"The Inner Light" is a George Harrison piece from 1968, released as the B-side of "Lady Madonna". It displays Harrison's Indian influence and inspiration and, as it was recorded in Mumbai, India, features Indian artists on various instruments (including the sitar, shehnai, flute, sarod, tabla, pakhavaj, dholak, and harmonium.
As we know from other Harrison works, he was greatly inspired by North India's music and spiritual culture. The lyrics in "The Inner Light" are actually from the Taoist Tao Te Ching, a Chinese classic text. The 47th chapter reads (from one translation): "Without stirring abroad/One can know the whole world;/Without looking out of the window/One can see the way of heaven."
This is quite a beautiful song, both musically and lyrically. The exotic-sounding instruments paired with the soul-searching lyrics, which ask the listener to look inward for knowledge and peace, create a lovely and fascinating piece. The lines that say, "The farther one travels, the less one knows / The less one really knows" seem to be saying something similar to "The more I see, the less I know," meaning, in short, that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know. I happen to agree with that sentiment/philosophy, so this song resonates with me. :)
That's all for today. See you tomorrow!
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Heard It Tally: 51
Songs Completed: 205
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