| The Chariot – Yanni Depp Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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i like dom557's comments. crocodiles are also anachronisms--really old animals that survive despite a huge change in circumstance only by domination and being "immoral." blessed we come and blessed we go could also be a reference to the dichotomous notions of good intentions/the doctrine of dual effect (not being held responsible for the forseealbe consequences, but only the direct intended effect). think not, don't think is a cleverly disguised palindrome--"suffice": sufficiency, taking what's necessary, sustainably take what you must. |
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| The Chariot – Before There Was Atlanta, There Was Douglasville Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| iamamachinegun you kick ass. yes. he is railing against group think and the collective march of industrial civilization to its grave. | |
| Norma Jean – Dilemmachine: Coalition, Hoax Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| This is much less counter-intuitive if interpreted as socio-critical and less religious. they're supposedly giving their "lives" (literal), "hearts" (emotions), and "hands" (physical work) to a "god forsaken town". this is anti-civilization. the fight for the greater integrity and life of your planet is greater than your life. | |
| Norma Jean – Astronimicoronary (In Reference to a Sinking Ship) Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Dude: Anti-Civ references endemic to metal. The ship is earth and how we treat it--which could be considered sin!--and is not inherently anti-science/reason. academic ability--not knowledge. should we use technology, just because we can? In the case of climate change, if we continue to use our fossil fuels, we will sink earth and go down with it. | |
| Norma Jean – Scientifiction: II. A Swarm of Dedication Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Even the album title suggests a protestant critique of civilization, built in the name of god: "O God, the aftermath". One of my favorites as well, but the christianity of their message is WAY too overplayed. There is a way to be a christian and care about something other than saving people from sin. Live through christ gets closer. These are christians, but still metal fans. Metal is the most critical musical genre of modern civilization and the horrific consequences. The beginning of this song is key in understanding the end. the concepts are linked by more than a common track. See my comments there. But further, the opening of this track : "strain of human limitation" is genetic, but is a reference to our biologically programmed urge to further ourselves and our immediate progeny over anything else. Even future generations whom he would send a letter to, telling of his own's mistakes. The mistake is "riding on the wings of backward devils"--riding, getting a free ride; wings, being lifted by development; backward, like savages; devils, god doesn't want this version of civilization. It's like people are working in their own interests, fleeing lions of starvation, only to find the bear of unintended consequences: "cut off when i saw the unseen" his home, covered with dust and ashes, is more a metal than biblical reference--the apocalyptic landscape of earth is being referenced, sending him into it as in killing him. humiliated in terms of our hubris; insignificant, in terms of our species. back to the bear--symbolic to many co-existant hunter-gatherers, most likely because of the ability to observe what the bear eats and get a rough sense of what you can in a new landscape. here it is dually referenced as the impact of how we choose to live and make sustenance, as opposed to the lion, the threats of day to day life without cities and farms. Thus, the di-symbolic "bear" urges him to destroy this horror (with god on his side or not) before it destroys him. Jeremiah 51 is a portion of the bible most frequented by Rastafarians--as it is a tyrade against "babylon," the symbol of an evil civilization. The phrase metalcore utters, "One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger," actually ends, "to show the king of babylon his city is taken at one end." |
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| Norma Jean – Scientifiction: I. A Clot of Tragedy Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I think the reference to "raven" is key here. The Raven is symbolic to many of a creator and our technology in conflict with the created world is a process of mutual fear (starvation-->agriculture, food surplus, civilization). This clarifies the "bring this to its knees" where science already bows to religion, "marching in slumber" something scientists don't do, and "deceit" whereas it is deceit to believe this should alleviate our fears. | |
| Norma Jean – Coffinspire: Multitudes, Multitudes in the Valley of Decision Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| accessible christianity; they're not shoving jesus--or even joel--down your throat like a *cough*under*cough*oath*cough christian band. The reason they're a indie-metal band and not a christian band. I broke with that trad a long time ago and they make scripture worth thinking about. | |
| VCR – Really Something Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| the most pathetic and tortured part is on the inside. ditto. lol. I'd never read these before. i want ultra gear. white belt time. | |
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