Shiola

      "i steal a look between the blinds, i unwind
       she sleeps in comfort in my arms"

He's the kind of guy that protects his family, so after they've gone to sleep he checks outside to make sure there is no danger lurking and then to lay with his wife

       "she is plain, but she is mine
        our child is silent but awake
        i run my hand through his hair
        i teach him manners and how to
        stick up for himself when things get bad
        i tell him "son, never throw the first punch
        and if you must fight, make it clean""

All of this describes the love he has for his family (despite how plain his wife is) and shows that the singer loves his family. He doesn't want to kill them, he wants to protect them and teach his children well. Overall he's an average guy that loves his family.

       "shiola, will all be forgiven?
        shiola, am i strong enough to start again alone?"

This is crucial, and I don't think that he's killed his family, but he feels guilty for their demise. They didn't just leave because the end of the song indicates that he wants to die, not just be with them again. I think disaster is onto something when he likens the word shiola to inshallah, I think he knows that it was God's will for his family to die, but he still feels like it was his fault.

       "the taste of home is filling up my mouth
        is it wrong to love a family of ghosts?"

Home is obviously a reference to heaven or the afterlife, and he has a taste for it. He wants to die so he can be with his family.

       "her door is open, the windows are all up
        she says "come inside""

I think here he's talking about death calling to him.

       "i live alone, more or less
        i summon wife, child, and happiness"

Here, I think it's a continuation of the last phrase but he's not calling their ghosts, he's reliving the memories of having them with him and the memories are ghost like to him.

        "build them up from the dirt and clay
         i have to believe that all will be forgiven"

No matter how hard he tries, he can't bring them back and he can't shake his guilt.

        "my heart is overflowing
         the love and anger coiled into one"

He loves his family so much that he hates himself for letting them die, even if he had nothing to do with it. It was his job to keep them safe and he didn't.

        "they take and take, but never get their fill
         i try and try, but fail against my will"

He's talking about the love and anger here, not his family. It's the love of his family and the anger he has towards himself that are tearing him apart and he can't stop the emotions from controlling his actions.

         "i wait and wait for that hand to sweep me up
          and take me down the road home"

Here he's talking about waiting for death to come and take him. And yeah, I'm pretty sure the creak at the end is him walking through death's door.

Thoughts?