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Cut Into The Earth Lyrics
Is this life? To stand here and wait. In this city forged of scraps. Is this life? To stand on the dead. On feces and sweat. Is this life? It’s all starting again. Quick, gather your belongings and go. Run while it’s still dark. Out here you’re as good as dead. Leave the shots echoing behind. Don’t look back until you run out of land. When you think there’s a second that you can’t be seen, the current can decide how this night will end. Don’t try to imagine what’s ahead. Let nothing cripple your will. You will cross enormous distance only to arrive with nothing. You will give all you have. If you navigate your way with endurance and success, if you pass the obstacles and still have your life, if you’ve escaped death, if your guts haven’t withered away, if you haven’t broken under the strain. They won’t be welcoming. They forget a time when their land was swelling. A monstrous movement across the sea. When she relieved her bowels all over the world. Don’t try to imagine what’s ahead. Let nothing cripple your will. Just follow the paths that they cut into the earth right back to their door.
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Relieving her bowels all over the world sounds like it has to do with a flood. But, looking closer, I think it might have to do with the spread of European colonialism.
This song is heavily influenced by the book Human Cargo.
"Is this life? To stand here and wait. In this city forged of scraps.?"
This refers to refugees; who live in a perpetual state of waiting - waiting to be accepted or refused their refugee status and relocated to a new country.
" Is this life? To stand on the dead. On feces and sweat. Is this life"
Fairly accurate description of most refugee camps; from Africa to Australia.
"t’s all starting again. Quick, gather your belongings and go. Run while it’s still dark. Out here you’re as good as dead. Leave the shots echoing behind. Don’t look back until you run out of land."
Refugee camps are often ill-protected; this line seems to describe the plight of Palestinian refugees; whose camps are often attacked by Israeli forces. Refugee camps following the Rwandan genocide were also notoriously dangerous.
"When you think there’s a second that you can’t be seen, the current can decide how this night will end. Don’t try to imagine what’s ahead. Let nothing cripple your will. You will cross enormous distance only to arrive with nothing. You will give all you have."
Describing the horrors of flight, outrunning border guards, travelling through dangerous terrain, etc.
"If you navigate your way with endurance and success, if you pass the obstacles and still have your life, if you’ve escaped death, if your guts haven’t withered away, if you haven’t broken under the strain. They won’t be welcoming. ."
Addresses the failure of developed nations to live up to their own (very low, at that) standards for immigration intake.
"They forget a time when their land was swelling"
Points out the hypocracy of a nation founded on immigration due to persecution employing such repressive policies.
"A monstrous movement across the sea. When she relieved her bowels all over the world."
I believe this refers specifically to British colonialism; "she" being England.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.
"Just follow the paths that they cut into the earth right back to their door."
This is my favourite line of the song and indeed the whole album. To me it basically endorses and encourages people from the poorer, oppressed countries...refugees/IDPs etc to go back along all the trade routes/motorways etc that have been cut into the earth by the US/UK etc in order to take away their resources. They were happy to take away minerals but not humans. So mr/mrs pissed off person...go back and share some of the wealth that you rightfully deserve. i welcome them to the UK.
I am left some-what baffled at the meaning of this song. Perhaps delving into the genocide that is occuring right now in Darfur, or maybe predating back to the Rwandan genocide?
Help out if someone has a firm idea or insight from the band.
@heretical pacifist It's about how oppressed people at the other end of the world have the human right to dignity and peace just as we do and our colonial ancestors did their very best to stay overseas and control territory so far away from their own land that Todd just tells 'em, the roads have already been made by the ex-colonizers, just move wherever you think you'll have a better life and those living there disapproving is unwarranted so don't care about them reactionaries.
@heretical pacifist It's about how oppressed people at the other end of the world have the human right to dignity and peace just as we do and our colonial ancestors did their very best to stay overseas and control territory so far away from their own land that Todd just tells 'em, the roads have already been made by the ex-colonizers, just move wherever you think you'll have a better life and those living there disapproving is unwarranted so don't care about them reactionaries.
I think it's about oppressed people who emigrate over long distances to try to make a better life for themselves and their families only to face racism when they arrive in what they thought would be a better place.
I don't understand "when she relieved her bowels all over the world"
@redpatcher Countries are called "she" for some reason, Queen Victoria of the UK pretty much conquered more than half of the world at some point, that's what Todd's talking about.
@redpatcher Countries are called "she" for some reason, Queen Victoria of the UK pretty much conquered more than half of the world at some point, that's what Todd's talking about.
My interpretation is probably wrong but I always thought this song was about an attempt to escape societal pressures and expectations to start something for yourself.
"This city forged of scraps. Stand on the dead. On feces and sweat."
I took this to mean America which was built on the sweat and blood of African slaves.
And now you see a chance to escape and forge a meaningful life for yourself. So it takes great dedication, pain, anguish to get to a point where you can build something for yourself without subjugating others to do your will.
But as you arrive at this point, there is authority and organized government directing you back into your line. And those who are in charge have forgotten what it's like to want to build something for yourself.
So even if you think you've found a way out, you are just following a path that they've already cut and planned for you and you arrive right where they want you.