There is a Kingdom for Aquaman

Zack Snyder's Justice League has a unique array of music. One scene with Aquaman features an Icelandic lullaby. Lois Lane has a moment while Nick Cave's motif of death and love plays in the background. Meanwhile, Aquaman has another scene accompanied by music and with another tune from Nick Cave. The song in question is "There is a Kingdom" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

The song begins to play in Chapter 3 when Arthur Curry, The Aquaman, brings the fisherman he just rescued into the bar. While in the bar, we hear an instrumental merely over the bar radio. When Arthur leaves the bar, the song comes to the foreground with the lyrics in play now. However, we only get the second verse of this musical piece and chorus, not the first verse.

The starry heavens above me

The moral law within

So the world appears

So the world appears

This day so sweet

It will never come again

So the world appears

Through this mist of tears

The first two lines of this verse are telling. Philosopher Immanuel Kant said something similar.

“Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.”

What is the connection, you ask? Kant was a philosopher, one who tried to secularize and rationalize Christianity. Nietzsche went as far as to call Kant a 'Christian apologist.' Kant also came from the period of Enlightenment and classical liberalism. We soon learn that Arthur has no respect for the traditions and trappings of the ancient monarchy of Atlantis. He certainly does not appear as a man of faith, referring to the Atlanteans as 'superstitious.' We can find some literal meaning in these words of Kant for Arthur. Aquaman seems to return to the stars above him, the surface world. As much of a rebel and loner as Arthur tries to act, we see him always arriving to do the right thing - feeding a poor village, saving a lone fisherman, and defending a people he does not like. The lines 'This day so sweet, It will never come again' certainly hold some weight. It may not be an overall great day for Arthur, but it beats what is about to endure for Arthur with the arrival of Steppenwolf in Atlantis.

However, the first verse and overall song have some Christian tones as well. The Gospel of Thomas III uses some similar language as the song, which you can read below and compare.

Just like a bird that sings up the sun

In a dawn so very dark

Such is my faith for you

Such is my faith

And all the world's darkness can't swallow up

A single spark

Such is my love for you

Such is my love

Jesus said, “If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the (Father’s) kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father’s) kingdom is within you and it is outside you."

It is hard not to draw a Jesus-like connection to Arthur Curry. You already have the appearance with the beard and long hair. Also, Aquaman is a nomad helping powerless people and a man of parents from different worlds - an Atlantean and a man, or God and a human.

Yet, what is this kingdom the song continues to bring up in the chorus? Zack Snyder found a double meaning for the hook in the context of the film. This kingdom is Heaven, and this king is Christ. He lives within Heaven but also outside of Heaven in us. Arthur is to be king of Atlantis, which he belongs to by rite, but hardly lives there, but only passes through. If anything, Arthur the king lives without Atlantis, as he tries to reject his responsibility. Yet, he still lives in Atlantis, according to the desires and beliefs of Vulko and Mera.

I cannot help but feel there is more to this song and its use in the film. If you like what you read here please feel free to leave a like and or tip. Plus, you can read my other pieces on the music in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Why The Lullaby for Aquaman?

Lois Lane's Distance to The Sky