Amaranth

All of you nerdy metalheads can tear into me if you want to, but let me offer something from the perspective of a nerdy punk rocker who happens to like metal. Maybe it has nothing to do with all this deep religious/philosophical stuff, but is more personal. I interpret the song two ways. Either way, I think it is a song of encouragement. For me, it's about growing up and being corrupted by the world around you. You find yourself bitter and guarded after being wounded, and maybe you're even playing the same games as the ones that hurt you. You have to learn to be honest again. Like a child. How you were born. The stripped down (and perhaps original) interpretation is that it's about having big plans, being let down, and having to find your way again. This could apply to some things the band was going through at the time, but I'm not going into that here. The lyrics are above and I analyze them in order, so I will not include all of them. Please excuse my goofy writing style. I also apologize in advance for talking too much.

He began (and was blessed) with a perfect "name", in the sense of a record or reputation. He's a skeptic by nature, distrusting of outside influence or guidance. He is losing a sense of identity and feels he has no one to turn to.

He is struggling with "the day"/dawn. I believe this represents change or new beginnings. This also implies that he is living in the night (in darkness or negativity). He needs someone to blame. He feels this need because there is no one to blame. You mostly choose your own destiny, but sometimes life puts you in an unexpected situation that is out of your control. "Little he can do alone" implies both pride and a feeling of helplessness.

This should be self-explanatory, but one line refers to doubt and distrust, the other to accountability. The second line could be antagonistic to the first.

Caress the one. "The one" is you. The other you. The REAL you, that is not dragged down by bitterness and sorrow, but feels on top of the world and unstoppable. Something "never-fading" is always there. Your inner child is always there waiting to be called on. The structure of the next line makes me think the rain and tears are one and the same. The fact that the tears remain in your heart and never appear on your face could mean you're holding back, or having a hard time letting go of something. Snow white implies purity... in the sense that there is nothing wrong or dishonest about your feelings. Amaranth is a flower that doesn't die easily. The ancient Greeks thought it to have magical healing properties, and this legend has been perpetuated by some modern fantasy writing. Your "magic cure" won't at first be apparent, and you will look in the wrong places. I believe "the hidden amaranth" refers to drawing on hidden strength within and persevering. In a land of the daybreak means that in this world you will constantly face change.

Doing things our own way, in this short life, we reach out to others who are not afraid to take charge of their own life and risk being ostracized for being different.

Repeat Repeat

Reaching, searching for something untouched (or unruined... sometimes it's hard to find). Hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling. You can hear the voices because "the Never-Fading" is not that far away.

Repeat END

In the video, the boys rescue an angel (wounded innocence) because they are still young, honest and good-natured. If you will notice, the rest of the villagers are all old and suspicious of anything different (corrupted). The angel's blood represents the amaranth (a red flower and also the color named for it), which should preserve the boys' own innocence/life while all the old people will not be saved from themselves. Obviously you can't kill an angel with fire, but the boys might also be a kind of amaranth to the angel, since they saved it from drowning. (Or something more serious like whatever spiritual battle caused it to be bloody and unconscious). One beautiful thing about music is that many people can enjoy the same piece and have a totally different experience. I made my own experience about myself, but maybe I'm self-centric. I think Amaranth is anyone or anything you can look to and count on when you need help. It could be God, or a significant other, or Zelda... or just about anything that makes your life a better place to be.