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Anthem to the Estranged Lyrics
Starved for destination, a beggar man by trade
A desperate man needs more than someone else to blame
Friendless he appears, he hides behind his tears
For things he's lost, or things he'll never have at all
The forgotten man wanders misplaced in the world
Obscurity is all the eye can see, and I recall
All alone again
As we pass on by and continue with our day
Can we appraise the quality of life some other way?
All alone again
When you take a longer look at someone on the run
You may see reflections of yourself becoming one
Take an extra moment when you find yourself at peace
To think about your values and your own affluence
Everything you've worked for and everything you've done
May be thrown by the wayside, and you're not the only one
Everything around you may seen worn and overused
But imagine yourself removed from all that you're used to
All alone again
Once an influential man, once was in his prime
He spends his days repeating lines like "Can you spare a dime?"
Shunned by those loved you and by those who were your friends
Can you adjust to a different life of living on the edge?
The destitute find meaning in a different way of life
The doorways that they dwell in are shelter in the night
No shining crystal possessions set out for his display
His purpose is to find the food to get him through the day
All alone again
Roaming aimless through the streets of supply and demand
Once a gypsy disconnected, no more, no future plans
Self discarded king of ruin, worthless to the world
Fight to keep his sanity, his voice is never heard
You may think it thoughtless and his mind is on a string (?)
He always seems to find a reason to him through the day
All alone again
He staggers down the alley to drink his spirits by himself
As he prays to God that he wakes up somewhere else
A desperate man needs more than someone else to blame
Friendless he appears, he hides behind his tears
For things he's lost, or things he'll never have at all
Obscurity is all the eye can see, and I recall
Can we appraise the quality of life some other way?
You may see reflections of yourself becoming one
Take an extra moment when you find yourself at peace
To think about your values and your own affluence
May be thrown by the wayside, and you're not the only one
Everything around you may seen worn and overused
But imagine yourself removed from all that you're used to
He spends his days repeating lines like "Can you spare a dime?"
Shunned by those loved you and by those who were your friends
Can you adjust to a different life of living on the edge?
The doorways that they dwell in are shelter in the night
No shining crystal possessions set out for his display
His purpose is to find the food to get him through the day
Once a gypsy disconnected, no more, no future plans
Self discarded king of ruin, worthless to the world
Fight to keep his sanity, his voice is never heard
He always seems to find a reason to him through the day
As he prays to God that he wakes up somewhere else
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I used to listen to it endlessly in the past years..a song of desperation. I guess it could talk about a man who once is rich and respectable, but then (financial crack??) loses everything and is forced to live at the border of society. Loss of hope, also because the other give up in believe in him..but it's interesting the line"imagine yourselves removed from all that you're used to"...who is it referred to? To the listener who can't realise what desperation really is, or to the "estranged"? Comment please
This song is simply a masterpiece. It talks about a very influent man, maybe an economist ("Roaming aimless through the streets of supply and demand") that has lost everything, realizing at last what was he risking to loose, when he was still rich. In my opinion, it refers to anyone. To every single man feeling miserable for stupid, senseless things, a song about the relativity of misery, according to one's routine and wealth, about deep, dark despair. About false friends and fake happiness. About loneliness. About careless society. About fate. In fact, most metalheads has surely experienced things like loneliness, harsh feelings towards society, fake friendships, fake happy periods... I, in fact, went through them all. Sometimes, I feel like I'm still stuck into those feelings, into those fears... That's the reason why I feel this song so near to myself.
I love that one. The guitar work is sensational, too. Mike Howe's vocals carries such force and spirit that tears my heart apart every time. That is a harsh metal ballad, being "metal" as much as it is a "ballad", which is truly difficult. A powerful anthem, like the title itself says.
A song about having it all, and losing it. Perhaps because of chemical dependency, someone had a great career, nice house, big family, etc. and lost it all. Now he's homeless, and "wandering aimlessly through the streets", trying to find some food and water to get him through the day. It's a very sad song, and one of the best Metal Church songs ever!
I have been homeless in my life, I understand this song perfectly. To lose everything, to have to walk away from everything and everyone you know and love, that's what it's about. You can't have that shining crystal possession, if you do someone will most likely steal it from you. And yes, your only purpose is to find the food to get you through the day
This song serves as an important reminder to not overlook those who are down on their luck and encourages you to be empathetic and understanding toward their struggles. It provokes us to look at ourselves and reflect on our wealth, and privileges, and to not take it all for granted. You may be going through hardships, but they have it worse out there, living in boxes, making use of whatever they can find in dumpsters or alleys, and looking for some food to live another day. They've lost everything they owned and it can happen to you or anyone. No one is exempt from loss of wealth or property.