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Mastodon – Aqua Dementia Lyrics 16 years ago
Im currently re-reading Moby Dick, so when i come around to this section of the book, Ill pay particular attention to this section and update this post as neccesary.

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Mastodon – Aqua Dementia Lyrics 16 years ago
It certainly does seem to be about pip, but I would also venture that Mastodon might be using it as a metaphor for the earth as well.

It starts out with
An invitation to clairvoyance
which appears to be a starting point for pips story

next is

It's hard to stand around and watch while they ignore us
She is dumped on
Used as an ashtray
At the expense of an organized association

I have a hard time figuring out what this is if it is NOT in fact about man damaging the planet. I suppose it could very wellbe a reference to a specific person? or mebbe a character from the book (via pips hallucinations or something) but as much as I can recall theres nothing like that from the book. Until more data is present, I will conclude that its about the earth.

I see the stones in the path we laid
It's a question of tomorrow
We like to breathe the ancient wind that we have followed
A perfect fire to burn the land

This section also seems to reference the earth. The path stones are relics of the past. The paths upon which our ancestors tread, and slo the way of life they led (the ancient wind). But our behaviors threaten our history and existence into the future....making existence...a question of tomorrow.

Before they knew it
The sun had fallen
Boiling the water where the hydra's crawling
The righteous go in blazing fury

This section is very much about pip. "they" are the other whalers, busy chasing whales, without time to rescue pip. He treads water by himself for so long he begins to feel the effects of aqua dementia, at first becoming strange and quiet, and then later almost prophetic. The general assumption is that pip began hallucinating and saw things so horrible they scarred him forever. So pip sits all day and into the night in the water, and sees terrible things (boiling the water, pips mind, with visions of monsters ect - thus the hydra). The last line is a reference to pip's prophetic new outlook that leads him to drive ahab on.

And we cleanse the earth to bring it down
Bring it down
And God will watch it burn
Releasing souls

This is the songs tie in. I want to say its the messages about the earth, now originating from pips prophetic dementia. I say this mostly because the speaker used the word "we", suggesting a conversation with a group or preaching like pip began to do at the end of the book. I believe the rest of the lyrics fall in line with this as well.

Generally speaking, pips story is originally separate from messages about the earth in this song, but pip's own sad story, and his mad prophecies become the words of damnation for ahab, and for all mankind.

submissions
Mastodon – Naked Burn Lyrics 16 years ago
Truer words were never spoken

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Mastodon – Crack The Skye Lyrics 16 years ago
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face

bleh this line bugs the hell out of me too. Whoever wrote it tried to cram too many syllables in. Every time this part comes around I have to change the words in my head to keep myself from cringing.

submissions
Mastodon – Burning Man Lyrics 17 years ago
Startlingly short but undeniably effective.

coals under foot burst into flames
become the earth
ashes remain

The coals underfoot (the fire that drives ones actions) consumes the individual reducing it to ash.
(meaning an intense drive can consume ones mind and body). Ashes are whats left after being consumed, the essence of a man returning to the earth.

awaiting sand--hourglass, waiting for sand to fall to the bottom(passing of time)
a burning man--the man being consumed by his passion or drive

approach the door where i place blame--the place
he blames for his fall

take the first step-begining an endeavor
cleansing my shame--shame indicates hatred for the place he blames


Burning man is a man consumed by hatred for the place he percieves to have shamed him or reduced him to nothing. He takes his first step into the place he hates and means to do something there.

and heres the important bit......

I would make the jump to conclude that the burning man is broken, reduced to ash by his hatred and returns to the place that shamed him to destroy it along with himself--to return both himself and his offender to the earth.

submissions
Mastodon – Blood & Thunder Lyrics 17 years ago
closetofcannibilia, the answer is no, Its really not sexual at all. White whale, holy grail is a summation of the entire books primary message. The white whale IS the holy grail. also "this ivory leg" is actually an ivory leg. Ahabs peg leg is made of ivory(err...i think it might actually be whalebone, but its effectively the same thing within the confines of the song).

submissions
Mastodon – Naked Burn Lyrics 17 years ago
Angels dancing with a mortal a sin
A giant born within a woman's womb

angels and mortals mating (apparently a sin :P)

Nephilim walking through the forest breaking limbs
As we bow and give respect to the gods

The children (nephilim) are wild, running through forests ect. while society bows before the gods

(chorus) the chorus goes back to moby dick (ahab's death)

The church is burning from the inside out
Altars falling into ashes again

someone mentioned something about the nephilim destroying the church, but inside out would seem to indicate the people, once bowing and worshiping have begun to destroy the church.

An eagle fly upon horizons with sight
Focusing on all our family and friends

(hell if I know what that means, mebbe the church and dogma being overshadowed by peoples lives?)

Id say the nephilim represents a force of chaos and wildness within the first half of the song. The nephilim were men of incredible strength and stature, and are described as heroes and leaders of men. When they enter the world the church falters as they begin to influence the people.

soo...
Ahab is a nephilim. A man of power and great leadership, but he is also crazed and out of line. He leads his men astray from their duty, and in doing so betrays his duties by leading his men into the maw of destruction. Just as the flood drowned the nephilim, so too is Ahab drowned.

The final verse is about the ships departure. Their crying eyes shed tears for their own souls.

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