The lyrics as printed may or may not be correct -- it's very difficult to parse from the vocals, and I've seen alternative transcriptions.
It's hard to put all of the pieces together, but there are many references to a place where something from the past, older than a natural human lifetime, is preserved. This may be simply a conventional tomb or grave.
Something is described as having lived (or being set to live) for a million years. If allegorical, this could be the continuation of this tomb, grave, or object of archaeological interest.
One of the least vague lines of the song may say more, though: "not only deadlier but smarter too". Whoever this is referring to (probably not the first person, or voice of the lyrics) we now know three things about: He, she, or they are/were:
a) Deadly
b) Smart
c) ...and, it is somehow surprising that they are smart...er, but not surprising that they are deadly-er
We don't know who they are being compared to (if you're smarter, then you're smarter THAN someone). But we know that it is surprising that the smart/deadly one(s) are smarter than those they are being compared to.
One possibility would be that a past civilization or culture is being referred to, somehow deadlier than the singer's... but also smarter, in contrast to the usual trend of knowledge increasing throughout history. If this is being suggested, then the song might, overall, be about a civilization that wiped themselves out rather thoroughly, leaving nothing of their knowledge behind. That might mean the song is a story of past nuclear devastation (perhaps set in the near future, with the song being sung in the far future). The "million" in the lyrics may refer to the extreme longevity of nuclear waste or fallout, deadly for a million years.
Another, wilder interpretation that suits the lyrics would be that the subject is some kind of supernatural creature, literally living a million years. A vampire, being immortal, could live a million years, and also be smarter and deadlier than we are. If the narrator knew of someone being killed and suspected a beast had done it, and then found that a vampire or werewolf had actually done it, then he could be surprised to learn that the killer is not only deadlier (not surprising -- many animals are deadly) but smarter (!) too (surprising -- animals are not smarter than people).
I can't find anything in the lyrics to fully support or contradict either of those definitions, so either one of them is right, or the song should be seen as simply too vague to pin down a single interpretation.
The lyrics as printed may or may not be correct -- it's very difficult to parse from the vocals, and I've seen alternative transcriptions.
It's hard to put all of the pieces together, but there are many references to a place where something from the past, older than a natural human lifetime, is preserved. This may be simply a conventional tomb or grave.
Something is described as having lived (or being set to live) for a million years. If allegorical, this could be the continuation of this tomb, grave, or object of archaeological interest.
One of the least vague lines of the song may say more, though: "not only deadlier but smarter too". Whoever this is referring to (probably not the first person, or voice of the lyrics) we now know three things about: He, she, or they are/were: a) Deadly b) Smart c) ...and, it is somehow surprising that they are smart...er, but not surprising that they are deadly-er
We don't know who they are being compared to (if you're smarter, then you're smarter THAN someone). But we know that it is surprising that the smart/deadly one(s) are smarter than those they are being compared to.
One possibility would be that a past civilization or culture is being referred to, somehow deadlier than the singer's... but also smarter, in contrast to the usual trend of knowledge increasing throughout history. If this is being suggested, then the song might, overall, be about a civilization that wiped themselves out rather thoroughly, leaving nothing of their knowledge behind. That might mean the song is a story of past nuclear devastation (perhaps set in the near future, with the song being sung in the far future). The "million" in the lyrics may refer to the extreme longevity of nuclear waste or fallout, deadly for a million years.
Another, wilder interpretation that suits the lyrics would be that the subject is some kind of supernatural creature, literally living a million years. A vampire, being immortal, could live a million years, and also be smarter and deadlier than we are. If the narrator knew of someone being killed and suspected a beast had done it, and then found that a vampire or werewolf had actually done it, then he could be surprised to learn that the killer is not only deadlier (not surprising -- many animals are deadly) but smarter (!) too (surprising -- animals are not smarter than people).
I can't find anything in the lyrics to fully support or contradict either of those definitions, so either one of them is right, or the song should be seen as simply too vague to pin down a single interpretation.