The Sons of Fate

First, interpretations. Then corrections. Then final thoughts.

Anyway, first bit is pretty obvious. Megaman refuses to fight, Protoman says he has no choice. Megaman still believes there is some good left in humanity and in Protoman. Protoman believes they are all fools.

Second bit, Protoman addresses the crowd. No more second chances. No more heroes. I'm not going to save you again. Nobody will, because you're too weak to help yourselves.

Third bit, the crowd is ticked. They believe Protoman, Protoman who was once their hero, is evil and readily turn against him. Yet they refuse to do anything for themselves, and want Megaman to finish this.

Fourth, Protoman (as he is dying) has what I call an "Anakin Skywalker" moment. Perhaps there is some hope, some good that will come of this. They just have to see it for themselves.

Fourth, the crowd attempts to persuade Megaman that he has done the 'right thing' in killing Protoman. That he had no other choice. That he shouldn't be upset about it. Yet for the crowd's reaction, Megaman turns his back on them. Maybe his brother was right after all.

The last bunch of "we are the dead"s are the crowd despairing because, just like in "Hope Rides Alone", their hero has left them and they will fall under Wily.

Interesting to note that over the course of the album, every character undergoes some drastic change in personality.

Now, for the corrections. This one is messed up enough that I might as well just post the entire song. The parts between hyphens indicate who's singing in a particular stanza, and who's in parentheses.

-MEGAMAN/(PROTOMAN)-

I will not fight you (You have no choice) I'll stand beside you (I stand alone) You're still their hero (Then they are fools) This cannot be the only way (You will see...) They don't deserve this (When this is through) Now more than ever (Mankind will fall) We are their hope (They would not stand) They know no better (They would not fight) They are not ready (They never will) Even now there is hope for man (My father's words?) Your father loved you (He still believes?) His heart was broken (His only weakness) His greatest strength (Now we shall see...) You are not evil (...if they will stand) You are not broken (...beside their hero!) We both know they'll never fight! (You finally get it.) (There are no heroes. Mankind is doomed.)

(You will never have another hero! You will never have another chance! You will fall, because you never tried to stand for yourselves!)

-(CHOIR)-

(Destroy him! You can save us! (+Destroy him!) You're our only hope! (+ Destroy him!)(+You can save us!) Kill Protoman!)

-PROTOMAN-

If these people... Tell this story... ...To their children... As they sleep... ...Then maybe someday... They'll see a hero... ...Is just a man... Who knows he's free...

-(CHOIR)/MEGAMAN-

(He could not save himself.) (How could he save us?) (For all the blood he shed) And as I live (Your brother failed us) There is no evil that will stand (There's nothing you could do) And I will finish (You had no choice) What was started (Why do you cry for him?) The fight of Protoman! (You are our hero.) (You are our hero!) You are the dead.

(We are the dead!) ((x10))

Yes, I did listen hard enough to determine that "We are the dead" is repeated ten times. (Side note: That's the same number of times it was repeated in "Hope Rides Alone".)

I think it's worth noting that this is the first time in the entire set of songs that the people speak out against their oppressors, calling for Protoman's destruction in response to his cries of outrage. Throughout the entirety of The Stand they say nothing, yet here, during the battle between Protoman and his younger brother, they let themselves be heard.

I like to think that Protoman is surprised by this defiance; that he realizes that he has become a symbol of what he at first tried to destroy and that, though the people may not fight for their own freedom, they have at least been given enough hope by himself and his brother that they let their desire for liberation be heard. He realizes that if Megaman is allowed to kill him, they might seize upon that moment as a symbol of their hope, and given time that hope might burgeon into all out rebellion.

Furthermore, I believe Protoman allows himself to be killed so that this might come to pass. He tries to explain this but his brother, so taken by despair at having killed his hero and fury at the crowd's exultant cries, turns his back on the city and its people, leaving them to the fate that awaits them at the feet of Wily and his robot army.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next installment (assuming there is one, I hope there will be, this band is fantastic).

Interestingly, in all the live versions I've seen on Youtube and stuff, it's actually Megaman that says "You will never have another hero! You will never have another chance! You will fall, because you've never tried to stand for yourselves!"

So... I agree entirely with L33tsaber's corrections. And it bothers me that in almost three years, Kuroji hasn't bothered to do the fixes. Is there any way we can get this fixed?

As for meaning, before I read the "official" narrative in the liner notes, I had a completely separate vision for how Protoman dies. I imagined that Megaman was just avoiding Protoman's assault as they do their duet, then Protoman strikes some sort of mortal-looking blow. As he gloats before the crowd, he hears them call for blood, then is shocked to hear Megaman scream, "No!" followed by the command to kill Protoman. And I imagined a similar change of heart at the sudden display of defiance from the crowd, as Protoman sees that maybe they just needed to be pushed far enough before they'd actually start to rally behind someone.

I'm confused, in some of the transcribed lyrics that I've found online theres an entire verse following "You are the dead!" and before the chorus of "We are the dead" which describes Megaman walking away from the crowd and allowing them to be slaughtered by Wiley, but I don't hear this verse at all in the CD version. Is this a live performance or another source that it's coming from? It seems like crucial story information, why was it omitted?