastrillo955
i think the same lol
@jackjude
Reminds me of Jonathan Halper's _Old Life Behind _. Who in return - in keeping with your observation - reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel.
@kelechi_77
I feel like this is the song that marked the end of the '60s, not "White Light / White Heat", not "I Wanna Be Your Dog", but this. It feels like it carries the essence of the hippie era, but has also accepted that all hope is lost, and those prophesized idyllic utopias won't come to pass, but a future with an uncertain bleakness is sure to come through; this is an acid casualty mustering his final words before his death throes swallow him up completely.
@Isa-eb2fm
He was 19 when this was released
@__beanfeast__
Youre kidding thats aspirational
@Arbiter1106
Ahh, my favorite genre: when the song is sung so passionately that the artist loses control of the words as they devolve into incoherent ramblings
@slavic_bog_warlock
This guy was decades before his time, what a talented dude