The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Like maggots, they breed with headlines, dining the wounds in breathless cadavers.
Mirror blind and aimed for gold, now watch a terror turn on its own.
And they race, and they race, to the carcass rot to feed.
And just past decay, this design delivers life, but they prefer to play cancer.
In chase for the skies, towers up-rise, with fear, the earth quakes for what's forgot.
They cut like the butchers with pride as their cleavers, as the tide prowls their shores.
They never listened when we screamed, "Wash the blood from your hands!
Rip off the veils! Wash the blood from your hands and run, see what you forgot!"
Then the clouds met the sands as the cyclones began.
In epic charge rose the hordes, all branches and thorns.
As the stone from their walls broke legs as they crawled,
The stars had no mercy, they screamed for blood in their fall.
Six eyes pierce the night and now...
24 teeth in each of the 3 makes 72 white knives your new ending.(Repeat x 1)
With every slaughter bring your kingdom home.(Repeat x 1)
How are we deserving this pain we are feeling?
How are we deserving this pain with healing?
And on trails these symphonies of agony...
Cant you see? We're still demanding self-pity.
Look to the moves of the things surrounding.
We're the only ones, the only ones who keep from growing.
One day the reaping will return, and we'll be butchers no more.
Bring this slaughter home, and send everything above.
Mirror blind and aimed for gold, now watch a terror turn on its own.
And they race, and they race, to the carcass rot to feed.
And just past decay, this design delivers life, but they prefer to play cancer.
In chase for the skies, towers up-rise, with fear, the earth quakes for what's forgot.
They cut like the butchers with pride as their cleavers, as the tide prowls their shores.
They never listened when we screamed, "Wash the blood from your hands!
Rip off the veils! Wash the blood from your hands and run, see what you forgot!"
Then the clouds met the sands as the cyclones began.
In epic charge rose the hordes, all branches and thorns.
As the stone from their walls broke legs as they crawled,
The stars had no mercy, they screamed for blood in their fall.
Six eyes pierce the night and now...
24 teeth in each of the 3 makes 72 white knives your new ending.(Repeat x 1)
With every slaughter bring your kingdom home.(Repeat x 1)
How are we deserving this pain we are feeling?
How are we deserving this pain with healing?
And on trails these symphonies of agony...
Cant you see? We're still demanding self-pity.
Look to the moves of the things surrounding.
We're the only ones, the only ones who keep from growing.
One day the reaping will return, and we'll be butchers no more.
Bring this slaughter home, and send everything above.
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"And just past decay, this design delivers life, but they prefer to play cancer. In chase for the sky, towers uprise. In fear, the earth quakes for what's forgot. They cut like the butchers with pride as their cleavers, as the tide prowls their shores. They never listened when we screamed, "Wash the blood from your hands! Rip off the veils! Wash the blood from your hands and run, see what you forgot!"
I'm gonna take a stab at it here, realizing I could be wrong. I think that this part (potentially) is talking about evolution, though not evolution itself. Specifically, the verse in 2nd Peter (I think it's 2nd, could be first) where it's speaking about creation and how people will be "willingly ignorant" of it and choose to believe they're own "truth." ("This design delivers life but they prefer to play the cancer") and then where he says "Rip off the veils, wash the blood from your hands" could be talking about repentance and turning from the sin of their ignorance and lying, so and and so forth. That's my two cents. It could be wrong, but I think at least some of it is right. The rest of the song I don't know.