Vital Vessels Vindicate

"As mammouths depart" is a brilliant metaphor describing things that once seemed so important, leaving his life and Ms. Leading's life. It beautifully contrasts the flames which seem like small little parts of life until they start large fires.

On a smaller, more immediate definition of the fire and the flame in this song, however I wonder if he fears he is doomed to his father's fate consorting with prostitutes and he can't escape his destiny.

Pure guesses, but just thinking Act III might involve finding out that the pimp/priest was the one intercepting Ms. Leading's letters. The Dear Hunter will confront him about it and they will get into a violent struggle, which The Dear Hunter will lose. There will then be a song about his shame at his own inaddequacy and he will debate calling the cops on the pimp/priest. He wants to do this TO the priest, but fears for the future of all the prostitutes who make their living becasue of him such as his mother and Ms. Leading. I think he will end up calling the cops though.

The time line is a little confusing because that one song was entitled 1878, but in Smiling Swine he mentions a car. Perhaps prostitution isn't even illegal whenever and wherever the Dear Hunter lives, merely speculating.

I view the line "The flame is gone but the fire remains" as such...

In Act I, the prologue states that a woman (Ms Terri) was led of into the flame of love. It also states that t"To death and life, as hand in hand." The woman lost one love and gained another. As far as the flame being gone and the fire remaining, just view the flame as a love flame and the fire as The Dear Hunter--a love child.

Now, here at the end of Act II, we hear that same line again with almost the same inflection. This leads me to anticipate a love child of his own with Ms Leading which, of course, would add a whole shit-ton of material to fill in four more albums.

im thinking that this is the dear hunter leaving on a boat and heading out to a new life, or the war which i think is what the next album is about. hes saying goodbye to the memories and pain of the death of this mother and his love for miss leading.

whatever it is its definately him leaving on a boat. "Salt in the sky in the sweet summer air while mammoths depart" obviously the salt of the sea. and maby the mamoths departing are large boats departing from the docks as he approaches.

"Goodbye, my eyes shed heavy tears" him saying goodbye

"Ebb to the left flow to the right The exit's unflawed The boys on the train" more references to boats, the ebb and flow of the sea being his exit from his pain. and the boys on the train refers to "the oracles on the delphi express" where the "oracles" which i think of as a gang on the train say "If you flee from grace your souls can not be saved Big steam ships, exits illustrate the flaw" and he is reflecting on them saying these things to him on the train as he approaches he boat.

the last bit is just a reference to the story so far and the main theme "the flame is gone but the fire remains" with him as the fire.

maybe it says "Assault in the sky in the sweet summer air.." going with the whole war thing. and what i hear.

I think now he's trying to say goodbye to the memories of her and the pain he felt but he knows that there will be many more who fall into her trap.

'Goodbye, my eyes shed heavy tears One for every soul still sitting on the fence between pain and arrogance' -Theres going to be someone else caught in that lust and love feeling... this songs pretty cool! I like it. I really like this line, it says a lot.

"Through all of this I've felt just the same; the flame is gone the fire remains."

MikeMara posted in a prior song about the fire and the flame:

'its symbolic of the different events in the boy's life. how there are life changing events that dont seem like much, and he forgets them quick, and moves on, but the effects of the initial spark grow to an overwhelming degree. so, the flame is the birth of the fire'

Wait wait, isn't he going back to where he's from? Or saying bye to Ms. Leading, or the thought of her?

I LOVE how he brings lyrics back, like with 'The flame is gone, the fire remains' and 'Everything you live and die for, all the reasons leading you through here'

he's going to war to die T_T

This could easily be turned into a movie. Too bad every time they decide to make a movie they ruin everything...

I agree completely.