An Ear For Baby

the song is fairly vague but it obviously continues with the theme of the album. Like in Nazi concentration camps, the citizens of this dystopian christian theocracy are being stripped naked for inspection, to weed out dissidents. the song is narrated by an authoritarian figure telling a newcomer how to act and generally giving orders. "new world order" is of course a reference to Hitler's idea of the new world order.

"work is freedom" seems to be a reference to "Arbeit Macht Frei" at the gates of Auschwitz

"Just breathe, you don't need to understand"

Great lyrics. Really gets the point across.

Definately has to deal with Christian fascits.

This whole record is amazing, because it's hard to tell if it's about living under an oppressive theocratic dictatorship or working in an office.

ok, i love the comment right above this one. working in an office. ha, awesome. i thought it was a joke and then i went back and read the lyrics again. very clever and accurate, dude.

in all seriousness, though, i hear a lot of references to the military ("stick to a numb stare" and "Just breath you don't need to understand" and "good luck getting god on the phone...even a tone"), and its tendency to keep people in the dark with its "sensitive intelligence information" (or lack therof), but mostly the holocaust imagery ("Good luck getting over the fence; Good luck running even a dead end")

also, i feel like this could be about going to church: dressing up, confessing ("groom you for judgment"), and staying on the straight and narrow path ("keep your eyes straight, for christ's sake!).

also "put on your best suit. you know the one they're gonna bury you in!" could refer to the christian quest to avoid hell after death and judgment day. the song might refer to the religious officials as royalty ("inspect the subjects") and "lose your common senses" could refer to some of the religious beliefs which are incongruent with reality (creation v. evolution, christian scientists, the existence of god despite physical evidence, biblical descrepancies, etc.). "i won't leave you with this mess, any questions?" seems like it's talking about not being left behind in the "rapture." the references to "strip to your underwear; it's time for you to be cleansed" could refer to holocaust victims OR baptism.

a biblical reference in the "dead roots" thing:

“For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defy My holy name. They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, and drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath” [Amos 2: 6-9]

God talks about destroying both the fruit and the roots of unrepentant sinners. another meaning could have to do with the fact that a fire or natural disaster will kill the tree above but if the roots are unharmed, it will grow again...maybe. i think more likely the dead roots thing could be forgetting where they came from and moving onto somewhere else to start a "new world order."

also, in the bible, God was always destroying stuff with walls of fire ("good luck getting over the fence")

and there seems to be a few references to the disputes over the holy land or whatever....maybe.

and also....joshua and his having to blindly trust god without knowing what would happen ("good luck getting god on the phone...even a tone...") when he conquered Jericho, which had walls all around so that no one could enter or leave. so when god made the walls of jericho fall, it created a bridge, so josh and the israelities ran in and set everything and everyone on fire (yeesh).

ok, so the title: here's my theory. the lord's supper is the body (bread) the blood (wine)....the machine could mean...mankind's worship of technology...but i doubt it. actually, i would really like to hear somebody's insight on that. 'cause it's totally over my head.

"an ear for baby"....lend me your ears? I think, with his mention of sirens and alarms he might be talking about how groups in society are deaf to what its leaders are doing....and he keeps referring to fire. so i figure he's sort of talking about a fire alarm. saying, "hey, can't you see what's going on? fuckin' get out of the house; it's on fuckin fire!"

wow, i really didn't mean to be that thorough, but i got curious.

"Can you hear me? The siren's on Let the water run, leave the light's on An ear for baby if you need it Can you hear me? I'll repeat it"

I feel like the line "let the water run, leave the lights on" is referring to the tendency to believe we're living in the end times. The siren's on, warning of the apocalypse, and thus our actions on earth have no true consequence other than what serves our immediate chances of salvation. And the "ear for baby" couplet is the fascist state placating the masses, acting as a maternal figure and promising to look out for our best interests. "Can you hear me?" implies the inescapable influence of a fascist state, imo. Fantastic album.

So... "An ear for baby if you need it?"

Perhaps the band can give us insight in to this one?