The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
They came from the East,
they brought horses to our cultivated lands,
they gave power to our have-nots
They took our culture,
they brought new customs to our burial grounds,
broadened the bases of our history
They came from the East,
replaced our despots with their Caliphates,
conquered but tolerated our gods.
They brought us wisdom,
they brought a zero to our tired calculations,
they guarded knowledge we'd forgotten.
They came from the East, They came from the East
Byzantium (a city of moths) crumbled into a dust,
that plunged Europe into the dark.
Constantinople (a metropolis of candles) brought light to our books,
as Europe forgot how to read.
Let's make this stage our Rubicon, let's cast a die, let's let history decide.
And as I cross it, I chase Aeneas back to his ships,
I bring the rhythm back to the hips.
And as rome is consumed, as I fiddle this whisper tune on these strings, friends,
I have no need of your ears.
So let's make this stage our Rubicon, our frozen Rhine, our Yippie picket line
and I Caesar Hoffman!
and as I cross it, I bring the Central Asian Steppe sweeping into the wilds of Europe.
I make my bedroom Rome, I make this city my home, I am Remus come from the dead,
come to tell you all to sack this city tonight, let's sack this city tonight,
because I always heard better in the dark
Thus immersed in barbarous longing.
they brought horses to our cultivated lands,
they gave power to our have-nots
They took our culture,
they brought new customs to our burial grounds,
broadened the bases of our history
They came from the East,
replaced our despots with their Caliphates,
conquered but tolerated our gods.
They brought us wisdom,
they brought a zero to our tired calculations,
they guarded knowledge we'd forgotten.
They came from the East, They came from the East
Byzantium (a city of moths) crumbled into a dust,
that plunged Europe into the dark.
Constantinople (a metropolis of candles) brought light to our books,
as Europe forgot how to read.
Let's make this stage our Rubicon, let's cast a die, let's let history decide.
And as I cross it, I chase Aeneas back to his ships,
I bring the rhythm back to the hips.
And as rome is consumed, as I fiddle this whisper tune on these strings, friends,
I have no need of your ears.
So let's make this stage our Rubicon, our frozen Rhine, our Yippie picket line
and I Caesar Hoffman!
and as I cross it, I bring the Central Asian Steppe sweeping into the wilds of Europe.
I make my bedroom Rome, I make this city my home, I am Remus come from the dead,
come to tell you all to sack this city tonight, let's sack this city tonight,
because I always heard better in the dark
Thus immersed in barbarous longing.
Lyrics submitted by Harry_Manback
The Rise And Fall Lyrics as written by Cameron David Dean Benjamin Russell Erring Dawson
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song is about how the natives and other people who have less social capital than most of America now, were actually the peoples, the cultures, the customs, that our society is roughly based on today. For example: “they brought a zero to our tired calculations” is talking about either the Babylonians or the Mayans, who are both said to have “created” the number zero simultaneously and supposedly independently of one another.
Nice idea. My interpretation is of how the Roman Empire grew and eventually collapsed, and is urging our society not to make the same mistakes. See "lets make this stage our rubicon", and the references to Byzantium and Constantinople.
Interesting first interpretation, though considering Frank Turner isn't an American himself, I don't think it's quite right.
I think the song is indeed about how the Roman Empire grew and grew and then collapsed and was overthrown.
In this time, the whole of Western Europe, Britain in particular, was plunged into the Dark Ages, losing all that the Romans had done for society. Meanwhile in the East, Asia and Arabia, technology and civilisation was thriving: light, public health, and medicine in particular was years ahead of the rest of the known world. The point with "0" is correct that India and Arabia dicovered the number that now upholds all technology (e.g. binary on computers)
Indeed the song itself builds up and up, become more and more strained until the collapse between the sections, and then the complete breakdown for the last 11 minutes of the song.
A key point with the last line of the song ("Thus immersed in barbarous longing") is that it is repeated over and over until the song breaks down into noise. I think this refers to how the West "immersed" itself in its barbarian ways, yet still wanted back the control that the Romans (or now the East) held.
There is so much in this song that you don't pick up until you think about it. For instance, about half of this analysis was realised as I wrote it. Brilliant song. Turner is an incredible lyricist.