The song "Behind Blue Eyes" was originally part of Pete Townshend's "lifehouse project", which was shelved. Of course, a great deal of that aborted project would end up on the album "Who's Next", including this song. It is written from the point of view of the "villain" character (from the story that compromises the "lifehouse project"), showing even bad people have emotions like the rest of us. The "behind blue eyes" refers to the thoughts and feelings of the villain, in his head, behind his eyes.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you
No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
In Mark's gospel chapter five Jesus sets out with his disciples for the Roman occupied Gerasenes. Within the vicinity of a Roman garrison and close to the village. A man lived among the tombs, down by the pigs, A social outcast, a villain, a dangerous man, some said a mad man. Who in his madness was uncontrollable in his rage and venom. Someone who could no longer live in the sanctity of the village. A prisoner, chained hand and foot, but with the strength to break out of the irons he was placed in. In the words of the song "A bad man, a sad man, hated, full of vengeance, possessed by an army from the pits of hell. Nothing about this land is kosher; everything was unclean; spirits, tombs, swine and the territory, everything within this story cries "get out of there Jesus". But he keeps on coming! What for - for the "Bad man, the sad man behind blue eyes"
Mark 5:1-20
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
The great message of this story: The people in the village that Legion came from would have considered that this man was a waste of space or an idiot or worse a villain, they would have viewed Legion as less than human and mocked and laughed at him while their children probably teased him or made fun of him, added to this because they believed people in this tragic condition had evil gods called demons possessing them and because of this they would have had him cast out of the city. At worse they would have feared him and his evil cohorts. This all would have compounded to the mans feeling of depression, condemnation and rejection. Just like in the song"No one knows what it's like" Jesus does Legion. (To all the Legions that are in society today) Jesus knows what it's like to be condemned and rejected. In the midst of Legion's chaos Jesus does something that no-one else will do. He comes to the "Man behind blue eyes". He comes to this suffering, lonely, man society considers a reject, He comes to this man who has been rejected and scorned. He comes to a man who has been branded an outsider. Sentenced to live a life outside the community. A life sentence, with no hope, no love, no care. Jesus comes to this man on the margins of life and society. He come to a person who too often has been branded a villain and shows him God’s great mercy and compassion.
Here is the great lesson - That everyone on the face of the planet has worth, that each person no matter how damaged is of great value. That even those who are so far removed from what some would call normal living, are worth pursuing, helping and giving mercy and grace to. Even villains weep. We too as the church need to learn this lesson. Jesus set out on this excursion across the lake in a boat with his twelve disciples, where did they get to? It was only Jesus that came ashore. The Disciples were like the church is at times more concerned with their own wellbeing.........but I guess that's another story.
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