When interpreting "Rubicon," it is helpful to remember that it was on the album "Empires," which is a rather cohesive tale of an empire's course from rise to fall (or "Firstlight" to "Arclight"). "Rubicon," which is toward the beginning of the album, comes after "Kingdom," suggesting that the kingdom has been won and now an entire conglomeration of kingdoms is to be unified. This song derives its name from the River Rubicon in Italy--during the time of the Roman Republic, upon penalty of execution, no legions were permitted to cross this river in order to protect the safety of Rome, which was to the south (in a kind of unmilitarized zone). "Rubicon" can be used symbolically to represent any point of no return. The lyrics of this song are basically the inner thoughts of Julius Caesar when he made the decision to cross his Rubicon and march on Rome, but they represent the trepidation of anyone who marches forward in an "all or nothing" endeavor.
When interpreting "Rubicon," it is helpful to remember that it was on the album "Empires," which is a rather cohesive tale of an empire's course from rise to fall (or "Firstlight" to "Arclight"). "Rubicon," which is toward the beginning of the album, comes after "Kingdom," suggesting that the kingdom has been won and now an entire conglomeration of kingdoms is to be unified. This song derives its name from the River Rubicon in Italy--during the time of the Roman Republic, upon penalty of execution, no legions were permitted to cross this river in order to protect the safety of Rome, which was to the south (in a kind of unmilitarized zone). "Rubicon" can be used symbolically to represent any point of no return. The lyrics of this song are basically the inner thoughts of Julius Caesar when he made the decision to cross his Rubicon and march on Rome, but they represent the trepidation of anyone who marches forward in an "all or nothing" endeavor.