So where is the "house of the water sign"? : Astrology and The Moody Blues' Strange Times

The source and my interpretation

Years went by, time just fell away
Love was worshiped like the sun
But as we arrive at the house of the water sign
We're living in strange times

Time stands still
As we race through the universe
On our way to the sun
And as we arrive at the house of the water sign
We're living in strange times

Strange Times, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, 1999.

So what's my take on this? Good question. I see several possible interpretations.

1. The literal view - real world style.
   There is such a thing as a house of the water sign - perhaps a mill? or a water bottling plant? an inn called "The Bubbling Brook"? (goodness knows that there are enough called the "Red Lion") - and that is where the narrator and unknown companions are heading.
2. The literal view - astrological style.
   The houses are linked to the signs, and the three water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces - so the houses of the water signs would be the fourth (home life), eighth (sex, money), and twelfth (faith). So the Sun would be in the houses of the water signs three times in a day - the twelfth house around dawn, then the eighth house around eight hours later, and finally the fourth house eight hours past that. (Horrendously oversimplified - please do not rely on that statement for anything important - such as quoting me in public!)
3. The loose view - astrological style.
   Messrs Hayward and Lodge didn't see the need to differentiate (or didn't know the difference) between "house" and "age" - astrologically speaking, of course. Nor between "water sign" and "water bearer." So "the house of the water sign" actually refers to the Age of Aquarius.

I happen to lean toward theory three.

Why?

Theory number one has some real potential - I liked one Lost-Chords posting linking it to the "Lady of Shallott" back when we thought it might be water side. However, thematically, the earth-bound interpretation doesn't seem to go with the rest of the song, or with the rest of the album, for that matter. Yes, they may be "between the earth and sky" (Foolish Love, Justin Hayward, 1999), but they seem to be looking outward and upward. The phrases "Here the river's just a sewer" (Cities, Justin Hayward. 1967) and "all they notice is their feet" (Love and Beauty, Mike Pinder, 1967) have no place in this recording.

Theory number two is technically possible (although if I ever had to schedule a c-section the last thing I would worry about would be the rising sign), but I can't agree with it in the context of this song. Several specific phrases within the song - long time ago, back in the mist of time, years went by, temples in ruins - all point to a much longer period than the time it takes to get from one literal house of the water sign to another.

Theory number three seems the most realistic to me, for a few reasons.

• Most people are surprised to learn that Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is not a water sign. It's a common area of confusion.
• Also, most people get their introduction to astrology via the daily horoscopes. All you need to know is your sun sign for those. Houses, ascendants and ages are all superfluous.
• The ages, since they take a few thousand years apiece, are entirely appropriate to the massive changes mentioned in the song.
• Be honest now - if you heard "the Age of Aquarius" in a song, wouldn't you immediately think of the musical Hair?

I suspect that Justin and John wanted to allude to the Age of Aquarius, but were leery of saying so directly. They might have wanted to be a bit ambiguous or they might have wanted to avoid the direct comparison with Hair - I couldn't say. It's a pity, in a way - the phrase "Age of Aquarius" would have fit in beautifully - it has the right number of syllables and the right metrical rhythm.

So they changed "age" to "house" (which introduces ambiguity, intentional or not), and changed "Aquarius" to "Water Bearer" and then to "water sign." That change, I understand. Not only is it a common point of confusion, "water bearer" breaks the rhythm. "Water sign" has the advantage of the proper number of syllables, and the bonus of the long i - the same as in "times."

Of course, I could be wrong. It has been known to happen once or twice. ;-) Heaven knows, I never figured out the meaning behind "Gemini Dream." If John hadn't explained it in Legend of a Band - that it refers to the duality of the public persona and the private person, hence the twins - I'd still be wondering. And I'm a Gemini.

I hope this gives you some food for thought. If you find errors in these pages, please let me know. All my mistakes are made with the best of intentions, and I appreciate kindness when others find them.

This page is copyright ©1999 Denise Plourde. All rights reserved.

URL: http://dplourde.home.netcom.com/strangetimes/meaning.html
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Personal page	Created on: 5 September 1999. Grammatical goofs corrected on: 31 May 2000.
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