| Rise Against – Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think this song is preaty similar to "Paper Wings" in meaning. To excellent songs imo that are two of my favorites. Anywho. Sorry in advance, this is gonna be kinda long. Just read the end if your not interested in details behind my thoughts. VERSE 1: I think the first verse of this song is about how he's been giong thru this fake life and is burned out by it. " [He] ended up at [his] wits end and [was] breaking down"- He's burned out. It's not his own, REAL, life becuase he's got "pages torn from books [he] never read"- he's got things with him that really have nothing to do with him. "[He's] plugged into this grid" that if unplugged would force him to "REALLY" live meaning he's not really living now in the grid. "Plugged into this grid" also shows that he's fitting into something beyond him; he's confoming to the grid. VERSE 2: He feels kinda screwed -"Your words wont save me now, I'm at the edge feeling the sweat drip from my brow."- he's on the brink and stressed out -"sweat"- and he feels unsaveable -"words wont save me now." I think the next part -"Get a grip on yourself...every hour, every day."- depends on who you think "they" are. I think it's conformists plugged into the grid, and it means he's out side of his their normal realm at the edge of trying times reaching for his dream (dreams comes from the chorous). They think he's nuts for attempt to break the norm and are tell him to give up "get a grip of [him]self." He's been ignoring them with his "hands over [his] ears, [he's] been screaming all these years" trying to tone them out and continue towards his dream. CHOROUS: There's apparent concern for the quality of the legacy to be left. He's concerned about what people will remember him for: What he succeeded in or failed to do. I think both are important. He's not worried about the end, when it's done it's done. What he's worried about is whether or not his life will have been worthwile. He's had dreams fail him before due to flimsy construction -"build these dreams on sand, how they all slipped thru our hands." "And this might be our only chance." is kinda straight forward. He has one life to live and he doesn't want to blow it despite the fact that he's had some garbage in his past (failed dreams slipped thru his hands). He doesn't want to give up, just take it "one step at a time" along with some one else willing to stay by him -"I'll hold your hand if you hold mine" until they make it. I think "the time that we kill keeps us alive" means the time we spend actually doing stuff killing time is what makes life. If we don't have anything to do, to kill time with, then there's no point in living. I think, infering from the rest of the chorous, that he thinks solid dreams are what you should kill time with. VERSE 3: I don't know who they went to "in search of answers" but they came out without nothing. I think the shots fire thing is the whole karma type schpeel. The line about hiding is preaty sweet cuz i think it could be aplicable to both the line before and after: Where will you hide from the raining bullets, and where "will you hid from the laughter in the closet of our lives." The -"from the laughter"- line seems really awkward to me if it doesn't go with the the hiding. This next part kind confuses me cuz I can't see a shift. I think the laughter is from our failure which we try to shove in our closet and forget about, but the "door hinges" can't really hold it in and light is shed on the flaws. He then feels a need for help and reaches out for help from some one who offers "quiet comfort." He says to "take what they offer" would be to "step into the light" meaning he's in the dark now. His garbage is already in the dark, so I think that means that despite the fact that he's trying to hide from karma and his garbage, he's really right in the middle of it and needs help escaping it. Not sure on that one. SO, to sum that up (READ AT LEAST THIS IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS TOO LONG TO READ THE WHOLE THING), I think the song is about how you should make the most out of life and leave a legacy that counts and was not just a part of the conformity of life. It's also about how it's really tough to reach a dream that would leave a legacy, but that it's worth fighting for by taking "one step at a time" maybe with the help of someone else -"hold your hand if you hold mine." Props if you read the whole thing.... |
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| Rise Against – Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think this song is preaty similar to "Paper Wings" in meaning. To excellent songs imo that are two of my favorites. Anywho. Sorry in advance, this is gonna be kinda long. Just read the end if your not interested in details behind my thoughts. VERSE 1: I think the first verse of this song is about how he's been giong thru this fake life and is burned out by it. " [He] ended up at [his] wits end and [was] breaking down"- He's burned out. It's not his own, REAL, life becuase he's got "pages torn from books [he] never read"- he's got things with him that really have nothing to do with him. "[He's] plugged into this grid" that if unplugged would force him to "REALLY" live meaning he's not really living now in the grid. "Plugged into this grid" also shows that he's fitting into something beyond him; he's confoming to the grid. VERSE 2: He feels kinda screwed -"Your words wont save me now, I'm at the edge feeling the sweat drip from my brow."- he's on the brink and stressed out -"sweat"- and he feels unsaveable -"words wont save me now." I think the next part -"Get a grip on yourself...every hour, every day."- depends on who you think "they" are. I think it's conformists plugged into the grid, and it means he's out side of his their normal realm at the edge of trying times reaching for his dream (dreams comes from the chorous). They think he's nuts for attempt to break the norm and are tell him to give up "get a grip of [him]self." He's been ignoring them with his "hands over [his] ears, [he's] been screaming all these years" trying to tone them out and continue towards his dream. CHOROUS: There's apparent concern for the quality of the legacy to be left. He's concerned about what people will remember him for: What he succeeded in or failed to do. I think both are important. He's not worried about the end, when it's done it's done. What he's worried about is whether or not his life will have been worthwile. He's had dreams fail him before due to flimsy construction -"build these dreams on sand, how they all slipped thru our hands." "And this might be our only chance." is kinda straight forward. He has one life to live and he doesn't want to blow it despite the fact that he's had some garbage in his past (failed dreams slipped thru his hands). He doesn't want to give up, just take it "one step at a time" along with some one else willing to stay by him -"I'll hold your hand if you hold mine" until they make it. I think "the time that we kill keeps us alive" means the time we spend actually doing stuff killing time is what makes life. If we don't have anything to do, to kill time with, then there's no point in living. I think, infering from the rest of the chorous, that he thinks solid dreams are what you should kill time with. VERSE 3: I don't know who they went to "in search of answers" but they came out without nothing. I think the shots fire thing is the whole karma type schpeel. The line about hiding is preaty sweet cuz i think it could be aplicable to both the line before and after: Where will you hide from the raining bullets, and where "will you hid from the laughter in the closet of our lives." The -"from the laughter"- line seems really awkward to me if it doesn't go with the the hiding. This next part kind confuses me cuz I can't see a shift. I think the laughter is from our failure which we try to shove in our closet and forget about, but the "door hinges" can't really hold it in and light is shed on the flaws. He then feels a need for help and reaches out for help from some one who offers "quiet comfort." He says to "take what they offer" would be to "step into the light" meaning he's in the dark now. His garbage is already in the dark, so I think that means that despite the fact that he's trying to hide from karma and his garbage, he's really right in the middle of it and needs help escaping it. Not sure on that one. SO, to sum that up (READ AT LEAST THIS IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS TOO LONG TO READ THE WHOLE THING), I think the song is about how you should make the most out of life and leave a legacy that counts and was not just a part of the conformity of life. It's also about how it's really tough to reach a dream that would leave a legacy, but that it's worth fighting for by taking "one step at a time" maybe with the help of someone else -"hold your hand if you hold mine." Props if you read the whole thing.... |
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| Rise Against – Paper Wings Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"I've watched you fly on paper wings half way around the world." I've seen you working on a dream/goal that isn't really worth it or stable. Paper wings symbolize a weak dream that someone has spent a lot of time on, being as they've gone "half way around the world" with it. "until they burned up in the atmosphere and sent you spiraling down." Their dream fell apart when they got to high with it, near the sun, and "burned up in the atmosphere" like with Icarus in mythology. (Icarus' wings were made out of fethers held together by wax. His father was being held by the king of an island as a personal artist who couldn't leave. Thus he made the wings to fly away on.) "landing somewhere far from here with no one else around," their dream landed them away from everyone, all alone, no one there to help them. The person is working hard on something thats just going to collapse. They're wasting time on something they think they want but really isn't going to last. "I cant tell if your laughing between each smile theres a tear in your eye theres a train leaving town in an hour its not waiting for you and neither am I" The artist can't tell if the person is even enjoying what they're striving for. Despite the fact that they "smile" and appear to enjoy what they're going for, there's traces of hurting inside ("tear in your eye") do to failure (paper wings burning up). There's a train which symbolizes a substantial potential which leaves shortly ("in an hour.") It (the train/dream) is not going to wait for them and niether is the artist. If they snooze, they're going to miss their chance to go on the train and the stay with the artist who is mature enough to ride the train. "'swing for the fences son' they must have told you once" shows that the "son" has been told to strive for glory. "that was a conversation you took nothing from...." The son obviosly did not capitalize on and take to heart the good advice given to him. "so raise your glass now celebrate exactly what you've done." The son is sarcastically being told to celebrate his neglect to good advice. "you've just put off another year of knowing where your from." His neglect and improper chasing of dreams (paper wings) has kept him from finding his true potential. "You can catch up with yourself if you run." The artist still believes there is hope for the person, but they really have to chase it. Basically a person is chasing after unsubstantial thing instead of going for things that really matter. "is this the life that you lead, or the life thats lead for you? will you take the road thats been laid out before you? will we cross paths somewhere else tonight?" The artist wants to know what paths the person will choose, the one he wants, an example set for him, or one thats right in front him. Will they com across eachother later after the road has been chosen? Preaty strait forward. Thats what i think the song is about. |
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