I know a bunch of people hate it because they say its preachy and its in code about religion or jehovah witness stuff but honestly i've listened all the way through it at least once and I don't know truly the point he's trying to get across so could someone who does understand it and its ticked off by the message simply tell me wtf he's actually talking about?

No B.s. here i'm honestly confused. I wanna know.

All I get is Banished Ones, Rainbow Children and a Darth Vader narration.

Its as clear as mud to me.

It's a propoganda piece for the Jehovah's Witnesses...with some sexism and anti-semitism thrown in for good measure.

Genesia said:

I keep hearing that but noone says how it is.

Love2tha9s said:

There are these lyrics about 'Goldberg' stealing yr family name or some bullshit. That's the anti-semetic part.

Then there's another lyric about "Man under god, woman under man", that's the sexism part.

Rainbow Children is Prince at his most deeply tragic.

Love2tha9s said:

Cause it's NOT.

Graycap23 said:

How is "Man under god, woman under man" not sexist?

JudasLChrist said:

because in the beginning there was God


God created Man

God Created Woman


how is that sexist?

One of my favorite albums musically. The lyrics mean nothing to me.

If you're talking about family name I always understood that more as in reference to slaves losing their original african names not a slight at jews.

JudasLChrist said:

Did u see what I highlighted in my comment?

Genesia said:

If it is this, it is purely on the part of P himself. The JW's had NOTHING to do with it. They did not help with the lyrics.

This was P's artistic expression of what he got out of his Bible Study. Different people interpret their studies diferently. This is P's interpretation.

dollwoman said:

Agreed. I do not harbor any ill feelings against Witnesses as a group for The Rainbow Children.

Love2tha9s said:

not everyone hates this album i love this masterpeice. people tend 2 get all overworked on this album because of their personal belief systems and don't want 2 here their hero prince going in2 the JW faith.

this album is semi autobiographical if u really listen 2 it, and knew what was happening in prince's life at the time ..the banished ones, well one of them was mayte 4 sure..the muse is mani ..the rainbow children could b interpeted as the new power generation as a whole and not just the band members.

the only thing i hate is how people always say "the darth vader voice" it's the same voice he's used throughout his career on tracks like bob george, the whole tora tora character on exodus, temptation etc etc ..

JAMES EARL JONES IS NOT ON THE RAINBOW CHILDREN ALBUM so spread the word ..and stop referring 2 it as the darth vader voice
[Edited 6/25/09 10:56am]

L4OATheOriginal said:

Yeah thats my bad, I have to admit it is the same voice. I had just been saying it without thinking about it because I heard others say so.

Love2tha9s said:

BINGO we have a winner

Love2tha9s said:

First clue is on the title track when he says the Rainbow Children are flying on the wings of the "New Translation". That is the version of the Bible that JW's use. It's unlike any other translation. It debunks Christ being the son of God in being the Savior of the world. They don't fully acknowledge the trinity of God, Son, and Holy Spirit. (You can even see a pic of his New Translation bible in the 21 Nights book.)

The banished ones are those who don't believe in the JW g-d, and dispute the word of g-d. Unlike Protestant religions, JW's believe they are the ONLY ones going to heaven, and yet out of 300,000,000 people just in America, apparently only 144,000 in total are going to heaven. I've yet to find where Christ said THAT in the New Testament. It's heresy.

As far as the voice...well, who knows. Maybe he just didn't want HIS voice on it, but rather a deep, more g-d like voice, telling the story.

JudasLChrist was right about the Goldberg thing and the anti-Jewish statements. Yes, we know blacks had their names changed when they came here. But so did anyone else who showed up at Ellis Island 80 years ago. It's very segregated thinking on Prince's part.

He chants about theocratic order and how women are below men. Well in some regards, the Bible has referred to women as the "weaker vessel", but that doesn't mean they're less able to perform any function a man can. Women are very prominent in the Bible, as teachers, preachers, apostles, etc. JW's refuse to acknowledge this.

It's basically Prince saying "My way or the highway." He's even chanted about dead blood (JW's don't believe in blood transfusions) in another song not on TRC. (Slaughterhouse?)

Love2tha9s said:

Which is why all the other names are stereotypically Jewish names...like Rosenbloom, Pearlman, and Goldstruck.

L4OATheOriginal said:

I have to say that theory is out of whack. Mayte was gone before 1999 was over. TRC was released in 2001, recorded in late 2000, early 2001. A year or more had passed since she left. If Mani is the muse, then Prince is crowing himself the Pharaoh, and even the JW g-d says "Pride cometh before a fall." TRC is not a reference to the NPG. That whole album is so above and beyond Prince and his wives and girlfriends. It's full on religious ranting.

Genesia said:

EXACTLY.

ernestsewell said:

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Sounds like a well reasoned thought out answer. I have JWs in my family so I knew some of that but didn't know some of the other. Thanks for feeling in my blank spots. Yeah I was just confused as to how some it fit in with the story on the album. I think that helped.

I do agree about the dead blood, 144 thousand and the stuff about not believing Jesus was the son of God and all that, thats why i've always called JWs a sect instead of the real way but then again that is a discussion for another thread I suppose.

ernestsewell said:

i have seen ur other posts regarding this album and i know u hate it. what i bolded goes 2 show that u didn't listen closely 2 the song family name. where it clearly states somewhere in london in the 1800's how slaves were asked what their name was and changed 2 another name and cut off their culture, family and everything else related 2 the african heritage. Last names were used 2 reflect their slave masters last name or as that family's trade line of work. so if someone was a blacksmith..that was their last name Blacksmith.

prince has even said he likes the name Rosenbloom cause that person could b a Rose In bloom. so where is that anti-semetic remarks in that?

L4OATheOriginal said:

Like I said.....It's NOT.

Genesia said:

Well I have to agree with you on that one, I could understand the point he was originally making but no reason to use just Jewish names after the fact, unless he is accusing Jewish people of being slave owners as well?

ernestsewell said:

mayte was still around in early parts of 1999 and if u saw his face at the celebrations in 2000 when mayte's face was shown on the screens..he was very much still in love with her

mani is the muse in the story of the rainbow children cause in "she's loves me 4 me" he says with this one i can b what i want 2 b and thus begins the comparison between mayte and mani

Love2tha9s said:

If it's not anti-semitic then one has to think that Prince was very much treading he line. But why did he choose to tread that line in the first place? It ends up looking like he's trying to say something shitty about Jews specifically. I can't come to any other conclusion but anti-semitism. Fuck him. It's absolutely unacceptable.

L4OATheOriginal said:

True, and not like it was a lie.
[Edited 6/25/09 11:24am]

JudasLChrist said:

ernestsewell said:[quote]

144,000 in total are going to heaven. I've yet to find where Christ said THAT in the New Testament. It's heresy.[quote]

it's in the book of revelations....


I think this is prince's 2nd spiritual album...the 1st beeing lovesexy...
And it is about prince's new Relationship with GOD...I'm not JW but I agree and relate with many things Prince is singing about....Great album
[Edited 6/25/09 11:21am]

I think this album is impossible to interpret as a whole really though anyway.

I see it as having 3 different sets of lyrics.

1, You have the overall meaning I suppose together if you wanna come up with one.

2. You have the lyrics of the actual individual songs.

3. You have the lyrics of just the spoken Bob George Narrative.

Hard to make all those fit into one theme, also if you listen to "Family Name" that song doesn't fit in with the rest of them or "Last December" either if you're talking about Banished Ones and Rainbow Children...One is political and one overall seems like it has its own spiritual message seperate from the rest of the songs telling the story.

If you wanna make the whole thing and all lyrics fit together as one whole I suppose you can but I don't think it serves it well. Some seems just individual to itself.