| Periphery – Totala Mad Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The general meaning of this song is that people aren't awake, I think. "Strip away all the excess components Unveil a picture one sought to hide" What are we stripping away and what are finding? Let's come back to this in a second... "Personalities are like fiction The derivative truth but with no substance" A derivative is something that is based off of another source. In math, when you find the derivative of a function you get a simpler function. Find the derivative of the derivative (the second derivative of the original function) and you'll have a function that's even simpler. In other words, you're getting further from the original function (the truth) and the functions are getting simpler (losing substance). He's saying that our personalities are derived from something with more substance. Our personalities are covering up the truth. Going back to the first two lines, I believe the "excess components" are the components of our personality. Whatever our personalities are covering up is the "picture that one sought to hide." "Violence and hate Nourishment, territory and mate" Nourishment, territory and mate are all survival mechanisms that require competition. This brings out violence and hate in people toward those with whom they are competing. These are, of course, only physical needs. Violence and hate are part of our personalities. If there is something beyond our physical world, the needs of our physical body are distorting what might be our true nature. Perhaps the "picture one sought to hide" was our true nature or our soul, something nonphysical. "We are the product of some experiment" He's accusing the physical world of being an experiment meant to distort our true nature. "While most live in ignorance Some can't accept" Most people don't even know this truth and those who do can't accept it. "The last thing we see is obsession, depth of insanity" The experiment drives us completely insane. "Follow the source into the ground Feeling all vibration flow inside of you We create the sound Like the fathers long before us, we've forgotten how" This could be saying that we are the source knowledge, existence, this physical world. We've forgotten how to control it. "Sun down Swiftly a less passive creature emerges Mark the August steps, we'll shine the way" The less passive creature is the speaker himself, I think. He wants to lead all of the sleeping people out of this experiment. "Still the path remains the same Some may find their own way" He's just showing them the path that already know. If others awaken, they can follow the path themselves. "Forever like me, thirst for a pool of consistency" This is a bit of advice from the speaker to the listener. Be like him, try to unite and lead every soul along the path to enlightenment. "Catch a bug for knowledge and the structure comes down A counter intuitive attack" Once you learn a little bit of the truth, the whole illusion of the experiment starts to crumble. Spread the truth to others to attack the experiment. "Speak no evil and watch it flourish in a current state of madness" If you fail to take the speaker's advice and do not try to spread the truth, the evil experiment will continue and grow as it currently is. |
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| Periphery – The Walk Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I have to disagree with ToxicityBulletCM. I think it's a bit more deep than just disbelief in religion. Actually, Periphery hints at spirituality a lot in their lyrics and not always in a negative way. "We are one, we are the strength of the universal heart", "souls entwined", "in death we pray until all have transcended from this realm" are all examples of references to spirituality. They seem to hint a lot at souls being connected. Anyway, this song isn't dissing religion. Rather, he's talking about seeking the truth. "From the truth I'll never run. Be it the light or the shadow" It is most evident in these two lines that he is not simply bashing religion. He doesn't seem to be entirely convinced that the light (or religion, the will of God, etc.) is the right path or the path to the truth. However, he still considers a possibility. All he wants is to know the truth. If the truth is in the light, then so be it. "So free the souls of those who desire a higher being." "I despise the facade of the original martyr." Here is seems like he might bashing on followers of a religion but I have another idea. I think he sees many religious people as sheeple who follower their religious herders out of fear or ignorance. These people are not searching for enlightenment or the truth, they are only trying to avoid punishment. He despises the mentality of these people and wishes to free them. This song is about his "walk" to enlightenment. It isn't about "this religion is wrong; Believe this instead." It suggests that the best thing to do is keep an open mind and seek the truth through discovery rather than skepticism. |
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| Between the Buried and Me – All Bodies Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I really don't think this is a criticism of religion. "Keepers of the stars, I hope to never find We are just mortal souls left to die." This gives it away. I would be inconsistent to criticize religion and then say "I really hope there is an afterlife." Rather, I think he's driving himself insane contemplating reality. Actually, all of humanity is driving themselves insane trying to figure out existence. His mention of scientific theories like the big bang don't seem to suggest that science is correct. "Exploding worlds Surrounding imaginations?" Thoughts of "exploding worlds" which is are a part of or surrounding our imaginations. It isn't just the religions that are lunacy created by all of us. All the theories and religions conflicting with each other, that's the lunacy that he's talking about. I think he's just frustrated that he can't comprehend existence. Nobody can. |
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