Hallow to Our Men

Song Meaning

This song reworks the Lord's Prayer, shifting the focus from a divine entity to "our men which are above." It's a plea for their "craft" to be hallowed, suggesting a desire for their skills and creations to be recognized and perhaps even revered. The lyrics express a hope that this "craft" will bring enjoyment, mirroring a heavenly state onto earthly existence. The central tension lies in the stark contrast between the supplicants' current reality and the idealized world of "our men." The desert imagery, explicitly stated as "no Savannah," highlights a harsh, barren existence. This scarcity makes the request for "manna" – a divine provision – all the more poignant, as it's a desperate need for sustenance and relief from hardship. The most striking element is the repeated, almost hypnotic, emphasis on the superiority and permanence of the "men's" world. Phrases like "far more knowledge," "far more power," and "it will outlast ours" underscore a profound sense of inadequacy and transience in the narrator's own world. This is amplified by the overwhelming repetition of "For ever and ever," which drives home the perceived eternal nature of this higher realm. The effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their bold recontextualization of a familiar prayer. By replacing the divine with a human-centric authority, the song creates a unique sense of yearning and dependency. The stark imagery and the relentless assertion of the "men's" world's dominance make the plea for "manna" and "sparing" feel both deeply personal and universally resonant in its expression of need.