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.
A thousand nights once succored Me
In the shadow of Miss Anne Thropy
Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
Sent Rebellion's embers into revolt
The coming of extinction
Synced to whimpers of my name
Legion I arose, a flood of inhumanity
An acid reign to purify the world
The Asp at Pharaoh's breast
The Atom split under duress
A sniper at the gates of spattered pearl
My heart, torn apart, left a rifled grave
Save for an unfurled flag of hate
To enthrall a mindless zombie race
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
Black bibles I inscribed,
The words "Damnation through design"
Seemed a bitter truth far better for the lie
For as hope was felled by reason
Forlorn became the season
And Death was swift to swallow on the hells of life
Lowered souls, growing cold, tendered easy prey
When heaven's flock, a fair game, dropped
I bored of war with God with greater thrones to claim
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
(There was not a prayer left in this wretched world)
Then between the past and the ravening dark
A sly Messiah came
In the thick of treaty with obligatory greed
She stole the soul hate had sold away
An ancient chill blew down the centuries
That night atonement's eyes
Lit a burning man in Me
When love lay bleeding
And Fates sate feeding
From wounds gored 'neath
Those cherubic wings
She of kindred light
Gladly sacrificed
Eternity
Just to be
With Me
As the moon whose silvered fingers play
On words and dreams too cursed for day
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued
Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair
And faith renewed, leapt joyous there
I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
And ignorance is truly bliss
In the shadow of Miss Anne Thropy
Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
Sent Rebellion's embers into revolt
The coming of extinction
Synced to whimpers of my name
Legion I arose, a flood of inhumanity
An acid reign to purify the world
The Asp at Pharaoh's breast
The Atom split under duress
A sniper at the gates of spattered pearl
My heart, torn apart, left a rifled grave
Save for an unfurled flag of hate
To enthrall a mindless zombie race
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
Black bibles I inscribed,
The words "Damnation through design"
Seemed a bitter truth far better for the lie
For as hope was felled by reason
Forlorn became the season
And Death was swift to swallow on the hells of life
Lowered souls, growing cold, tendered easy prey
When heaven's flock, a fair game, dropped
I bored of war with God with greater thrones to claim
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
(There was not a prayer left in this wretched world)
Then between the past and the ravening dark
A sly Messiah came
In the thick of treaty with obligatory greed
She stole the soul hate had sold away
An ancient chill blew down the centuries
That night atonement's eyes
Lit a burning man in Me
When love lay bleeding
And Fates sate feeding
From wounds gored 'neath
Those cherubic wings
She of kindred light
Gladly sacrificed
Eternity
Just to be
With Me
As the moon whose silvered fingers play
On words and dreams too cursed for day
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued
Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair
And faith renewed, leapt joyous there
I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
And ignorance is truly bliss
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Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
I think this is a clever metaphor for cunnilingus
and again:
Synched to whimpers of my name...
this refers to vocalisation during the sex act...
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair And faith renewed, leapt joyous there I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too...
This again could be interpreted as being about experiencing new sex acts...
No idea if I'm reading too much into the lyrics or weather this song is about succumbing to forbidden carnal acts and thereby loosing innocence and the promise of heaven...