Voice

Waldemar, you should be shot.

That will be all.

waldemar is an idiot. Waldemar is definetly NOT what Vnv Nation is about.

Alright, I already posted this in Chrome but I hope nobody minds if I post it in a couple other places, just in case people are getting the wrong idea about what VNV Nation is about. I e-mailed the VNV Nation info line and asked for a statement about some of their fans being white supremicists (i.e. Waldemar). Here is the answer I recieved:

"Hi there,

Thanks for writing.

To be honest, this is the first time I've heard of any fans being vocal about white supremacist views. I've seen arguments between people with very deeply held religious beliefs about the interpretation of songs but nothing akin to what you're telling us about.

I am sorry that your experience has given you cause to wonder about us. Even a cursory view of our lyrics would tell people that our message is a positive and benevolent one. It is a message of self betterment. It is humanist and it goes out to people all over the world. We have been on record saying this many times. Our fanbase includes people from a large number of ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, people from a large number of different religions, those with deeply held spiritual beliefs and those without, people with different political beliefs, lifestyles and sexual orientation. We are very proud of this. We are especially proud to know that our music and words provide a common meaning to such a wide variety of people.

Our music and its message are most definitely non exclusive and do not stem from or espouse an ideology or political message. What we don't want is to be promoted by anyone with an extremist view should it lead others to think that we share those views, whatever they may be. As for our line on fans with extreme views : In my travels, I have met many people through VNV Nation with views that would be called "extremist", both religious or political. Reading that, one might assume that I mean people with extreme right wing opinions or of European origin but It would surprise many to know that this is not the case not to mention the range of views that I have come across and from people of very different ethnic backgrounds and orientation. My line has always been that, people will hold whatever view they wish to hold, no matter what anyone has to say. BUT.. these views are their own and should not be promoted in conjunction with VNV Nation. We are quite categorical in that we do not share any extremist views of a racial, political or religious nature. One thing we definitely do not agree with is any message that promotes hatred. I welcome the chance for people to discuss their views in an orderly and intellectual manner in the appropriate setting. The world is full of differing views, but that does not mean people cannot discuss what they believe in an effort to learn more about one another and hopefully to come to a better point of view about the world.

Though it is a rare occurrence, it is not the first time Mark or I have been asked about our personal views on white supremacy. My answer has always been to suggest that those asking speak to our friends, in particular those who are gay or lesbian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or of African descent. That might take a while as there are quite a few. Something similar to your question happened when we played at an Aids benefit and received emails asking if we were gay and advocate gay rights. This question came from people on both sides of the subject. We're advocates of nothing other than a world with a common goal of solving our mounting problems together, not throwing stones at one another and emphasising our differences.

I hope this answers your question.

regards, Ronan"

To understand these lyrics I need to know what the 'we' and (perhaps even) 'I' and 'your god' refers too.

In my opinion, the author is trying to seperate himself from other persons perception of god which he sees as human made. The evidence is the last sentence, "I am not your god" but it is hard to tell. When he says 'we' are not the same does the 'we' refer to him and god or him and other persons or even other persons conception of god? Who knows.

i think he's speaking in the voice of God. and God is claiming that he is not the same as man and that he is not man's god. God isn't taking responsibility for man. this is assuming that God is better than man and refuses to be associated with man. 'voice' is ambiguous on the album 'praise the fallen' because it doesn't fully explain his stance. i believe this ties in with 'saviour' on 'empires'. but it isn't till 'burning empires' that we hear 'saviour' in it's entirety. both 'voice' and 'saviour' are the fourth tracks on their respective albums.

I think it's about God as well. Different religions [We are not the same=different gods]. "I am just one voice" could mean that though people worship different dieties, we're all worshipping for the same reason. "I am not your god"....hmmm...maybe that means we're all worshipping different gods and we're not all worshipping the "right" one. The lyrics are simple.The meaning...not so much lol.

VNV NATION "SONG MEANINGS" INSIDE 15 page interview with Ronan Harris.

dancemusic.about.com/od/artistshomepages/a/VnVNationInt.htm

If you look at the vocal version of Saviour it might explain. In Saviour he's saying that god has two sides. This is just a random guess but this could be saying that the kind "A God of love. A God of care. A God of hope." benevolent god is a illusion, and there is only one side to god. From Saviour again: "You seek a God to stand above you, wrapping healing arms around you. You'll find another God of pain, a God of suffering and tears." Thus, "We are not the same, I am just one voice. We are not the same, I am not your god."

That's a sad interpretation, that god isn't really on your side and doesn't really care, but I think it's a possible one.

i believe what he is trying to say is that he is just speaking for himself, that everyone else may agree with what he is saying,and for that listeners think of him as a "god", but he "is just one voice", meaning he can not do it alone, we must all stand up for ourselves and speak up. In order to better the world...

I think it's similar to Fearless in meaning: "Don't follow me, I'm not your answer,"

But damn Ronan, you make it so hard not to follow you.