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Armor and Sword Lyrics
The snakes and arrows a child is heir to
are enough to leave a thousand cuts.
We build our defenses, a place of safety
and leave the darker places unexplored.
Sometimes the fortress is too strong
or the love is too weak.
What should have been our armor
becomes a sharp and angry sword.
Our better natures seek elevation;
a refuge for the coming night.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
We hold beliefs as a consolation;
a way to take us out of ourselves.
Meditation, or medication.
A comfort, or a promised reward.
Sometimes that spirit is too strong
or the flesh is too weak.
Sometimes the need is just too great
for the solace we seek.
The suit of shining armor
becomes a keen and bloody sword.
A refuge for the coming night.
A future of eternal light.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
Confused alarms of struggle and fight.
Blood is drained of color
by the flashes of artillery light.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
The battle flags are flown
at the feet of the Gods unknown.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
Sometimes the damage is too great
or the will is too weak.
What should have been our armor
becomes a sharp and burning sword.
are enough to leave a thousand cuts.
We build our defenses, a place of safety
and leave the darker places unexplored.
or the love is too weak.
What should have been our armor
becomes a sharp and angry sword.
a refuge for the coming night.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
a way to take us out of ourselves.
Meditation, or medication.
A comfort, or a promised reward.
or the flesh is too weak.
Sometimes the need is just too great
for the solace we seek.
The suit of shining armor
becomes a keen and bloody sword.
A future of eternal light.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
Blood is drained of color
by the flashes of artillery light.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
The battle flags are flown
at the feet of the Gods unknown.
No one gets to their heaven without a fight.
or the will is too weak.
What should have been our armor
becomes a sharp and burning sword.
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The first two lines may refer to the "death of a thousand cuts", which was a Chinese torture method also known as "Ling-chi". The point was to prolong suffering and keep the victim on the edge of death for as long as possible without going over.
"Death of a thousand cuts" may also refer to the gradual or incremental destruction of something. I think this is probably what Peart was referring to when he wrote that line. When a child is born into this world, he is guaranteed to endure a lifetime of "snakes and arrows" which will inflict on him the "death of a thousand cuts". It may not be a single major thing that kills us, but if not then it will be due to countless other things which wear us down and eventually destroy our bodies (such as the aging process, for example).
At least that's how I'm seeing it...
nice eloquent post
nice eloquent post
Brow..., that´s quite a version.
Brow..., that´s quite a version.
this song is awesome
great song, think it means as you go on in life, you see things differently and react different, where maybe you defended certain view points (war, abortion,religion etc) that was armor and now maybe your views have changed and you "attack" the same things you used to defend. the internal struggle between right and wrong
What we use for defense can also be used to attack.
Gormo pretty much summed up my view of this song.
In moderation, religion can be a potent ward against the terrible things that happen in the world. Believing that a higher power really is out there and that everything really will work out in the end can help people through difficult times. In this way, religion acts as armour, protecting us from the general misfortunes of life.
Unfortunately, there often comes a point when religion stops being about loving God (or the higher power(s) of your choice) and turns into a reason or excuse to hate and persecute others. Fanatics stop using religion as a defense against life's hardships and instead use it as a justification to destroy those they hate, fear, or oppose. This kind of thinking breeds discrimination and even outright assault, as evidenced by countless past bombings and policies. Christians bombing mosques, Muslims bombing churches - it's all the same: religion gone wrong, trading armour for swords.
"No one gets to their heaven without a fight." There's far too much of this sentiment in the world. Violent and virtuous are not synonyms, and if one must fight for religion, it should be to defend oneself from the attacks of others. When set upon by another religion, trust your armour to protect you. Do not reach for a sword of your own.
THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS. Armor, Sword, Snakes, and arrows REPRESENT conflict, the poisons of envy and vengeance, laying down of arms, and possibly transformation. Imagine this. close your eyes and remember the picture on the cover of the snakes and arrows album. It is a meditating humanoid figure. now remember the title of the song. now remember what the meditating humanoid is doing on the cover. It appears that the humanoid figure is either stabbing snakes with poison arrows or laying down armor and sword. There is also a healing theme at play.
The line "the snakes and arrows A CHILD IS HEIR TO are enough to leave a thousand cuts" This could also refer to the bag of family karma that a child is heir to. the phrase "Death by a thousand cuts" means that sometimes when certain situations unfold in a way that is so incremental that is it not even perceived. It's kind of like the phrase... "if you put a frog in hot water he will jump out but..." which by the way is another image of poison.
This song summarises the themes of 'Snakes & Arrows'. It is a song about the two different "sides" of religion: the armour, which gives strength; and the sword.
The first two lines are brilliant: "The snakes and arrows a child is heir to are enough to leave a thousand cuts." No child is born with a set of beliefs or customs: he inherits them from his parents, for good or ill.
The religious theme is continued, quite strongly, in "The Way The Wind Blows".
This song is absolutely epic.
I think it's about how religion is a rather convenient comfort blanket for blocking out the bad things in the world (the arrows), but on the flipside, religion is frequently the cause of many of the world's ills (the arrows).
After a while, we get too complacent and refuse to be tricked anymore that the world is a great place and turn our comfort blanket into a powerful sword to force the world to be a better place.
I'd say this is my favourite song on S&A! Awesome acoustic guitar, and electric guitar! Great lyrically, too!
I'm going to see them perform at their last venue on the S&A tour. I am so beyond excited and this is the song I want to hear the most live. I'll most likely be wearing my black Rush hoodie! Look for the girl with curly dark hair!
P.S.- I posted these lyrics from the booklet inside the CD, but sometimes there is still controversy..