> One thing that I am not sure about is if Joni/Job wants to be free
of the
> bitterness she has been caused, or if s/he wants to speak in a
bitter way
> about something or someone. Is s/he asking to unload on someone or
> searching for a solution (theres that metaphor again) to the
problem?
Job is trying to understand why his god is seemingly punishing him.
He demands the opportunity to state his case, lists his grievances,
asks why he has been visited with all of his misfortunes and demands
that god answer him. To me the song is about someone's faith being
tried in the extreme and their subsequent struggle to understand why.
Job/Joni isn't just unloading or looking for a solution so much as
demanding to know why.
'Show your face
Help me understand
What is the reason
For your heavy hand?
Was it the sins of my youth?
What have I done to you?
That you make everything I dread
And everything I fear come true?'
I love this song. I think it's one of her crowning achievements. If
you've ever been close to someone or had a group of close friends who
have died of AIDS, the parallels in these lyrics are eerie. I suppose
that could be said for any number of diseases or calamities as well.
Mark in Seattle
