Shameful Metaphors

IMHO,

This song is about how people live their lives by a set of "metaphors/principles/lessons"..as if they are certain, when they consistently prove not to be... over-and-over...

"Said out loud and said again"

How we tend to want to teach other our principles/lessons... and we tend to want to teach them over and over again.

"Just a longer list of uncertain law"

The older you get, the longer your list of lessons/principles you come to live by -- but none of them are full-proof.

"This sacred chase...Brought down to the child....No better man could fail the way"

We pride ourselves on teaching our children the same uncertain lesson/principles that guided us... When they are just as uncertain to work for our children.

The chorus to me is the key... And probably the most interesting part of lateral thinking in the song.

"So why then has all my life made no sound. And are your eyes closing even though. My life made no sound. I fear your eyes closing."

As meaningful and "loud" as people's metaphors/beliefs/principles are to them -- the level of "sound" doesn't necessarily translate into the value of their life. In the grand scheme of things, their life may have the same meaning/purpose with our without these "shameful metaphors".

I feel this song is about witnessing a friend become a criminal or drug addicted that is being punished for a crime and looking at the system that created the problem in the first place, the environment that created the criminal. Then he starts to wonder if he's a better person because he's not a criminal or a drug addict. A better person wouldn't had became a drug addicted in the first place, right? But that person grew up with him and experienced the same things as he did but insist that that person is nothing like him when we are all humans in the first place.

In this case I'll use a drug addict. He has been punished for stealing something to pay for his addiction:

"Fear, it's all the same. Should I evolve to tend to these sites"

I Should I judge him like everyone else without question?

"Said out loud then said again, If fate's so wrong. You'll start to feel lightheaded"

He knew it was a crime, so he should go to jail. No one told him to do drugs in the first place, right? But will jail rehabilitate him?

"By my admission, nothing grows. Just a longer list of unsorted laws"

I mean, this doesn't change him from being a drug addict, does it? Now there's just new laws to punish the addict worse the next time.

"So why then has all my life made no sound? And are your eyes Closing even now? My life made no sound. I fear your eyes closing..."

So why haven't I ever said anything. You're giving up hope, aren't you? I never said said how I feel and you are giving up.

"Revolting man, this sacred chain, brought down to trial."

He's going to trial for the crime.

"No better man could fail the way, You needed all."

A better person wouldn't had became in addict in the first place, right?

"Keep close the vein of empty thoughts"

Back to the same excuses for hating him because he's a criminal.

"The finest river, the ravens tend. All along insisting We're worlds away"

You have to be different than me. I'm not a drug addict. Even though we both experienced the same things as me.

"Behold the lost, Behold a Band-Aid!"

Look at this system that doesn't rehabilitate anyone!

"These shameful metaphors, fought it through the teeth, Biting at your heels, Fought it cheek to cheek."

The shameful reasons I use not to share my opinion on this situation. I'm fighting saying it even though it's bothering me and everyone is thinking it.

I donno, just something I can see someone with a friend writhing if they use to judge that person too without questioning the situation then finding out that that person is the same as them and wondering if anyone actually cares to try to rehabilitate him with they system we currently use.

While not the best off the new album, it certainly is amazing.

This is an absolutely amazing song. I think it's about Pete fearing that his work has gone unappreciated and that he has failed to make an impact on the world because the thoughts that he has tried to relay through his lyrics have basically been lost in translation.

I think it goes back to some of the stuff in their second album, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In).

It's about misinterpreting the meanings in their songs and how foolish some people are with their interpretations...yeah...

Now not saying what Throwdown said was untrue...cuz i can see where he's coming from...but im thinkin there might a different interpretation within these lyrics... maybe this new insight has a lot to do with my background...like i said im no expert..

I believe the song may be referencing the struggle of life...and particularly suicide

It all starts with "fear, its all the same" The fear of death is no more potent than the fear of anything else.

"SHould I evolve, to tend to these sights?" Should i continue to struggle in life, or maybe evolve my way of thinking and realize these sights of death are apparitions and not to be feared.

"said out loud and said again, if fate is so wrong, you'll start feeling light headed" If you stick to it, and come to find out life is crap, it'll feel like you just got hit by a two-by-four.

"By my admission, nothin grows, just a longer list of unsorted laws" If i accept life for what it is without question i remain ignorant and thus there remains a luandry list of questions and priorities

And here is where i get this theory from, mostly from the chorus "So why then has all my life made no sound and are your eyes closing even now...etc" Sound is consider to be the best form of communication as well as notification...if his life made no sound that only proves that indeed his life has yet to be worthwhile. Everything has a purpose, otherwise it wouldn't exist. And one of our purposes is to affect people, negatively or positively. But if you make no effect you're defeating one of your main purposes as a human. Like ripples in water, sound effects everyone. And then he continues...now this can go either ways. there eyes are either closing because they are at that very moment embracing death, or perhaps proving his piont that he makes no impact on people because they close there eyes...or you know what? I think i had an epiphany, maybe also they close there eyes to stop them from possibly seeing the truth. Many biblical references refer to men has sheilding there eyes from the lord, also a common terminalogy for refusing to see the picture is called blinding yourself. Which would then make sense why he discusses his admission to what is as unhealthy...bitchin anyways

"Revolting man This sacred chain Brought down to trial No better man could fail the way You needed all Keep close the vein of empty Thoughts" Now this gets a little edgy, and where most individuals could easily bash my theory, but here goes I believe he his refereing to mankind n this, discussing the sacred chain that binds us all universally, and how it is being being held tuant to the point that it crumbles thus we lose humanity which is an ultimate fail. And it is because we greed we lose all sanity for often empty thoughts refer to the thoughts of people with OCD or scizophrenia... but then again i wonder how this proves my theory at all? And why was it apart of the song? But the again i realize that this was part of the sng because earlier he said people are blinding themselves from the truth which is that the world is crumbling as is our minds and there again everything looks hopeless.

"The finest river The ravens tend All along insisting We're worlds away" This is easy, it seems to refer to the River Styx which in ancient greek mythology was the river to hades or death. The ravens (people) tell us that we are too far apart from our deceased loved ones, but he implies that indeed death is not far away al all.

"Behold the lost Behold a Band-Aid" Behold the broken and beaten people of life, behold a way to "heal" your suffering.

"These shameful metaphors Fought it through the teeth Biting at your heels Fought it cheek to cheek" Now this ties everything up i think. Shameful metaphors is the metaphors he is using in the song to refer to suicde, fighting to stay alive, but constantly nagging him, "fought it" but closes eyes just like them lying dead cheek to cheek.

This song is my fav on the album, I think it might be the best one too.

Also I think it my say "If faced alone, you'll start to feel like hell" instead of it "fades through all"

Another one that sounds different to me is "This sacred chase(chain) brought down to child(trial)"

and I'm sure it says "the finest river, the ravens tend", not waves intend

In addition it says "fall and cheat to see", you don't quite hear the "to see" part cuase it overlaps with the begging of the chorus

or it could be "the ravings tend"

and yeah, wasn't sure what he was saying after "fall and cheat" so I just left it at that

it's kinda like how on Letter From A Thief when he says "this fades as soon as the sun" and then you can hear "sets" right when the little guitar solo starts to hit

this song is about a guy who is clairvoyant. He wants to use his talent but know one believes him.

To me the song is about a person trying to break out of habits and live a richer life because he/she is afraid of living life alone and unnoticed by other people.