I Am Colossus

This song speaks about man's search of a higher power - possibly God. The writing seeks to convey the creation of the aforementioned higher power in the mind of a person. It also highlights man's inherent need to "please" the higher power that is its own creation. In this song, the higher power, or "Colossus" is depicted as "speaking" to a person. As with the majority of Meshuggah's work, this song also adopts a nihilistic perspective of life.

"I'm the great Leviathan, insatiable colossus Titanic engulfer of lives, I reward you, absorb you I'm the monstrous mouth that hungers for your awe Immense construction of lies. I own you, disown you." This stanza is like an introduction. The Colossus establishes its presence in the mind of a person, like a parasite, as large as Leviathan himself. It is the personification of man's never-ending quest for perfection, the unattainable goal that everyone seeks to achieve. It can make or break a person, its host.

"I am life. I'm death. You empower me." A simple depiction of the megalomanic nature of the Colossus.

"I'm a mammoth king evoked, conjured by your dreams Summoned by your fears. You need me, you feed me I'm the imposing giant. Infallible dictator My rules apply to all. You'll heed me, bleed for me." The Colossus explains how it was created. It is the personification of the host's dreams and fears. The person is dependant on the Colossus, and the Colossus is dependant on the person. It is a symbiotic relationship. However, it is the Colossus that calls the shots. As for the final line "... You'll heed me, bleed for me.", I think it is a shout-out to their masterpiece "Bleed" from 2008's obZen.

"I am life. I'm death. I decide your fate You empower me. You'd even kill for me." Once again, the Colossus describes its megalomanic nature and its control over its host.

"Guzzling down your dreams - the tears of unheard pleas I drink, Imbibe with such delight the fear that floods your temporal shell Raging red rivers and streams - the kingdom of my shadow Where dread of man in endless night revives my every cell." This stanza describes how the Colossus feeds off failure. It is only satisfied by worldly successes. It punishes failure by inducing its host with fear of the spiritual, the unknown. The failures flow like rivers and streams towards the shadowy kingdom of the Colossus, where the dread of its host strengthens the parasite.

"To those who doubt - your wounds will never heal To those who question my creation - I'm not real." The Colossus preys on the fears of its host. It will inflict wounds that cannot be healed upon the doubters. Only the disbelivers will be spared of the parasite's wrath, as it does not exist in their minds.

"I am pain. I am grief. I'm the things you fear I'm the lie whispered into your ear I'm the great Leviathan. I'm dominance and greed You imagined me, so I was conceived." The constituents of the Colossus are pain, grief, fear and lies. It has the proportions of Leviathan (or a Colossus). It is the personification of the host's greed and the need to dominate every task that the host sets out to do. However, the Colossus emphasises the fact that it is purely imaginary. It exists only so long as the host wills it to exist.

"I am life. I'm death. You belong to me Call me what I am. I am colossus." The host has given his life to the Colossus. He belongs to it. He acknowledges its presence. Satisfaction of the parasite, the great Leviathan, the Colossus - this is the only purpose of the host's existence.

I'm disapointed how no one mentioned the obvious reference to Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan. To Hobbes the state itself, although necessary to him, was akin to an invincible monster as the Leviathan described in the Bible.

"I'm the great Leviathan, insatiable colossus Titanic engulfer of lives, I reward you, absorb you I'm the monstrous mouth that hungers for your awe Immense construction of lies. I own you, disown you" "I am life. I'm death. You empower me"

Governors of tyrannical states treat citizens as their own possessions. They dictate those who die or prosper. No state can stand without the acquiescence of most of its population, even the most tyrannical, you empower it.

"I'm a mammoth king evoked, conjured by your dreams Summoned by your fears. You need me, you feed me I'm the imposing giant. Infallible dictator My rules apply to all. You'll heed me, bleed for me"

People expect help and security from the state and are willing to giveup power and rights to have their fears soothed. The infallible dictator part further strengthens my point.

Conclusion: This song is either a general criticism about states (maybe from an anarchist/libertarian point of view) or more especifically about tyrannical states.

[Edit: Grammar]

As with any religion, Colossus is a meme and we are the substrate.

Somewhat reassuringly though, I feel that Colossus is too overbearing to crystallise and manifest. However...

I just keep thinking that the leviathan is greed. The song is about our greed and consumerist society. We always want more and are never satisfied. We need more to keep up our lifestyles and the 'comforts we get used to'. It's something that we have made up ourselves and have fallen victim to. (Neither exists in physical form, but they are motivations that we 'conjure'- that are 'insatiable')...

I'm afraid you're naming the parts, but fail to mention the whole. For those of us who have studied the topic, we know to whom this lovely poem is referring: the universal spirit of antichrist. And by this I mean, the spirit of disunity, which manifests itself in lies, ego-centrism, rebellion, etc. I have a tendency to associate this spirit with Satan, but it is something much greater. But this is just my opinion, believe what you wish.

I like to imagine that "I Am Colossus" is about the human Ego.

"I am life. I'm death. You empower me." "I am life. I am death. You belong to me"

This track speaks to me of something massively intangible, yet omniscient. It sounds as if Jens is narrating the Ego, as it mocks the Soul. It's telling you that you can't escape Suffering. The Ego is so big that you can't see it or tell that it exists, which is described by "Colossus". I also think that aspect is represented by the music itself. Absolutely crushing. I'm not trying to persuade anyone into thinking that this is DEFINITELY what it is about. It's just a thought that blows my mind when I listen to this song.

To me this song isn't necessarily about the search for a higher being, or power, but from the perspective of that Higher power and how it knows what it does, but it still welcomes all. The line that stood out to me was "For Those who question my creation- I'm not real." It symbolizes that people have free right to or not to believe in religion, and if you don't then there's no one in the theory

I (the planet earth) Makes sense?

What I love about such ambiguous lyric writing is the amount of artistic interpretation that is left up to the listener. With Meshuggah, we the listener are given plenty of room for our own discernible discretion.

I believe this song is about drug use. I don't know why I think that. I am not a drug user past or present so it doesn't speak to me personally in a "paralleled" experience sort of way, but something tells me that drug addiction is the "Colossus".

I think this song is about the instinct to survive and to assure survival, and how destructively it can present itself. The lyrics present it as an uncaring, amoral and mechanical force that consumes to perpetuate itself. It's so close to us that it seems to surround us. The first paragraph says it all:

I'm the great Leviathan. Insatiable colossus Titanic engulfer of lives, I reward you, absorb you I'm the monstrous mouth that hungers for your awe Immense construction of lies. I own you, disown you

Death taunts us with its inevitability, and rewards us for avoiding it. That reward is what drives the need to affect the environment and assure one's own survival. It's the basis of greed. It rewards us, but when we fail to feed it, we're left alone with the inevitability of death.

It's so close that it seems to surround is. It boasts about its power and enormous size, but really it's small. But it doesn't need to be that big because it's right at the center of our being:

I am pain. I am grief. I'm the things you fear I'm the lie whispered into your ear I'm the great Leviathan. I'm dominance and greed You imagined me, so I was conceived

It's basically an introduction. The rest of the album is an exploration of this theme.