The Last Baron

according to the dvd, the album tells the story of a boy in modern times who astral projects and ends up getting lost. over the course of the album, the boy's spirit is sucked through a wormhole and ends up being used by a Czarist Russian cult in divination rituals. Rasputin is a member and agrees to take the boy's spirit back to his body. "The Last Baron" seems to be telling the tale of Rasputin and the boy's journey across time and space back to the boy's body. Happening alongside the boy's story, another story unfolds. the boy's family finds his lifeless body and assume he's dead. the album also appears to follow the emotions the family going through the 7 stages of grief (the album contains 7 tracks. This story is most likely inspired by the tragic death of a band member's sibling at a young age. In my opinion, the two storylines come together in "The Last Baron". Rasputin manages to rescue the boy, but as the boy's soul returns to his body he realizes he cannot see the world, "i was staring at the world, and i can't see it" are the final lyrics. my conclusion is that the boy's parents having accepted their son's death (acceptance being the 7th and final stage of grief) have buried his body before his soul could return leaving him unable to "see the world". just an idea.

Fucking amazing epicly song. No words cand describe it :3

Hard to say what this one is about.

On the one hand, it clearly sounds like it's about the czar relying on Rasputin to guide him as his feudal world nears it's end. The Czar is the last baron because there will be no more feudal lords in Russia after him, and the references to magic, the staff, the ghost, and the sheltering wing are references to Rasputin. Setting the world ablaze could be a reference to the rise of communism as a great power after the Revolution.

Yet if, (as has been suggested elsewhere) this story is supposed to be about some astral-tripping boy who meets with Rasputin; the main figure of this song could actually be that boy and this song is actually comparing his reliance on Rasputin to the Czar's.

This song is just the ending of the album. The album is a dedicataion to the drummer's sister Skye who committed suicide when they were children. This simple fact is very important in interpreting the entire album.

If you read closely you can tell that he tries to commit suicide.

He's seeked both professional and spiritual help. The spiritual help is obvious when you read the lyrics of the other songs in this album.

"Cyanide, he craves, coursing through his veins providing him with strength" Most obvious hint on attempted suicide.

"Afraid of psychic eyes" He's afraid of a supreme being in this case it would be God.

"Faith in mystic powers." This refers to a doctor he put all his faith into professional hands which I guess supplied him with this "Cyanide" but obviously he tried to overdose on medicated pills (anti-depressants).

"Please, please take my hand Please take my soul to rest So we can always be around"

He's praying at this point and expects to meet his sister in what he believes to be Heaven.

"Will he save me? Will he save me?" He's referring once again to a higher power.

"Faltering foot steps Dead end path All I that need is this wise mans staff Encased in crystal he leads the way I guess they'd say we could set the world ablaze" He's lost faith in spiritual help at this point. He believes he himself can't find the way to closure and follows this person who is untouchable, someone he can't compare himself to, my belief is some highly religious official.

"Take my black soul Alive in the fire that burns my skin Guide my eyes all through this maze I guess they would say we could set the world ablaze" His black soul basically just means that he feels guilty and still blames himself for his sister's death. Alive in the fire that burns my skin is a reference to hell. I guess in order for him to take his sister's death so heavily he was close to her and as close children they would get into mischief and other fun doing hence the "I guess they would say we could set the world ablaze."

"All that I have seen Standing on the edge The foot of precipice Floating in the sea Past the king of swords Quickly to the shore" Everything he has seen basically refers to the point in which his sister commited suicide to the point in which he is in now. The foot of precipice is another way of saying "going over the edge" (a precipice is a very steep and abrupt end to a cliff). The king of swords basically refers to their father which is supposedly the cause of his sister's suicide and he's making one last attempt to escape this hell and make it to a resolve.

"I was standing staring at the world And I can't see it" He's having a spiritual revelation at this point in which he believes he's going to heaven but he can't see it, basically he wasn't accepted into heaven to meet his sister and thus ends his trip of depression, spiritual exploration, and atlast attempted suicide.

When they use the line "Cyanide he craves" It can be noted that cyanide, was used to kill Rasputin.

The song is follows a storyline that continues through out the album. A boy sentanced to a wheelchair starts venturing in astreal projections, but one time he breaks away and floats too close to the sun (oblivion). He is then sucked into a wormhole and is brought to the Khylsts' rituals and Rasputin discovers the boy (Divinations). It is now Rasputins goal to get this boy back to his body.. (In "The Czar") is basically the premonition of Rasputin's murder. In the Last Baron is the adventure back as Rasputin puts himself in an astreal projection before he dies.. He leads the boy back home to his body.

That was the storyline featured in the bonus DVD. Though its clear that Brann wrote this album in memory of his sister Skye (hence the name), you can infer that all these songs were written about his sister too

This song is nothing short of brilliant on an absolute fantastic album.

This song isn't about Rasputin I don't think... Brent Hinds said in an interview that only one song is about Rasputin and it is "the czar"... the interview is on youtube, its pretty easy to find. Maybe rasputin is mentioned in this to an extent, but from what Brent said it isn't about him... I have no idea what it is about then, this album is still a mystery to me.

loooove this song, the most heartfelt track on the new album i think

i can't get over the chorus,

"Please, please take my hand Please take my soul to rest So we can always be around"

such emotion

Remember you can't view this song literally, even the band said it themselves that everything is metaphoric, to understand what's going on don't follow the storyline, follow the metaphoric meanings behind the story in the other songs of the album.

To be honest I think that dexatrosin's reply sound right as Brent said each album is about an element remission fire leviathan water blood mountain earth. And crack the Skye wind and dexatrosin answer seems to fit with mastodons way of looking at stuff