Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: power-pop
Song Meaning of “Altar Boy (Live To Adat)” by Cotton Mather
“Altar Boy (Live To Adat)” recounts the story of a religious figure, the altar boy, who is living a rather complex life. On one hand, he is devoted to his faith and he has the solemn duty of serving in the temple. On the other hand, he is being called by his natural curiosity and self-discovery, yearning for something more exciting, and dreading the conformity of his everyday life.
The song narrates this struggle between the emotions of faith and the need for freedom through vivid imagery. The singer paints the altar boy as a prisoner in the “tower of gold” feeling disconnected from the temple filled with “angels singing a hymn of slavery”. He feels guilt for having ‘sinners on his mind’ as he serves God at the altar, while being focused on his own ambitions.
The internal conflict reaches its climax when the altar boy realizes he needs to make a choice between staying true to his faith or embracing a newfound freedom. He is willing to “give up the robe and yoke” if that is what it takes to be true to himself. The song ends poetically, with the chorus emphasizing that whatever he decides, it will define him and become his destiny: “I’m living to adapt, I’m living to adat.”