A Wolf Descends on the Spanish Sahara

This song is about being alone, very alone.

"If you're keeping score, then you are bound to win." If you are the only one playing, then you comprise all three parties: the score-keeper and the two competing sides. Clearly this is about being entirely alone.

"A birds eye view of a burning bridge." Apparently the person in the song has isolated himself, he has burned his bridge to company.

"You've gone through ghost towns set on pause, hoping the risk was worth the cause." The ghost towns could be old places that the person used to enjoy with others, or they could also be new places that still feel devoid of all humanity.

"Sound off the false alarm." The person apparently cries 'wolf' to himself frequently. He thinks he has found a companion who is worth the time to be friends with, a kindred spirit. But it is just a false alarm.

"but i make my own colleague from wood and from ivory, and reap the rewards of proximity. i will assemble my equal from what i like and require. and gather whats left of the company"

This chorus is makes it evident that companion this person has found is not a companion at all. It's a very dubious relationship, because the person has taken all of the things that he wants to be and all of the things that he loves about himself and attributed them to the 'false alarm' companion. He is making the mistake of trying to find himself instead of another.

"It smells like disaster, it looks like a trap." It smells like disaster, because it is. This person will be devastated to find that his false companion is not at all like the mental construction the person has attributed to the companion. It's like when you are dating someone that you really thought was interesting, then you realize that all the interesting things about that person were actually just interesting things about yourself that you chose to see in the other person.

"So go by the way side and never look back" Looks like the person is only going to get lonelier.

"If you could spare me forty winks" I have no idea on this line.

"while you cry wolf, and i count sheep" See my previous 'cry wolf' statement. I think the counting sheep refers to the fact that the most common way to deal with loneliness is to sleep it away.

"what good are ghosts in kevlar vests with backbones like a jellyfish" Indeed, such ghost would have all the worst parts of human beings and none of the good parts. This is how the person in the song views all the people he has met. How dismal.

"Stomp on your land again" "If you're keeping score then you're bound to win, a bird's eye view of the main event"

I'm not sure about these last two lines.

that part about bring own colleague, isn't correct, but my best fit,sorry about that. I love this song.

Amazing song, best on the album in my opinion...not sure what it means, but I'm going to wait for an official release of the lyrics before trying to decipher that. Obviously, it 'smells like disaster' though :)

it also could say "it smells like it's that girl, but looks like a drag" ^^

corrections:

If you're keeping score, then you are bound to win. A birds eye view of a burning bridge. You've gone through ghost towns set on pause hoping the risk was worth the cause(?)

Sound off the false alarm

but i make my own colleague from wood and from ivory, and reap the rewards of proximity. i will assemble my equal from what i like and require. and gather whats left of the company

It smells like disaster it looks like a trap. so go by the way side i'll never look back

if you could spare me forty winks while you cry wolf, and i count sheep what good are ghosts in kevlar vests with backbones like a jellyfish

the rest of it is right, but it's a tough one to decipher, and you got some parts i was scratching my head over, i'm not even sure these are all right. but yes, it is an amazing song, i wish they had more new ones on this album. LOVE this song

If you're keeping score, then you are bound to win. A birds eye view of a burning bridge. You've gone through ghost towns. settle past hoping the risk was worth the cause

Sound off the false alarm

but ill make my own carving from wood and ivory. and reap the rewards of proximity. but ill assemble my equal from what i lack and require and gather whats left of this company

It smiles like disaster and barks like a tramp. so go far away from it and never look back

if you could spare me forty winks why you cry wolf and i count sheep

what good are ghosts in kevlar vests with backbones like the a jellyfish

stomp on your land again.

but ill make my own carving from wood and ivory. and reap the rewards of proximity. but ill assemble my equal from what i lack and require and gather whats left of this company

It smiles like disaster and barks like a tramp. so go far away from it and never look back

if you are keeping score then you are bound to win a ring side seat at the main event.

stomp on your land again

It smiles like disaster and barks like a tramp. so go far away from it and never look back

this is what i always hear

The war going on right now, and our government.

yea i agree with diox but there are some parts that im not sure about... like the part about the trap.. who set the trap and is it us who are being traped?

anyways, good song very cryptic album though

How about this?: The American people are being trapped by their leaders; as of "April Fools and Eggmen" states, "take the bait. . ." (which, IMO is a reference to sacrificing much for 'security'). Look at the 3rd line from the end: The ringside seat refers to viewers of CNN and such. How does that sound?

oh. And on the title meaning?

I think it's a reference to when the English defeated the spanish armada.

Wolf-the English, or Elizabeth I.

Spanish Sahara-the ocean, and thusly the spanish armada.

Sahara being a metaphor, as the Sahara has been called an ocean of sand before i think... xD