His grandmother's favorite hymn was "The Unclouded Day" and I daresay if he had a typical upbringing in a small Texas town in the 40s and 50s, then the family went to church on Sundays.

And he nicked the chorus of "The Sweet By-and-By" by Bennett in "The Sad Cafe." I always wondered why he wasn't included in the songwriting credits. Surely switching the order of the phrases isn't enough to make it "original."

However, one need not ever have attended church to be familiar with the Biblical imagery that characterizes Christ as a shepherd.

In this song, we see him condemn Christianity as false along with other things that people are seeking to fill the void in their lives, reducing Jesus to nothing but one more "wrong god" with "starry-eyed" delusions of grandeur.

The "be still" line is not a nod to the Bible he's just disavowed. It's his replacement for the Bible. Heaven is not where you go to be with God. "Heaven [is] lying at your feet." You don't need anything external like a "starry-eyed messiah" who will just "meet a violent farewell." If you could just look away from such a messiah and "awaken" - if you could just "learn to be still" instead, then you'd find happiness. Take heed and maybe "someday you will." That's the message of this song.

Note: The opinions expressed above are my interpretation of what Henley is trying to say - not my own opinions. Quite the opposite. I'm not a fan of the song.