Would You Be Impressed?

I think this song talks about how we as a society recognize that things aren't right in the world but we just sort of live with it because we all say "it's not my fault" until it's too late.

Is this an answer to Keasbey Nights and Point/Counterpoint? maybe those songs were cryptic descriptions of what this song is headed towards. a more general and societal loss of purpose as opposed to the sole man with a gun and vest.

And what, pray tell, will you whimper when your NUMBER WILL BE CALLED? You'll say "It's not my fault"

idk. i was hoping track three would carry the story and sing along. but maybe it does.

It's definitely an interesting possibility.

This is a continuation of the death theme again, thankfully without being morbid. Simply, we're kind of dying as soon as we're born so live it whilst you can. Every cure given and found lengthens life but immortality is a lie: which seems to be what every human aims for.

But here's a thing we can't cure by medicine. The song describes a situation of a judgement day where everyone fails the test with the wrong answer. We live for lust and need (and usually for shit we don't need but just think we do) so what will we do when the time comes when we can't? When a disaster happens, everyone'll blame each other for all the crap humans have created and started and deny all contribution to it as we undoubtedly will. However thats not true, we've all contributed to it some way or another. Either by directly/consciously doing it, turning away, being hypocrites, or simply by doing absolutely nothing.

He dreams the lines of people trying to avoid the call and judgement (the guilty consciences) with those placed in front of the judging awaiting their turn. Waking up, he alone realises the right answer and what he has to do. --Angela.

Having listened to the entire album many times, I think that Tom is giving us his view on religion at this point in time.
Mephisto's is sort of like an atheist's anthem, and forty days gives me a little bit of a "there really isn't a god" feeling, as do the other songs. This song, though, I think Tom's talking about how so many people devote their life to cleansing themselves of sin, instead of focusing on life itself (a theme also in We Will Fall Together, saying we're too obsessed with the afterlife and the dead, while we're not even there yet). The "disease" is sin and religious impurity, and the "vaccinating" is our solid societal belief in a "higher power" that we don't even know truly exists. "Trying to hide our maladies" I think is us as humans denying we sin and trying to stay ultimately "pure" so we can live eternally in the afterlife. I pretty much think the entire album is Tom calling out the existence of god and all religion. Maybe he's another anguished soul that's just really pissed off? Again, just another take on it. We can never be positive unless it comes from the genius's mouth itself.

-Andrew

This song reminds me alot of Hell by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I know Tom cites them as a big influence. just pointing that out. even tho they sort of have conflicting messages. idk

these guys were amazing in concert, again. only played half the new cd, but when can they fail live? good shit... the bands before them weren't very good though =/

I think part of this song is focused on how people try to cover up their illnesses, their flaws, and try to make their life perfect...but only for themselves. They'll pray for themselves and for things others may "need", but they are too self-absorbed, that on Judgment Day, or even their own fall, they will claim they've done nothing wrong and don't deserve what is happening to them and will be quick to blame someone else...sort of a final bad move as well.

what i get from this song is he's talking about how much time we waste doing meaningless things that dont improve ourselves. and then we try and fix the little things that are wrong in our lives but we dont realize they are caused by a much bigger problem which is our own ignorance. another thing i notice is how people never take any sort of responsibility for their actions. they always need the blame to fall on someone else. it is a disgusting habit that is plauging our society. and that, i think, is why at the end he steps up and takes the fall, takes the blame for whatever wrongs he has done. which unfortunately is too rare a practice these days.

long live streetlight.

This song to me in my opinion, is his opinion on the views of responsibility and maturity. As children, we will not take the responsibility of our own actions. Many people in society now, even many that are in power, never really grow up, and accept that they did something wrong, they just blame it on someone else.Which is a huge problem in our country. Once he realized what he, and everyone else was doing, he decided to become an adult and responsible for all of his actions.

I"m going to have to agree with the personal resposibilty view. I don't think the whole album is so much about religion.