its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Rejoice, rejoice a noble birth, a prince is born.
Behold the birth of violence, beasts of fang and feather cry for our concrete rapture,
and if we beg to be put down, unto us the most inspired storm.
A princess ravaged by her prince behold; the birth of sex and distance, two frail corpses both were they, his eyes were the first to stray... every tree held fast the earth to sky.
Concrete replaces every branch and twig as they were frayed upon the birth of ambition. The heavens filled our gilded vessel with poison tears, before we drink, I propose a toast, a final prayer.
Here's to the watchers in the wood, here's to the last days, unto us a most inspired song.
Shaper, stop the music.
Halt the harp strings whose chords confuse our histories with textures.
With the disheartened chorus of a hymnal whose choir is the conviction of the starving, artless, tempted by the feast of proof that this body of work has worth.
Uncertain as the fingering of a chord torn prematurely from a piano's womb.
As we fill our precious lungs with concrete, that faithful shade, a shaper's song is stopped short- a dying breath a singing shore.
Then the only movement and the last remains of grace:
Pollen falling off the simple hinge joint leg upon the final breath of a dragonfly.
A cardinal, lost but headstrong in mid flight cries for our concrete rapture, wade...
in the water, wade. Let the flood swell, thank the storm for her tears.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will
but the fool knows what the prophets have seen, no salvation's impending.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will let the flood swell and the bodies that break we'll just float down the river. Stay tame, soft river, while we weigh our faith, stay sweet, run softly, sweet river, the fool who wades in doubt will float like concrete.
Come and fill your lungs. Come and fill your lungs.
There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will, let the flood swell
on the loudspeaker sermons and a parish descending.
There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete.
Let the flood swell.
Behold the birth of violence, beasts of fang and feather cry for our concrete rapture,
and if we beg to be put down, unto us the most inspired storm.
A princess ravaged by her prince behold; the birth of sex and distance, two frail corpses both were they, his eyes were the first to stray... every tree held fast the earth to sky.
Concrete replaces every branch and twig as they were frayed upon the birth of ambition. The heavens filled our gilded vessel with poison tears, before we drink, I propose a toast, a final prayer.
Here's to the watchers in the wood, here's to the last days, unto us a most inspired song.
Shaper, stop the music.
Halt the harp strings whose chords confuse our histories with textures.
With the disheartened chorus of a hymnal whose choir is the conviction of the starving, artless, tempted by the feast of proof that this body of work has worth.
Uncertain as the fingering of a chord torn prematurely from a piano's womb.
As we fill our precious lungs with concrete, that faithful shade, a shaper's song is stopped short- a dying breath a singing shore.
Then the only movement and the last remains of grace:
Pollen falling off the simple hinge joint leg upon the final breath of a dragonfly.
A cardinal, lost but headstrong in mid flight cries for our concrete rapture, wade...
in the water, wade. Let the flood swell, thank the storm for her tears.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will
but the fool knows what the prophets have seen, no salvation's impending.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will let the flood swell and the bodies that break we'll just float down the river. Stay tame, soft river, while we weigh our faith, stay sweet, run softly, sweet river, the fool who wades in doubt will float like concrete.
Come and fill your lungs. Come and fill your lungs.
There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete.
The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will, let the flood swell
on the loudspeaker sermons and a parish descending.
There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete.
Let the flood swell.
Lyrics submitted by Darth_Squirrel
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
This is how I see it: The first part of the song seems to be about Adam (the prince) and Eve along with 'original sin'. I think that as the song goes on it's kind of a man vs. nature idea, much some of Robinson Jeffer's poems. Perhaps nature and the animals view human religion as a way mankind is destroying itself from the inside out. As we urbanize the world, destroy nature, crime rates go up, morality declines and more and more people who once denounced religion find it the only answer. The Great Awakening pt. II? Slowly the religious form the political factions and a new world is born, rather than nature being found in abundance, it's concrete. A warped cycle of humanity perhaps?
i pretty much agree. I would add that there is this metaphor of duality between something solid (concrete, ambition) and fluid (flood, water, faith), which creates some sort of dynamics.
Great first song on As the Roots Undo.
favorite
This song obviously telling a story, not sure if it is based on another story or experience.
Rejoice, rejoice a noble birth, a prince is born. (obviously the birth of a prince)
Behold the birth of violence, beasts of fang and feather cry for our concrete rapture,and if we beg to be put down, unto us the most inspired storm. (Concrete rapture, held back from heaven? Wanting to die. The birth of violence, aggressive, prince? Possibly feared.
A princess ravaged by her prince behold; the birth of sex and distance, two frail corpses both were they, his eyes were the first to stray... every tree held fast the earth to sky. (A princess being treated bad by her prince. Sex and distance, princess used for sex?)
Uncertain as the fingering of a chord torn prematurely from a piano's womb. (Piano's womb, inside? Where the music is "made")
Then the only movement and the last remains of grace: (Considering a last resort, explained later in the song)
A cardinal, lost but headstrong in mid flight cries for our concrete rapture, wade... in the water, wade. Let the flood swell, thank the storm for her tears. The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will but the fool knows what the prophets have seen, no salvation's impending. The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will let the flood swell and the bodies that break we'll just float down the river. (The "faithful" like the plan. Getting the prince to "wade" into the water. "God's will" a plague?)
Stay tame, soft river, while we weigh our faith, stay sweet, run softly, sweet river, the fool who wades in doubt will float like concrete. (I think the water is supposed to attract the Prince, looks like a "sweet river" "The fool who wades...float like concrete" The Prince drowning.
Come and fill your lungs. Come and fill your lungs. (Wanting the prince to hill his lungs with water, drown.)
There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete. (Somthing in between good and bad, killing for a good reason. "The same shade as concrete" is grey, a grey area.
possibly bibilcal? a prince is born, jesus? birth of violence. the bible inspired much violence, concrete RAPTURE. very possible the song is biblical. the water representing the leap of faith or the baptism. the fool who wades in doubt will float like concrete.
i believe the song compares the christian message to drowning in concrete. eek.
"The faithful say its beautiful, its god's will, let the flood swell on the loudspeaker sermons and a parish descending."
there's also numerous allusions to salvation and such. if it's meant to be taken literally, i will be very confused
awesome song.
i believe that the song is about the hypocrisy of religion, in this case chhristianity. saying that some people will believe somthing so strongly that they will give their lives for their religion. "the faithfull say its beautifull, its god will let the flood swell". "theres so much hope burried underneath tragedy, its the same shade as concrete." this is saying that this happens often. everyones hopes falls on the shoulders of their religion, which turns out to be false. in actuality, everything is a shade of neutral grey, the same shade as concrete.
I think this song encapsulates both sides of the issue on religion. On one hand we are shown that those who believe are given a hope, and have no fear of the oncoming "rapture". On the other hand there is the non-believers, that see the armageddon in a secular light and it is like landing head-first into "concrete." The color of concrete is gray, so therefore, it is an equal measure of black and white, the perfect balance between good and bad, because there is good AND bad with or without religion.
I think this song encapsulates both sides of the issue on religion. On one hand we are shown that those who believe are given a hope, and have no fear of the oncoming "rapture". On the other hand there is the non-believers, that see the armageddon in a secular light and it is like landing head-first into "concrete." The color of concrete is gray, so therefore, it is an equal measure of black and white, the perfect balance between good and bad, because there is good AND bad with or without religion.