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Under-standing Rock
Example 1.10. A-Ab-G motive in the A-section bridge and, as was discussed earlier, a certain amount of rhythmic and metric tension is present (see ex. 1.2). The bridge sections, by contrast, are in major keys (though in different keys at each appearance), with a far more conventional melodic contour in the voice; there is no unusual rhythmic tension, and the harmonic progression suggests that traditional voice leading is operative (see ex. 1.10). One could, then, view the verse as in some way capturing a kind of chaotic and perhaps primitive material realm, while the bridge stands for a more refined and even more life-affirming spiritual realm. The lyrics in these sections tend to reinforce this interpretation; consider, for instance, the following lyrics from the A-section verse: A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour These images tend to focus on being lost amid the confusion of material existence, contrasting "the depths of your disgrace" with the prospect of attaining "the solid mental grace." Perhaps, as in the novel, the "music that came quickly from afar" is the holy Om pronounced by the river itself. By contrast, the bridge lyrics tend to be concerned more with images of a higher and simpler vision. Consider these lyrics drawn from the A-section bridge: Getting over all the times I had to worry Leaving all the changes far from far behind We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name The chorus then follows with: Down at the end, round by the corner Close to the edge, just by the river Seasons will pass you by I get up, I get down Now that it's all over and done, now that you find, now that you're whole