Dead Man Walking

Ahh.... so it's finally my last semester of high school, and I'm so excited to be moving forth with my life! But before the celebrating starts, I have three more courses to complete, including one that excites me to no end: philosophy.
My philosophy teacher recently gave us the assignement of finding a song that resonates with us in a philosophical sense, and I wanted to share the lyrics, and discussion questions, that I will be using with my beautiful-souled friends here at Gaia. If you have any personal responses you\d like to share with me, I'd love to hear from you!

 

Dead Man Walking (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

You never had a dream like this

Never felt the cold cold steel

Slam you like a fist

Break you down until you kneel

Just like a beggar man

Asking only for redemption

All the things that can

Make a man believe in heaven

Fix your eyes upon the bars

Memorize their other side

Like the tattoos on your arms

They brag so loud and tough that night

But now the truth comes out

Fast as feel can do your talking

It sets you free as one guard shouts

Dead man walking

When neither light nor darkness

When neither night or day

When neither kind nor heartless

When neither lost or saved

When neither still nor moved

When neither held or free

Oh to be so human

Dead man walking

When neither light nor darkness

When neither night or day

When neither kind nor heartless

When neither lost or saved

When neither still nor moved

When neither held or free

Oh to be so human

Oh to be

Somewhere in a dream like this where

Light of love leads us home

Broken worlds will not be fixed

Vengeance take us as thy own

We're just like beggars now

On our knees we hear our names

God forgives somehow

We have yet to learn the same

Discussion Questions:

• 1. As conscious beings, do we have the right to ask for forgiveness after we have committed a grievous act? Can redemption be delivered in this case?
• 2. Do you agree with Chaplin Carpenter's description of what it is to be human?
• 3. Does death (and more particularly the death penalty) help heal victims' wounds, and is it ethical to kill those who have killed?
• 4. What does the phrase "Broken worlds will not be fixed/ Vengeance take us as thy own" mean to you?
• 5. Given the lyrics of the song, is it possible that we are all prisoners (and victims) of this world?