Copernicus

I believe this song is about a kidnapping. Taking place from the perspective of the kidnapper and the parent of the child.

I'm not sure though, but it is the best off Octahedron.

this and Since We've Been Wrong are my favorites of the new album. i think Octahedron is their best work since De-Loused.

as for meaning, i'm not too sure. i'm picking up on normal Mars Volta drug references and an eerie sense of homicide and/or suicide. there is definitely a lot of pain in this song. just need more time to dissect it.

Could this be about Nicolaus Copernicus? Or maybe have a double meaning, a second story that comes in and out during the main one about a child being kidnapped? Legend has it that the first printed copy of "De revolutionibus" was placed in his hands on the very day that he died, allowing him to take farewell of his life's work. He is reputed to have awoken from a stroke-induced coma, looked at his book, and then died peacefully. (see wikipedia)

Close the doors if you want to seen her breathing again blur the days sleeping is just not an option

He had to wake up from his coma to see his work, his child. But then died, closing the doors so his "De revolutionibus" could be published/read/etc. He couldn't stay asleep in a coma, but had to die.

Just a thought, it sort of makes sense I suppose. At least maybe a start.

Apparently, researchers had been trying to find his grave for a long time and found it in 2005.

Over my dead body over the search they lead they won't find them anymore

Great song. This record is really fantastic. It seems very dark and eery to me.

Man this song is awesome. I love the chill guitar in it.

How i see it (involves wild guessing):

Close the doors if you want to see her breathing again blur the days sleeping is just not an option

**Do not contact the police or she dies; cant sleep because she is missing

How come every time I walk, you crawl then you cut out all the letters that make up this note

** adressed to kidnapper - why are you corrupt, when i'm living a normal life; second verse is obvious

I won't, I won't give up until I find out until I find what happened to you

** obviously obvious

The solution inhaled from the rag I hold holds a maximum vacancy

** the rag left by her; solution inhaled - dogs are helping to find her, but with no success

as I held you in crippled bandages don't you stay up and wait for me

** she - a child left for a moment and told not to wonder off (from childs cart ??)

Left dangling in the wind

** the rag

You're not there I poke needles in the neck of a doll she pokes back asking why can't I just let her out

• father is going bit crazy playing with his doughters doll and hearing her cry for help or... the kidnapper - he lost someone, thats why he kidnapped a girl; he is giving her drugs

How come every time I walk, you crawl then you cut out all the letters that make up this note

I won't, I won't give up until I find you

The solution inhaled from the rag I hold holds a maximum vacancy as I held you in crippled bandages don't you stay up and wait for me

Left dangling in the wind

Don't let the days escape what I did brings more of them

** the kidnapper part starts here fo sho; he is enjoying his time

and we'll be waiting just for them

** for more of those days or for the police

Over my dead body over the search they lead they won't find them anymore

** he plans to hide the victim corpses and kill himself, before the police finds him

Now that I collect from cells that we once shared

** hiding the corpses

with multiheaded union of multiple selves

** he feels a union with the victims (there is probably something more in above verses)

The solution inhaled from the rag I hold holds a maximum vacancy

** this time around through the eyes of the kidnapper: chloroform or some poison

as I held you in crippled bandages don't you stay up and wait for me

** tied up victims are told not to wake up but die and wait for him on the other side

Left dangling in the wind

** he hangs himself

Well... i probably went to far here and there :) and sorry for my english.

This is probably my favorite track, but then again I'm liking all of them on this album. It's so awesome.

This song is clearly about a kidnapping, and it's being sung from two different perspectives: the kidnapper and possibly a parent or friend/loved one of the person who was kidnapped.

Amazing song on an AMAZING album.

I don't think the song is a bout literal kidnapping, but rather someone who is enabling someone else in some destructive way. By enabling this person they are kidnapping them more or less. The Copernicus title fits this theory very well as the song would have the idle or "enabling" person realizing its to late (much like the story of waking from a coma to die). To me, most of the lyrics fit this theory pretty well.

Just my 2 cents, but I will say that I read that Octahedron was originally intended as concept album dealing with politics and kidnapping (something along the lines of kidnapping republicans...)

This has nothing to do with the actual person Copernicus... it's so obvious it's about a kidnapping of someone. 'then you cut out all the letters that make up this note' hmm haven't you seen the cliched detective movie that has the psychopath kidnapper makes a note out of magazine/newspaper letters. Or 'The solution inhaled from the rag I hold' might be chloroform?

The reason why The Mars Volta called it this is because Copernicus moved the world from the center of the universe.

Oh and the random syncopated drums in the end... is just awesome lol The Mars Volta need to do that kind of stuff more often.

Ah... as for the title - Copernicus stopped the Sun and moved the Earth. Maby the song is about someone that lost his doughter (also kidnapped?), so he kidnaps some other girl.