Collapse (Post-Amerika)

What each line of the lyrics means: (to my point of view)

The Whole Song Meaning: It's like the continuous and improvised version of the song "Ready to Fall". All we need to do is to change are ways to and for our Earth. Whatever we do to our Earth will result to us but not to it.

"When our rivers run dry and our crops cease to grow" "When our summer grow longer and winters won’t snow"

• and - "From the bank of the ocean and the ice in the hills" Meaning: The message simply points out towards Global Warming and Climate Change. It's very similar to the song "Ready to Fall".

"To the fight in the desert where progress stands still" Meaning: The line has a similar message to the song "State of the Union". The US soldiers are fighting and protecting the nation to have "progress" to the country, but all it results in is more war and abuse to power of the country and corruption.

"When the air that we breathe becomes air that we choke" Meaning: The line simply brings out a message towards Pollution. It also reflects on the "air that we breathe", as the losing oxygen in our world, and the "air that we choke", as the majoring carbon dioxide and poisonous air that we are and will breathe somehow in the future.

We should find a way to avoid it, and we should have true knowledge about it of what will result to this in the near future --- in which it's already happening. The lines are similar to "Ready to Fall" and closely to "Give It All".

"When the marsh fever spreads from the swamps to our homes" Meaning: "Marsh Fever" means Malaria. The message reflects towards the spreading sickness, of not just Malaria, but other sicknesses as well.

It can also result in of Pollution. We should do something about it, and do it right now.

"When your home on the range has been torn down and paved"

• and - "The buffalo roam to a slaughterhouse grave" Meaning: The lines are perfect examples of the song "Ready to Fall". It gives out a message of Animal Cruelty and Environment Abuse. The "home on the range" simply says the pure land of forests or farm land that was changed or "torn down" into "paved" or commercial sites for only the use of money.

The "buffalo" symbolizes the animals of all species existing, and to it they are abused, eaten by us and being killed, by it "to a slaughterhouse grave". They only do it for personal gain, money, and for just food.

Side Note: Rise Against, as an activist band, the band members are all-vegan, meaning vegetarian, and are very active to PETA.

"This is a chance to set things straight" "To bend or break the rules back into place" "There is no middle ground, no compromise, we’ve drawn the line" "With perfect aim, we stand back and throw"

• and - "Glass windows break and it’s all about to blow" Meaning: The message points out of how activists and those who care about our world, have had enough of what's happening to us and they will do anything, even to break the rules and laws, to change our world for the better and best, of and for, us and our Earth. The line can be similar to "Prayer of the Refugee" because it emphasizes activism in a way that they would do anything for the change of our world and to us.

"Lights go out as we pass the torch again"

• and - "In hope that is stays lit" Meaning: The lines are simple quotes by Rise Against, but has the best meaning in the song itself. "Lights go out" means the fading or disappearing people who care for our world, and "as we pass the torch again" symbolizes the passing and future generation, in which they will continue their term in protecting and changing our world for the best of it and to our next generations.

"In hope that is stays lit" finalizes that the strength of hope towards the change will never end and the hope that it will never end.

"This is not a test, oh no" "This is cardiac arrest" "Of a world too proud to admit our mistakes"

• and - "We kiss the ground as we'll fall from grace" Meaning: The chorus simply means regret and at the same time, hope. "This is not a test, oh no" is a line symbolizing reality and what could result in will change everything. "This is cardiac arrest" means that the downfall of our world will result to our abuses to it.

"Of a world too proud to admit our mistakes" simply says that we are always not sorry of our faults and "mistakes" towards our world. "We kiss the ground as we'll fall from grace" states that we should always be ready and face to what things we have done and do will result in, and "from grace" meaning the hope of change in our world. The chorus is definitely the same with the song "Ready to Fall".

Summary: We should overlook our actions towards our mistakes and we should and now do something about it to change everything, though having one chance, we should be positive to our hopes to the changes we will do for the better and best of our world. Let that time be right now.

i think this song is saying we need to realize that the world is going downhill, and we need to fix it before it's too late

okay i can see where you got tha Iraq part from...

"To the fight in the desert where progress stands still"

but i don't think tha WHOLE song is about that...i think it's about tha world in general and alot of tha problems we're facing

"When our rivers run dry and our crops cease to grow When our summer grow longer and winters won’t snow"

i think this part is about global warming...about how the climate is changing.

"When your home on the range has been torn down and paved"

this part is just a guess but 2 me it means how we're losing all these family farms and are being taken over by factory farms who mistreat tha animals & feed them garbage basically (educate yourself about it at www.themeatrix.com)

"Lights go out as we pass the torch again In hope that it stays lit"

2 me this i think this line is talking about people who protest against such issues and by saying that he hopes tha torch stays lit he's saying he hopes people won't jus give in & that they continue 2 speak out 4 what they believe in

that's what tha song means 2 me anyways but u guys are welcome 2 leave your own opinions

Umm, I think you're all wrong. You people seem to be saying, "we", as in, the whole world. Sure, we've all got our issues, but part of the title of this song is, (Post Amerika), and umm, I'm pretty sure he is referring to America's fuck ups. :P

But yes, "our mistakes". Sure. i'll go with it.

duff3d, not trying to start an argument. Your clearly a well spoken and educated individual but it's hard to see any validity in your comment when it reeks of hypocrisy.

Most of you are right, They are calling for change, and I know that it might sound stupid to sing songs about what we should do and it almost could sound lazy and like they are just trying to market to hippies and "rebellious kids" but it's simply not true. Rise Against is NOT just trying to market to those groups so they can make money, they have ALWAYS been this way, they have been active since they were teens in animals rights and liberal politics. It seems like singing a song is not making a difference but it is, if they get playtime on the radio or on music video television, they make a difference by getting their messages to the public, especially to the open-minded youth of the world, probably mostly American kids who will become voters who will decide who will have the power to start wars, create green energy, change tax rates on companies, ban battery cages, seal hunting, drill for oil, etc. I think it's working, most kids that I've talked to are very liberal compared to a lot of the public and more open-minded. You can see how popular their songs got like "Ready to Fall" (The Unrated Version on YouTube is much clearer) and "Prayer of a Refugee" which raise important issues like global warming, animals raised for human greed, and sweatshop labor. You can see this with other artists such as Eminem ("Mosh"), P!nk ("Dear Mr. President"), Flobots ("Handlebars", other songs too), Good Charlotte ("We Believe"), Rage Against the Machine (um, about all their songs), System of a Down ("War", "Prison Song", "Boom!", "BYOB"), Anti-Flag ("One Billion Dollars"), and the list goes on. These songs have gotten lots of views on such sites as YouTube as music videos and have gotten air time on radio stations and music video channels like MTV, Fuse, and IMF, and have we forgotten about people who just go to the music store and check them out?

Sorry about how long that was, but I really try to make my points clear so people can understand without too many questions left unanswered.

I believe this song was primarily saying, like many people have already said, that you can't stand neutrally, you have to take a stand or nothing's going to change. They practice what they preach, taking a pretty left view compared to what the mean of people think, they are supporters of Obama, want to end the war, are members of the controversial group PETA, and I believe, with this song, support the ALF and ELF, standing for Animal Liberation Front and Environmental Liberation Front respectively. These groups actually do take actions to destroy profits of Environment destroyers and animal abusers non-violently (violence used here is anything potentially causing harm to a living, feeling creature). These groups DO do things physically, not just talking, and for you who think singing songs isn't doing anything, do you expect Rise Against to go break windows of some animal testing lab or a fur farm? Really? That would really help them! We wouldn't get music for around 5 years since they'd be in federal prison but hey, at least they're not just singing to millions and millions of people who could potentially go vegetarian or at least consider voting for a person who shows concern about issues like war and preserving the environment! Lets just let the rap artists talk about smoking pot, sex, and having lots of money! That'll help the world out, kids of the next generation will be saying: let the world burn as long as I have my greenhouse, my money, and hot chicks around!

I understand what some of you may think that music doesn't do anything because I for a while thought that too, but when you look at it from my perspective, you will hopefully understand.

This song is basically saying that we are destroying our world. It doesn't have anything to do with the financial crisis. That is due to our government and the greed of humanity. This song i directe more towards global warming, look at the lyrics ... Rivers run dry, crops cease to grow, Summers grow longer, and winters won't snow. It's obvious ...

This song is aimed at pointing out we don't have long left to do something before we can't do anything.

I think this song is about the continuance of American troops in Iraq, long after it seems clear that we should pull out. Additionaly that it was a mistake to go there in the first place but out of pride we could not admit selfish reasoning as a reason to go to war.

"This is a chance to set things straight To bend or break the rules back into place There is no middle ground, no compromise, we’ve drawn the line With perfect aim, we stand back and throw Glass windows break and it’s all about to blow Lights go out as we pass the torch again In hope that is stays lit"

This can be applied to the current financial crisis going on worldwide. In fact, it fits pretty well.

It's marsh fields not marsh fever...wtf is that?