In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Made a man out of me
A Killing machine
Your baby\'s going to die
Ma, your baby\'s coming home
Your know they put a man on the moon
Simply to prove that we all need some place to go
Where we\'re not known
Where we\'re not
And to a lesser degree
I can recall breathing easy
But the deficit rolls
Built up I suppose
Picking up the pieces
Of another fucked up reason
For selling off some freedom
That was never free
Never absolutely
Never absolutely
Made a mess out of me
A killing machine
Sometimes when I need them
If I look hard enough to see them I can find my feet
'Cause I push against gravity
In and out of having them
Been led by defeat
So one more time\'s all I\'ll need
A Killing machine
Your baby\'s going to die
Ma, your baby\'s coming home
Your know they put a man on the moon
Simply to prove that we all need some place to go
Where we\'re not known
Where we\'re not
And to a lesser degree
I can recall breathing easy
But the deficit rolls
Built up I suppose
Picking up the pieces
Of another fucked up reason
For selling off some freedom
That was never free
Never absolutely
Never absolutely
Made a mess out of me
A killing machine
Sometimes when I need them
If I look hard enough to see them I can find my feet
'Cause I push against gravity
In and out of having them
Been led by defeat
So one more time\'s all I\'ll need
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Amazing song amazing album. To me this song seems to be about a war veteran who has not only been left physically destroyed by his vocation but emotionally and mentally as well.. And Matt has been known to talk a lot about the old war vets from WWII and Nam that nobody ever really saw back in the 90's, locked away in high security areas, the ones that were totally fried from the experience of warfare and everything that goes with it.. some missing eyes and with all sorts of issues, Matt has expressed his feelings on the human race and the government about things like this... and in short that is what this song sort of means to me. The futility of it all.