The Confessor
Lyrics by Joe Walsh
At just over 7 minutes long, The Confessor meets my first requirement of an epic piece of rock and roll. It also strikes me as two compositions in one - the first half is gentle in a dreamlike state then stops and switches to hard and angry (kind of like the way Tina Turner introduced Proud Mary). Another observation of the music itself is that the song seems to have two different drum parts. Can you distinguish between the conventional drums and an electronic set? The electronic is played in the first half, but sort of muffled. Conventional drums take over the start of the second half and they are intermingled toward the end. The electronic is a little more echoey. If you know what to listen for, it's definitely there.
Something else I learned is about the cover artwork. It is a slight edit of a painting called "Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes" by Caspar David Friedrich, which translates to "Two men contemplating the moon". Perhaps what they are contemplating in this instance, is the real Joe Walsh. Walsh has been pretty open with his relationship with addiction and maybe this album is his confession, and a window into his true self.
The recounting starts off slow and melodic with building electronic keyboards and some very clear 12-string guitar. With an eye of wonder the singer begins reflecting on life and how reality may not be what it seems. Could he be painting a picture of the deception that leads a person down the road to addiction?
At mid point there is an interlude of silence, followed by a change of time signature, pace and realization as if it is twenty years later. The intensity picks up as the singer, having lived life, made horrible mistakes, reached a crossroads and now wants to tell us what the real world is like. The overall tone is "You better listen to what I'm saying - I'm telling you the truth". Over a driving, yet simple solo drumbeat, he goes on to describe how it feels (as the confessor) to admit the exact nature of our sins to God, ourselves and another human being. God knows you. You know you. You can't lie. You're completely naked and humiliated. This is rigorous honesty. Yes, it's brutal, but necessary to be The Confessor.
Then the Rock and Roll kicks in - which is why we put this record on. We are treated to a minute and a half jam session of guitar work and percussion of the previously mentioned two drum sounds. Be sure you have it turned up loud now as it builds to a crescendo of screaming guitar licks blaring an audio picture of how the addiction became overwhelming. The mood seems to calm for a second, but then the singer passionately scolds and reminds us with a whole list of repercussions that have a grip on us and keep us in bondage. He pleads for us to let go.
When it's over, it's over (the song, not the addiction). At some point, you have to make up your mind to give it up.
The Confessor
If you look at your reflection in the bottom of a well
What you see is only on the surface
If you try to see the meaning, hidden underneath
The measure of the depth can be deceiving
The bottom has a rocky reputation
You can feel it in the distance
The deeper down you stare
From up above it's hard to see
But you know it when you're there
On the bottom words are shallow
On the surface talk is cheap
You can only judge the distance by the company you keep
In the eyes of the confessor
In the eyes of the confessor
There's no place you can hide
You can't hide from the eyes (of the confessor)
Don't you even try
In the eyes of the confessor
You can't tell a lie
You cannot tell a lie (to the confessor)
Strip you down to size
Naked as the day that you were born
Naked as the day that you were born
Take all the trauma, drama, comments
The guilt and doubt and shame
The what if's and if only's
The shackles and the chains
The violence and aggression
The pettiness and scorn
The jealousy and hatred
The tempest and discord
And give it up!
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