Rainbow: Stargazer Meaning
Stargazer Lyrics
Oh Id sell my soul for water
Nine years worth
Of breakin my back
Theres no sun in the shadow of the wizard
See how he glides
Why hes lighter than air
Oh I see his face
Where is your star
Is it far, is it far, is it far
When...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:A wizard is trying to reach a "star" -- representing some form of power, divinity, etc, it's vague. So he enslaves these people to build him a tower to reach it. But the people aren't just slaves, look at the words. ("We believed, we believed", etc., it's the overall tone of the speaker) They're the wizard's followers to some extent. They're not just there because they're forced to be, they really *believe* in his cause, at least a little. And after he fails to reach his "star" (could be because it's a myth, because he hasn't gone far enough, I dunno) a whole sense of hopelessness takes over the tone of the song. The people have lost their direction, their faith, they don't know what to do or believe... "so where do we go?" -- with their faith shattered, they can't even come to terms with their "freedom". The whole idea is continued in " A light in the Black". These 2 have the best songwriting on the album, some of the best stuff Rainbow's ever done. Full of symbolism.
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2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:The first time I heard this song I immediately thought of a movie called "The Silver Chalice" where as part of the story, a magician (Jack Palance) has slaves build a tower (I think, I was a kid when I saw the film) the idea was for him to show the people that he was better/greater than Jesus Christ or God because he could fly. At the end of the film he jumps off the tower and plummets to the earth and dies.
I would love to know if Dio/Blackmore had this in mind when they wrote the song. RIP Ronnie James Dio -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:I think it might refer to the tower of Babel as stated in this pasdsage of the bible..
And the whole earth spoke one language, and used
the same words.
And it came to pass, as they migrated from the
east, that they found a plain in the land of Sh'-nar
[Babylonia: a region in Mesopotamia] and settled
there.
And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower, whose top will reach the skies; and let
us make a name for ourselves, otherwise we will be
scattered all over the face of the earth.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower,
which the men were building.
And the Lord said, Look, the people are united, and
they have all one language; and this they begin to do;
and now nothing will stop them from doing what they
take in their minds to do.
Come on, let us go down, and there confuse their language
so that they cannot understand one another's
speech.
So the Lord scattered them abroad from there all
over the face of the earth: and they stopped building
the city.
Therefore the name of it is called Babel: because the
Lord did there confuse the language of the entire earth:
and from there did the Lord scatter them abroad over
the face of the whole Earth.
GENESIS 11:1-9 -
Agree that this song dovetails with the belief system of the freemasons et al. The wizard is lucifer, the fallen angel, who deceives humanity into believing that under his will, they can achieve freedom from social restraints, greatness, immortality and unlock the mysteries of the universe, climb "the stairway to heaven" (another song with the same message, more or less) and win the battle for evermore. Interestingly, the lyrics say that the people discover that the wizard has feet of clay and drops from the tower to his death, freeing them from their shackles and affording them the chance to think for themselves and join with the true godhead.
What many do not realize is that to be given access to the upper echelons of the music industry, musicians must pledge their allegiance to the satanists, which is also why we see so many songs about identical metaphysical topics. VigilantCitizen.com talks more about this.
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This song is about the death of the EGO.
Give me back my will.
We are not our ego
We are not just a body
We are spiritual beings, having a human experience.
We are all just walkin each other home.
Dio say's "take me home" -
From Wikipedia:
The song has been called a "morality tale",and its lyrics are written from the standpoint of a "slave in Egyptian times", according to lyricist Ronnie James Dio. They relate the story of the Wizard, an astronomer become "obsessed with the idea of flying", who enslaves a vast army of people to build him a tower from which he can take off and fly. The people hope for the day when their misery comes to an end, building the tower in harsh conditions ("In the heat and rain, with whips and chains; / to see him fly, so many died"). In the end, the wizard climbs to the top of the tower but, instead of flying, falls down and dies: "no sound as he falls instead of rising. / Time standing still, then there's blood on the sand". The next song, "A Light in the Black", continues the story of the people who have lost all purpose after the Wizard's death "until they see the Light in the Dark", according to Dio -
Music has come a long way since 1876 when Richard Wagner launched the Ring Cycle opera composition for the times towards the future who knew the meaning and compassion in JESUS CHRIST for humanity to embrace above all gods from the past as a Dionysian rebirth in music and the hope of redemption for the unsaved to be born again in JESUS CHRIST. When Ronnie James Dio[r.i.p] and the awesome Ritchie Blackmore who left Deep Purple to be replaced by the talented Tommy Bolin[r.i.p], a new wave of acid rock opera songs emerged like ''Stargazer'' and light in the black in 1976 that to believers in a metaphorical way burned in the brain cells and veins for a high in the experience to rise and overcome the negative gravity forces of this world that pull down on our bodies to crucify the mind not to reach the true love of Jesus Christ who is in GOD,s HEAVEN as one who was, who is and who will always be our LORD and SAVIOUR who is alive and well in glory. On the other side of the coin in this song Stargazer could have other meanings to people in the metaphors used, from say Soloman the wizard used his demon slaves to build his temple. Throughout history slaves were always used to built temples and towers for what and why?, or when Hitler and the Nazis used the Aryan race to fulfill the scriptures according to his personal beliefs for the cost of millions that died, for what and why?, or going back further in time to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, the father of Tutankhamun who believed in one god above all gods to worship in the sun where he's at--on the horizon of aten, the new city was built on the back of thousand of slaves. Ronnie James Dio[r.i.p] gave us choices to choose in stargazer to our imagination to dream and hope. The solo carrier of Dio on his album covers exposed evil for what it was on the outside of them, while from the inside with his lyrics on stage he guided us to fight against this world's evil and not to embrace it. Dio had guts to fight the good fight for us believers like a good die hard Christian knight should for the call to adventure in this metaphorically universal song going still in the future towards the aquarian age when Dio begins the song ''High noon, oh I'd sell my soul for water'', as a final hope for the pitcher of water for the New Cycle of Life for humanity to embrace in CHRIST who overcame death for us to live in him.
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I think this song is connected with ancient myths which according to 'Ancient Aliens' (H2 Channel) theorists are derived from actual fact that aliens came to this planet around 5000-12000 years ago. I admit this sounds crazy, but there is more to the ancient history of mankind and this planet than we have been told, especially by the mainstream historians and egyptologists. The wizard of this song is maybe one of these aliens - 'where is his star?' Building the Great Pyramid - was it a machine - a 'tower of stone'? 'Put his wing together' - his spacecraft. Something has went wrong - but the wizard wasn't a slavemaster or dictator - else why this : 'He gave me back my will' - this wizard is empowering us. And 'My eyes are bleeding, And my heart is weeping, We still hope, we still hope, Oh Take me back' - there is great SADNESS that the wizard has fallen - this is some kind of 'fall', a terrible setback, people have sacrificed their lives for this. We are connected to these aliens, that star is maybe our original home - 'Where is your star, Is it far, Is it far, is it far, When do we leave, I believe, yes, I believe' - this is not 'slavery' or dictatorship - this is something important to us.
Ancient Alien theorists believe we are interbred between primates and aliens - but we still yearn for the power and 'will' of our alien ancestors - to reconnect. The wizard is a fallen angel maybe. There are a lot of myths and religious scriptures that will connect with this song. It is eerily reminiscent of something - it is a story expressed throughout the world's spiritual belief systems across the ages. -
We all can give all our own definitions of the meaning of the song. I do like the theory of Dio's and Blackmore's relationship. Very deep and thought provoking. I first heard this song way back when Dio first joined Black Sabbath (My cousin taught me about music at a young age, learning about Dios musical pass and other bands). At this time I was really involved in differfent mythologies and loved the story of Icarus and his father Daedalus. In my eyes ( I may be wrong but yet we all have our own interpretations hmmmm?) It is the song of Icarus.... well actually the song of a "worker" (or a slave) that is telling of the story of Icarus' flight... the Wizard is his Father since he was the one to make the wings and warned his son not to flight close to the SUN (STAR).. yes Icarus fell into the sea.... but eventually he would wash up on the "sand" beach....shore whatever you may call it. I like the term "keep it simple stupid" at times..so I shall kepp it as simple as in my mind it is the story of Icarus. Yet I could be wrong and I can admit it lol. Sadly Dio has passed on to the huge Rainbow in the sky and cannot ask him personally "what does THIS song mean?"
-ZLR 2013 -
I always thought that the meaning is, under the epic touch in a Babel tower context, a reference to the people who freely gave dictators their power - from the ancient times to modern history.
But I really love the idea that it could be a hidden way to talk about dio/blackmore conflicts.
Actually, Dio knew what he was talking about, freely following his wizard/dictator... -
Lots of over-thinking IMO. I thought of "The Silver Chalice" also. Tower of Babel too etc...
I think it is a simple case of a great songwriter drawing inspiration from all sorts of sources to write what I would call a masterpiece.
We will miss you RJD. -
'High noon, I'd sell my soul for water.' High noon is what I consider to be a classic American saying. Unlike others and what I know of Blackmores personality I can't believe he would allow Dio to ridicule him. My guess is something went wrong in their personal relationship causing Rainbow to morph. Blackmore has always wanted change, look at Night. Deep Purple are still are good band, but sad.
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I'm gonna support a the theory of Dio writing about Blackmore and the abnd at that time based on the lyrics, this theory may be wrong, but strangely it fulfills the history of the band:
High noon
Oh Id sell my soul for water
(Here Dio tells about his attempts to get recognised as a musician and what he will do to get that position)
Nine years worth
Of breakin my back
(9 years since Dio began his musical career in 1967... he had put a lot of effort in becoming a star, but he hadn't reached his objective)
Theres no sun in the shadow of the wizard
See how he glides
Why hes lighter than air
Oh I see his face
(Richie is the wizard, he does need to work to become a rockstar 'cause he's already one)
Where is your star
Is it far, is it far, is it far
(Richie wants to become even greater than he is at that moment)
When do we leave
I believe, yes, I believe
(Dio shares the dream of Richie, and to get that dream, they become a sort of partners)
in the heat and the rain
With whips and chains
Just to see him fly
(Working with Blackmore should be a pain in the ass, but he promises glory for all of them)
So many die
(Not only Dio's ex-ELF mates, but also Deep Purple's members, as Gillian, Coverdale, Hughes... etc)
We built a tower of stone
With our flesh and bone
Just to see him fly
Dont know why
(They where kind of Blackmore's slaves... they were so enchanted by Richie's dream that they forgot their own dreams)
Now where do we go
(At this point Dio's pointing to one of Richie's objectives: to enter in the american market)
Hot wind moving fast across the desert
We feel that our time has arrived
The world spins while we put his wing together
A tower of stone to take him straight to the sky
(Dio thinks they have reached their objective)
All eyes see the figure of the wizard
As he climbs to the top of the world
No sound as he falls instead of rising
Time standing still
Then theres blood on the sand
(Richie wanted so much to enter in the american market that he was decided to try a more comercial sound. Blood in the sand may be a reference to some argues between Dio and him)
Where was your star
Was it far, was it far
When did we leave
We believe, we believe, we believe
(Dio's realize his dream wasn't Blackmore's dream, Richie hasn't got his star... he had believed in him, but at last Richie's betrayed him)
Look at this tower of stone
I see a rainbow rising
Look there on the horizon
And Im coming home
Coming home, Im coming home
(Dio decides to leave Rainbow in search for his own dream, his home)
Time is standing still
He gave me back my will
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Going home
Im going home
My eyes are bleeding
And my heart is weeping
(Richie's lost his control over Dio, he's going to leave the band, but that makes him sad... at last Richie's was the responsable of Dio's success, so he feels that he's also betraying his master)
We still hope, we still hope, oh
(A last chance for Richie... at the end Richie's stuck with his idea of turning Rainbow a more commercial band, so Dio left Rainbow...)
Interesting? a genius like Dio is able to write epic lyrics based on everyday's events... -
This is very metaphorical song, in my view the very best one of Rainbow and one of the best rock pieces ever. The way I see it, he is talking about death and dying; meeting God and getting a star (in the ancient times people were believing that each star in the sky is representing a soul of a dead person), at the same time seeing so many souls flying, not getting their stars... Take me home, I would say, is metaphor for getting the star, finally setting in the eternal home; dying in plain words... The "wizzard" is a metaphor for God he believes in, and people can be concidered slaves of their religion (beliefs) but getting ultimatelly dissapointed.
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It sounds like a reference to the Nazis and Hitler.
"where do we go" may very well refer to the Nazi's desperation on loosing the war and their leader. -
The star is home. When he ask's where is your star? He is talking about home. The people are taken from their homes and enslaved by the Wizard, who is convinced he is a god and his home is in the heavens. The people end up believing in this cause, and when he fails, they don't understand why they were taken away from their homes for a false cause. The end is the people having a revolution that they are free, to go back to their stars.
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I've listened to this song for a bit and have come to 2 conclusions - both of which could be wrong. 1) The wizard was deceived into thinking he could indeed 'fly', and his followers were also deceived into believing his vision of doing so but were disappointed in the end... but I also have wondered if 2) the wizard realized his followers were just simply 'sheep' and needed to be free of following even him, so he has them build this tower knowing full well it will mean his death, but he is willing to die so that they will know that no mere mortal should ever control their lives... I wonder if that is the idea behind the lyrics near the end of the song speaking of a 'rainbow rising' and 'he gave me back my will'... just a thought... so I think the wizard actually liberated them from slavishly following him, a wizard though ultimately a mere mortal...
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Beyond the surface story, which has been analyzed pretty thoroughly, I've always seen the song as having (at least) one more metaphorical layer. To wit, the wizard represents Jesus Christ, his star represents the spiritual enlightenment toward which he was trying to guide his followers, and the tower of stone represents the Christian church. The "tower" required considerable sacrifice to build and certainly employed many "whips and chains" to reach it's current stature (think of the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition), but those who focus on the "tower" and the "blood on the sand" risk overlooking the "star" to which the "wizard" was trying to guide them.
I'm not trying to imply that there's a hidden evangelical meaning in the song, just that the central theme of the tragedy inherent in glorifying the material at the expense of the spiritual seems to be working on multiple levels in the song. It's obviously not a perfect metaphor (for example, the tower is completed before the wizard dies). It's just in the nature of metaphors that to achieve dramatic continuity in the overt story, exact parallels to the alluded story sometimes have to be sacrificed.
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