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The Art Of Dying Lyrics
Breathing slowly, mechanical heartbeat
losing contact with the living
Almighty TV plugged, hybrid empty brain
don't see anything real in the game
The tension is building constantly
No reason just a reflex I have, driven by clockwork
I try to keep an eye open
And I realize I haven't closed my eyes in a long time
Neglected emotions lead to catastrophic voyage on the other side
I have been given so much stress and lack of confidence
I've been given the gift of so small hope deep inside
I haven't closed my eyes in a long time, I am trying
I cannot stomach these forms and colors anymore
but I'm here to continue, after all I have been through
I try to keep my eyes open, I am realizing
This life and death more precious than anything
I won't bring no material in the after life
Take no possessions, I would rather travel light
I'm of this kind that kills all day
but I don't know yet how to die
Art of dying, is the way to let all go
Within I practice in the secret of my soul
My shape in the reflector
has now for ever, a life on it's own
losing contact with the living
Almighty TV plugged, hybrid empty brain
don't see anything real in the game
The tension is building constantly
No reason just a reflex I have, driven by clockwork
I try to keep an eye open
And I realize I haven't closed my eyes in a long time
I have been given so much stress and lack of confidence
I've been given the gift of so small hope deep inside
I haven't closed my eyes in a long time, I am trying
but I'm here to continue, after all I have been through
I try to keep my eyes open, I am realizing
This life and death more precious than anything
Take no possessions, I would rather travel light
I'm of this kind that kills all day
but I don't know yet how to die
Within I practice in the secret of my soul
My shape in the reflector
has now for ever, a life on it's own
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I can't believe nobody has commented on this! It's the best song on the album for me, it just so powerful.
As for the meaning, I think it has to do with the importance of recognising how one's own mortality is more important than material possessions in life, so life should not be wasted on things such as watching TV.
or
The power of media such as television to destroy a person's independant thought, meaning a "death" of intellectual thought.
i agree with the above comments but more directly i think it may be talking about about learning how to live right so that you can die peacefully and perhaps be reborn with a more enlightened sense of lifes point(neglected emotions leading to catastrophic voyage on the otherside). we live our lives with misplased values and are blind to lifes true beauty(as mentioned above drowned in tv, video games,etc). IMO one line points to the whole meaning- IM OF THIS KIND THAT KILLS ALL DAY BUT I DONT KNOW YET HOW TO DIE. it sounds like someone who shit on everything their whole life and when it comes time for them to die they cant let go because they know theyve lived wrong and will want a second chance and their crossing over is harder. though i could be entirely wrong but this song has really made me think about myself
hmmm..When I hear these lyrics: "Breathing slowly, mechanical heartbeat losing contact with the living Almighty TV plugged, hybrid empty brain don't see anything real in the game The tension is building constantly No reason just a reflex I have, driven by clockwork I try to keep an eye open And I realize I haven't closed my eyes in a long time"
hmmm..When I hear these lyrics: "Breathing slowly, mechanical heartbeat losing contact with the living Almighty TV plugged, hybrid empty brain don't see anything real in the game The tension is building constantly No reason just a reflex I have, driven by clockwork I try to keep an eye open And I realize I haven't closed my eyes in a long time"
I think more towards the idea of what it's like to be in a permanint "vegtable" state such as a sevir coma where the only things keeping you alive are machines and being in a state...
I think more towards the idea of what it's like to be in a permanint "vegtable" state such as a sevir coma where the only things keeping you alive are machines and being in a state incredably close to death...Ex: (all mightly TV plug: could be interpretied as a life support) and (hybrid empty brain,mechanical heartbeat etc... could all be interpreded to coma-realted terms) and i also see it talkes about the "Art of dying", which is explain clearly stated in the song as "the way to let all go" which, to me, talkes about execpting death and leaving life behind, whch also supports my other piont about being on your death bed... I really dont think the song has any relation to TV media or sorts like that and is directly realted to the idea of exepting death, but thats just my oppinion...
This is what I believe Gojira is trying to convey In the first verse the first line has a mechanical heartbeat, which could be machine in a hospital keeping the speaker alive, he's watching the "almighty tv" which has become apart of his brain [his life], and he realizes that he has spent a very long time sitting their when trying to keep an eye open [I believe the closing of the eyes is him dying] The second verse talks about how he has been given tons of stress [and probably dealt with it by watching tv] By the end he decides to leave the this world for the next, and leaving the materialism behind [I believe they are referencing the ancient Egyptian belief that pharaohs could bring their possessions with them if they are buried with them] as for the last verse I'm not quite sure and the part about he's the kind that kills all day could be video-games, he's a soldier, he watches fake and/ or real violence on tv and has become desensitized with death and that could be why he forgot how to die
Actually, I find that this song is speaking of the act of self death that is also seen in The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley. Both works portray the self as something that causes selfishness (attachment to "material") and reliance on the physical world, while ignoring the transcendent world. The art of dying is a killing of the self-identity (akin to Buddhist "no-self"). The realization that the speaker has about how he has "never closed [his] eyes in a long time" suggest his ignorance to the "other world" while relying on the sensual world for truth. The traveling light is figurative as well as literal. Of course one cannot take personal belongings into the afterlife, but one must also learn to live without the self so as to leave all attachments to the physical world with the self and create a peaceful idea of death instead of an idea full of resentment for what one loses.
Yep, you got it man!! That's what meant... for me at least ;) I think this idea is getting really interesting, if you consider the "Art of dying" (in the mystical meaning you described) as an act that is neither identical with actual (biological) death nor does necessarily only happen shortly before biological death. i mean, to die peacefully sure is a good thing, but what about to live peacfully? i am convinced that one can achieve overcoming ones self-identity in lifetime. the earlier the better, don't you think? Maybe in the lyrics the line "whithin i practise" hints at that... by...
Yep, you got it man!! That's what meant... for me at least ;) I think this idea is getting really interesting, if you consider the "Art of dying" (in the mystical meaning you described) as an act that is neither identical with actual (biological) death nor does necessarily only happen shortly before biological death. i mean, to die peacefully sure is a good thing, but what about to live peacfully? i am convinced that one can achieve overcoming ones self-identity in lifetime. the earlier the better, don't you think? Maybe in the lyrics the line "whithin i practise" hints at that... by the way i definitely agree to sammyt7, best song on the album. givin me goosebumps! speaking for myself: to loose all that, what could be called my self-identity, doesn't at all mean that i become "nobody", get dumb and amnesic, dissolve into nothing or such. quite the contrary. paradoxically by loosing my identity i seem to become "myself" even more, more that ever. I like the way Eckhart Tolle put it - unfortunately thats one of those "mystics" thats probably earning an a*** full of money with his books, but still there's something to it: "Property, work, social status, acceptance, knowledge, education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, personal or family history, politics, nationality, race nor religion. None of that is you. Do you think that is frightening? Or is it a relief? You have to let got of these things sooner or later. Do you think thats hard to belief? I certainly don't want you to belief, that your identity is in none of these things. You will find out yourself. At the latest when death is near. death takes away everything that is not you. Now the secret of life is "to die BEFORE you die" and find out that there is no death."
It's about the constant cycle of dying to self and how much time is wasted!
I believe this song has a simpler story than a lot of people are interpreting.\n\nIt seems to me it\'s describing terminal illness; being bed ridden and sick in the hospital; if you keep it in mind as you read the lyrics they all make sense then. Especially with not having closed ones eyes in a long time, probably referring to constant tests and treatments in the hospital.
for any musicians wondering, the main pattern could be counted 6/4, 21/16 + repeat
@TMA2 Actually, when the drums and heavy guitars enter, counting 2 figures of 4/4 (x12) and 3/4 (x1), and when the china comes in, 1 figure of 4/4 (x10) and 5/4 (x1) and then comes the verse.
@TMA2 Actually, when the drums and heavy guitars enter, counting 2 figures of 4/4 (x12) and 3/4 (x1), and when the china comes in, 1 figure of 4/4 (x10) and 5/4 (x1) and then comes the verse.
@TMA2 https://youtu.be/JLYeGJzJMdU
@TMA2 https://youtu.be/JLYeGJzJMdU
I agree with sammyt7, i think its about how life is beatiful and u shouldnt waste it in front of a tv or video games
I think we can minimise this song in a simple oration: to be alive is like to commit a very slow and long suicide
That's a simple but solid interpretation, but you forgot one thing - comparing it to a long suicide isn't the right way to put it. The main difference in a "long suicide" and actual suicide is that the long suicide is full of experiences and memories that make you want to stay alive. Actual suicide doesn't support this and is a temporary state of mind that humans are digging through on a daily basis.
That's a simple but solid interpretation, but you forgot one thing - comparing it to a long suicide isn't the right way to put it. The main difference in a "long suicide" and actual suicide is that the long suicide is full of experiences and memories that make you want to stay alive. Actual suicide doesn't support this and is a temporary state of mind that humans are digging through on a daily basis.
So, everybody is going to die, but everybody is also bound to live a fragment of time within the illusion of time itself. ...
So, everybody is going to die, but everybody is also bound to live a fragment of time within the illusion of time itself. If you realize and acknowledge the temporary existence along with the fact that time is simply an illusion fueling illusions, you embrace the perseverance and effort to get whatever it is your seeking, and look towards the things that truly stand out and matter to you.
Obviously what you prioritize varies, but like I said above, once you truly embrace the fact that life is temporary and everyone will disappear one day (the art of dying), this song could potentially morph into a different title - "The Art of Dying: How I Embraced Life and Summoned the Strength to Prioritize What Truly Matters Around Me".
Gojira is fucking awesome, man.
As the song says, "Art of dying is the way to let all go". This song is not so much about death as it is letting go of anything that does not serve you so that you may live fully and have no regrets or doubts when your time does come. Letting go is a common theme in Gojira\'s music, whether it be letting go of material things, or letting go of guilt, jealousy, or whatever the case may be.