In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
and that discussion was all true
until you decided to bust in with the old you
now you're judging them all through your gut
and it sucks that you're stuck in with no shoes to walk in so
there ain't nothing to soften the blow
from that trail of burning coal to the rocks in the road
but you expect them to follow in your pussyfoot steps
which couldn't ever work because you wouldn't look left
and yes there was love in the air,
you should have took breaths,
you know you should've
i said yes, there was love in the air,
you should've took breaths,
you know you could've
and yes, i'm leaving to rest,
in the heart of your machine,
while its bleeding to death
until its carcass is clean,
im feeding the rest of its still beating chest
to the lesser of your subjects.
and they're benchpressing their grudges,
repeating the reps and blending them in with their crutches
and preaching the steps,
i step lightly, tonight, there might just be a jailbreak
and more than likely its failsafe.
full speed ahead til the sail breaks
take a deep breath
man that ocean air has a stale taste
of a centurys old war,
where it was either all for one,
or one on all fours
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
so double knot the laces in your boots when you leave,
cause troubles got the ace of every suit in its sleeve,
so quit shooting the breeze, and living lucrative dreams
and just looping, just looping, just looping it seems.
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
until you decided to bust in with the old you
now you're judging them all through your gut
and it sucks that you're stuck in with no shoes to walk in so
there ain't nothing to soften the blow
from that trail of burning coal to the rocks in the road
but you expect them to follow in your pussyfoot steps
which couldn't ever work because you wouldn't look left
and yes there was love in the air,
you should have took breaths,
you know you should've
i said yes, there was love in the air,
you should've took breaths,
you know you could've
and yes, i'm leaving to rest,
in the heart of your machine,
while its bleeding to death
until its carcass is clean,
im feeding the rest of its still beating chest
to the lesser of your subjects.
and they're benchpressing their grudges,
repeating the reps and blending them in with their crutches
and preaching the steps,
i step lightly, tonight, there might just be a jailbreak
and more than likely its failsafe.
full speed ahead til the sail breaks
take a deep breath
man that ocean air has a stale taste
of a centurys old war,
where it was either all for one,
or one on all fours
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
so double knot the laces in your boots when you leave,
cause troubles got the ace of every suit in its sleeve,
so quit shooting the breeze, and living lucrative dreams
and just looping, just looping, just looping it seems.
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
Lyrics submitted by rebelyellow, edited by birdfist
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it sounds to me like he says "silk, gold, and diamonds"
I think this is pretty much the right lyrics, some of the words were hard to hear though so any corrections please,
in terms of interpretation i dont really know have many clues as to what it means, but from the verse "man that ocean there has a stale taste of a centurys old war, where it was either all for one, or one on all fours" i think theres some sort of allusion to the slave trade there, but the rest of it is hard to interpret for me.
I dont think enough people have heard of Cecil Otter, his lyrics are amazing.
I agree, the lyrics seem pretty accurate. It's an amazing song and the CD is insane! Glad to see him join Strange Famous, hopefully he will get the recognition he deserves.
I think it's more so about the World Wars, and how the Industrial Revolution impacted it. We were no longer fighting ground fights, with low number production weapons. We had and wanted more steel, gold, and diamonds and were building roads and such to aid the fighting and our country as a whole on the mainland. Just how I interpret the song....and it's a damn good song.
The chorus, "now, they were trained to kill all the silence" actually has a very deep meaning, as i see it. just replace the word Silence with Peace and it should make it more clear. and yes if u talk to cecil, it IS silk, not steel. he has a youtube channel and twitter ;]
I'm pretty sure it's "pussy footsteps" in the first stanza. At least that's what I've always thought.
"Because troubles got the ace of every suit in it's sleeve." That's a good line. I see this song as sympathetic to the plight of the would be everyday man that just isn't allowed to be in the game for some reason.
I think it's deeper than that. The whole song is about him trying to convince someone to get past the shallow judgments they place upon people and life. I believe that specific line refers to the fact that there's always a negative angle to see anything. You can always find trouble in any situation. It's all about your perspective. He's hoping to break them free of their own discrimination so they can live in the moment and make the best out of life. The person he's talking to seems to be caught up in materialism, and he knows they will never be content because they will never have everything they want... unless he convinces them to be grateful that they have all they need. ("quit shooting the breeze and living lucrative dreams.. just looping and looping and looping it seems")