Three distinct songwriters with their own styles, Ryan Furstenberg, Ryan La… Read Full Bio ↴Three distinct songwriters with their own styles, Ryan Furstenberg, Ryan Lassiter, and Dan Shearin steer their tunes in different directions until they've reached a destination often that they had never expected. The result is one that they are proud of both in headphones and on stage, blending the organic soul of rock and folk with lively percussion, rich harmonies and colorful textures from all of their favorite music from around the globe.

Peace Of Mind
Uncle Mountain Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well Old Tom McGee built a brand new machine
For traveling the reaches of time.
He thought that if he could prove history
then maybe he'd find peace of mind.

Well everyone knew that the Bible was true
and history books never lied.
But Tom thought if he could prove history

then maybe he'd find peace of mind.

And they said "That old time machine well its the work of the devil,
It will play with your mind and it will lead you to trouble,
You can make your way to hell without a pick or a shovel so don't play with that machine anymore."

Well Old Tom McGee took his brand new machine
and he traveled the reaches of time.
He went where and when that he wanted to go
and to old Tom McGee that was fine.

He learned many things through his time travelling
and he wrote down all that he saw.
Much he had known he found it was true
and much he known it was false.

And they said "That old time machine well its the work of the devil,
It will play with your mind and it will lead you to trouble,
You can make your way to hell without a pick or a shovel so don't play with that machine anymore."

Well Old Tom McGee finally made his way home
from traveling the reaches of time.
He stood in front of the crowd and he said right outloud
"There are things we have known that are lies!"

But everyone knew that the Bible was true
and history books never lied.
So they took old Tom McGee and they hung him from a tree
to ensure everyone's peace of mind.

And they said "That old time machine well its the work of the devil,

It will play with your mind and it will lead you to trouble,
You can make your way to hell without a pick or a shovel so don't play with that machine anymore."

Overall Meaning

The song "Peace of Mind" by Uncle Mountain tells the story of an inventor named Old Tom McGee who creates a time machine to prove history and find peace of mind. Although many people believed in the accuracy of the Bible and history books, Tom believed that his time machine would give him a deeper understanding of the truth. However, his invention was perceived as the work of the devil and he was warned against using it. Nonetheless, Tom decided to use his time machine to explore different eras and learn new things that he documented in writing.

When Tom returned from his travels, he shared his new knowledge with the people. However, they were not receptive to his findings and instead labeled him a heretic. They hung Tom from a tree as punishment for defying accepted beliefs and the version of history they were comfortable with. The repeated line “That old time machine, well it’s the work of the devil…” in the song emphasizes the fear and mistrust people have towards change and new ideas that challenge their beliefs.

The lyrics of the song can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the listener. It could be seen as a criticism of closed-mindedness, the dangers of challenging authority, or a reflection on the nature of truth. Overall, "Peace of Mind" presents a cautionary tale of how the pursuit of knowledge and truth can lead to fear and punishment in a society that values tradition and conformity.

Line by Line Meaning

Well Old Tom McGee built a brand new machine For traveling the reaches of time. He thought that if he could prove history then maybe he'd find peace of mind.
Old Tom McGee built a time machine hoping to find proof for historical events and find peace of mind.

Well everyone knew that the Bible was true and history books never lied. But Tom thought if he could prove history then maybe he'd find peace of mind.
Although people believed in the accuracy of the Bible and history books, Tom wanted to find truth by proving historical events through time travel.

And they said "That old time machine well its the work of the devil, It will play with your mind and it will lead you to trouble, You can make your way to hell without a pick or a shovel so don't play with that machine anymore."
Others warned Tom about the dangers of his time machine, claiming it was the work of the devil and could lead him to hell.

Well Old Tom McGee took his brand new machine and he traveled the reaches of time. He went where and when that he wanted to go and to old Tom McGee that was fine.
Despite the warnings, Tom used his time machine to travel through time and explore different eras and locations.

He learned many things through his time travelling and he wrote down all that he saw. Much he had known he found it was true and much he known it was false.
While traveling through time, Tom learned many things and recorded his observations. He found that some of his prior knowledge was correct, while some was false.

Well Old Tom McGee finally made his way home from traveling the reaches of time. He stood in front of the crowd and he said right outloud "There are things we have known that are lies!"
After completing his time travels, Tom returned home and publicly declared that some commonly held beliefs were not true.

But everyone knew that the Bible was true and history books never lied. So they took old Tom McGee and they hung him from a tree to ensure everyone's peace of mind.
Despite Tom's findings, people refused to accept them and instead, they accused him of blasphemy and publicly executed him to maintain their peace of mind.

And they said "That old time machine well its the work of the devil, It will play with your mind and it will lead you to trouble, You can make your way to hell without a pick or a shovel so don't play with that machine anymore."
After Tom's execution, people continued to believe that his time machine was dangerous and demonic, and they warned others not to use it.

Contributed by Taylor J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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