In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Long ago I went to war
To fight the scourge of Christendom
I held aloft my blessed sword
And said "By god, let them come!"
They said their eyes are red as flame
I heard it told, from hell they came
Their breath is fire their tongues are forged
Thus are the beast of dragon's gate
I heard my fathers words deep in my heart
Son know your enemy as i know my son
The fates were kind, they let me in
The dragons lair, the den of sin
I placed my sword upon it's heart
And with a prayer I thrust it in
The dragon fell upon the ground
'Twas then I heard a whimpering sound
A dragonling to his father clung
Who only fought to protect his young
I heard my fathers words deep in my heart
Son, know your enemy as i know my son
And now my son is off to war
To fight the new scourge of Christendom
He holds aloft his brazen sword
And says "Death, let them come!"
He swears their eyes are red as flame
And heard it told from hell they came
Their breath is fire their tongues are forged
Thus are the men of Muslim faith
Son, hear your father clear deep in your heart
Son, know your enemy as I would have them know my son
To fight the scourge of Christendom
I held aloft my blessed sword
And said "By god, let them come!"
They said their eyes are red as flame
I heard it told, from hell they came
Their breath is fire their tongues are forged
Thus are the beast of dragon's gate
I heard my fathers words deep in my heart
Son know your enemy as i know my son
The fates were kind, they let me in
The dragons lair, the den of sin
I placed my sword upon it's heart
And with a prayer I thrust it in
The dragon fell upon the ground
'Twas then I heard a whimpering sound
A dragonling to his father clung
Who only fought to protect his young
I heard my fathers words deep in my heart
Son, know your enemy as i know my son
And now my son is off to war
To fight the new scourge of Christendom
He holds aloft his brazen sword
And says "Death, let them come!"
He swears their eyes are red as flame
And heard it told from hell they came
Their breath is fire their tongues are forged
Thus are the men of Muslim faith
Son, hear your father clear deep in your heart
Son, know your enemy as I would have them know my son
Lyrics submitted by Krebstar
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There are definitely some errors in these lyrics. Besides the many punctuation gaffes, here are the wording mistakes that I noticed:
• Their breath is fire, their tongues are FORKED • "Son, know your enemy," as I HELD my son • And says, "DAD, let them come."
This song, to me, is about the clear danger that comes with blindly listening to things like organized religion, specifically Christianity. The character from the song is off to kill the dragon because it is described as "the scourge of christendom." They swear its eyes are red as flame and heard it rose up from hell itself. Its lair is the den of sin. This is everything he was told before killing the dragon. He walks in and kills the dragon only to see the baby dragon, clinging to its father. The church was wrong. The people were wrong about what the dragon was doing. He only sees it after its too late. The words of his father flash into his mind. He realized he didn't heed his warning and did not really know what he was doing. He was a blind follower, not a leader. He listened without questioning and it lead him to make mistakes he regrets. Time passes. His son is now off to war to fight the new scourge of christendom. Our character is now older, wiser, and perhaps not even a part of Christianity. His son is telling him the same things that he heard the church telling him when he was that age. He provides his son the same warning that his father provided him, implying that the son is about to go make the same mistakes that our lead character and his father presumably made. Obviously, as stated before, this can apply to the real world when it comes to listening to these institutions today that still influence the world. Blind followers will do anything, not even bothering to question its authenticity.
I believe the lyric is "Their tongues are -forked-", not Forged.
What i find interesting, is that Voltaire says that his father said "Son know your enemy, as I know my son" and then he goes off and slays the dragon anyway, showing that maybe his father didn't know him. When he then goes on to talk about his son he says the same thing basically. Perhaps he's saying that with his family, the fathers don't know there children
I believe this song means to say, before you kill anything, make sure you know its intentions, and to never kill something simply for its difference.