Strength Through Music

A peculiar thing happened to me this morning: Just as I reached into my pocket to find it emptier than a (?), I saw two broken twigs on the ground Shaped like the Greek letters F and S. F and S, helium, F and S These are the chemical symbols for iron and sulphur It was a sign, I am sure, for me to make gold out of these elements I have been working all day Over these hellish flames.......

this is a really haunting song, i love it!

A peculiar thing happened to me this morning, Just as I reached into my pocket to find it empty of any sow, I saw two broken twigs on the ground Shaped like the Greek letters F and S. F and S, Helium, F, and S These are the chemical symbols for iron and sulphur It was a sign, I am sure, for me to make gold out of these two elements I have been working all day Over these hellish flames.......

Just fixed a couple of things.

I think the sound clip at the start is a metaphor for the shooter. The narrator sees some broken twigs and connects dots that aren't there, making the large leap that he is destined to make gold from sulphur and iron.

The shooter is someone who sat all day on his computer, thinking he was seeing the world, but really just seeing the internet. We all know how people can act on the internet, the world could seem like an inhospitable place, and because no one ever reached out to the guy why shouldn't he come to that conclusion? Like the narrator in the sound clip at the start he connects dots that aren't there, but it's not entirely his fault, society is to blame as well.

As far as the sample at the beginning goes:

Also remember that Iron and Sulphur are elements traditionally associated in America with Guns ("Irons" were guns in cowboy slang) and Ammo (gunpowder used to be made with sulphur).

The subject of the song is trying to use Iron (guns) and Sulphur (ammo) to somehow come up with Gold (happiness? satisfaction?). It's pointless. Even when you think about it, what will making Gold out of Iron and Sulphur actually solve?

It's being compared to Alchemy (ancient science where people used mystic symbols and philosophy to try to turn things into gold) because it's the same kind of impossible obsession. None of the alchemists ever made gold out of other stuff. Even today's scientists haven't done it yet.

Does anyone know why he says "F and S, Helium, F and S,"? I'm really confused by the helium part. Anyone know what this means?

the song is about the school shootings, hands down. The first verse evades meaning, but the second verse makes it very clear. School children shooting other children- they think it's just a game. They're only playing. They think it's so simple, that they can just go and kill people. They make no sound. Has anyone seen the music video for this song, by the way? The one where Amanda walks down a school corridor, and the corridor fills up with bodies. It was absolutely horrifying to see.

This is a truly brilliant song.

i saw Amanda in Melbourne 3 weeks ago. to anyone reading this, please, GO AND SEE HER. even my dad is still singing this song.

Amanda said she wrote it about a man going mad with a gun in America a few years ago.

This is creepy... the day she went into the studio to record it, the newspaper headlines were all abotu the Virginia Tech massacre. 3 days before she came to Australia for the tour, a man went on a shooting rampage in an American mall.

also notable was a couple in the front row at this show, who cried the whole way through this song.

and may i say i don't blame them.

it's a columbine tribute song.

or.. it was originally, at least.

but i'm sure it kind of pertains to any school shooting. it's just a tribute song to columbine.

any ideas on what the man says before Amanda starts singing?