THis has been floating around Facebook for a couple of days on a page called The Ladder and others..

Originally Credited to Andre T ..

PROFOUND..

WHat do you all think ?

[Edited 2/21/17 5:09am]

Totally agree... I always knew the song lyrics were about God/Jesus/The Holy Spirit. The references are really obvious (not a woman/not a man... If you're evil I'll forgive you... I'm your messiah... I would die 4 U.... I'm a dove). The dove reference is obvious as that is the way The Holy Spirit is characterized on more than one occasion in the Bible. And during live performances Prince would usually sing "He's your messiah and you're the reason why cuz U...."

I never took the time to see the 3 verses as each distinctly from the point of view of God the Father, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit so that is cool to see. The lyrics don't seem to go with the picture of Prince you posted though, but great post!

E319 said:

Totally agree... I always knew the song lyrics were about God/Jesus/The Holy Spirit. The references are really obvious (not a woman/not a man... If you're evil I'll forgive you... I'm your messiah... I would die 4 U.... I'm a dove). The dove reference is obvious as that is the way The Holy Spirit is characterized on more than one occasion in the Bible. And during live performances Prince would usually sing "He's your messiah and you're the reason why cuz U...."

I never took the time to see the 3 verses as each distinctly from the point of view of God the Father, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit so that is cool to see. The lyrics don't seem to go with the picture of Prince you posted though, but great post!

You are right...edited

I don't know what's profound about the picture..because nothing.

As far as the lyrics... Profound is defined as having a great insight or knowledge; of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense.

If you look at what we know of Prince's religious leanings and spiritual growth journey, his references to God were rather juvenile at 26-years-old. He had a general knowledge of church basics - the trinity, holidays, communion, the rapture, salvation, etc. He wasn't exactly chanting about stauros at First Avenue just yet. His references to God and religion were the same as a teenage Sunday schooler. By that age, you know the Lord's prayer, you know phrases like "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth", you know John 3:16, or Luke 2:11, or the Roman road. Those things popped up in songs like "Controversy", and even the end-times is in "1999" and "Crystal Ball". In fact, Prince was political before he was religious in his music.

Comparatively, in the late 90s and early aughts, Prince's beliefs did become more clear (thanks mostly to Larry Graham, who is a devout follower of his faith). It's kind of poetic, and understandable, that he went through such a hard time in the 90s during the years, then came out in 1996 with a new spiritual outlook and understanding.

"I Would Die 4 U" is a pop song, with religious overtones. It's clever in each of its verses. "Purple Rain" is divided up by the narrator and address three different people in each verse (Apollonia, his Band, his father).

This was the 80s, and religion was the new thing to insert into music. Gospel-tinged songs, or direct references to God or Christ were common. Toto's "Stranger In Town", and "Africa" are examples. For Prince to do it isn't as unique as most would think. Doesn't make him common, it just means he was in the moment when what was going on in pop music in the 80s.

TrivialPursuit said:

I don't know if it's profound or not, what i know is that i love the song, and the energy and conviction he sings it with.

Wow, this thread just further enhanced my love of 4 IWD4U! Back in October, on the thread "Complete list of songs that Quote Scripture" http://prince.org/msg/7/434106, some1 mentioned that IWD4U was about Jesus. And after I read that comment, the song made so much more sense to me and my love 4 it has grown. This interpretation of IWD4U, with each verse being from the perspective of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who make up the Holy Trinity, is absolutely magnificent. think this interpretations makes even more sense than the interpretation that the song is from the perspective of Christ. What a divinely beautiful song!

a BIG duh....

For me, this song established that P would never allow himself to be defined by limiting labels, and by extension he's asking us to expand beyond our own and society's self-imposed limitations.

206Michelle said:

bilbolives said:

For me, this song established that P would never allow himself to be defined by limiting labels, and by extension he's asking us to expand beyond our own and society's self-imposed limitations.

I agree...not only THis SONG...

Prince was constantly challenging us to e x p a n d ourselves along with him...

rogifan said:

anangellooksdown said:

Yes, I think he was expressing his early love for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The only line I think needs good contemplation by us is: "I'm not your friend." God/Jesus/HS is our Friend. And we can talk to Him /Her/It like a Friend. We think we can't because many of us have a punitive or bargaining Higher Power. But that isn't who He/She/It is. He/She/Ut is absolutely crazy about us all. "I'm not your friend" = I'm not at the human level (except in part with Jesus) and I will require things of you that your friends won't [Edited 2/21/17 8:10am]

He later changed the line 'I'm not your friend.' to 'But I'll be your friend.' I think it's on the live recording that I have on an import cd that has the these tracks: 1-Erotic City (Dance Mix) 2- I Would Die For YOu (Extended Version).

I thought he was singing about Jesus.

oliviacamron said:

I thought he was singing about Jesus.

I think the same.

<3