I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Opportunities are lost
in a starving shade of silence
and every battle fought
has left me looking back
What we obtain through isolation
often leads us deeper into war
so tell me how can I retreat?
some things are worth fighting for
And how do we justify
when actions are conceived in weakness
is there honor in my heart
if I lack the strength to act
And though my hand is trembling
and my eyes are wreathed in so much doubt
and every instinct shows me fear
I stand my ground
We have no Olifant resounding
nor fortunes here to carry home
No epic tale becoming legend
only choices right and wrong
But somewhere in the haze of life
I find there is a perfect shining light
that each of us must seek to know
the truth of who we really are
Chorus:
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
Perhaps they will banish me
from the annals of history
in the end it matters not
we direct our destiny
I've lived beyond myself for an instant
and heard the echoes in the hearts and faces
of the people I will never know
but I still cannot forget
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
in a starving shade of silence
and every battle fought
has left me looking back
What we obtain through isolation
often leads us deeper into war
so tell me how can I retreat?
some things are worth fighting for
And how do we justify
when actions are conceived in weakness
is there honor in my heart
if I lack the strength to act
And though my hand is trembling
and my eyes are wreathed in so much doubt
and every instinct shows me fear
I stand my ground
We have no Olifant resounding
nor fortunes here to carry home
No epic tale becoming legend
only choices right and wrong
But somewhere in the haze of life
I find there is a perfect shining light
that each of us must seek to know
the truth of who we really are
Chorus:
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
Perhaps they will banish me
from the annals of history
in the end it matters not
we direct our destiny
I've lived beyond myself for an instant
and heard the echoes in the hearts and faces
of the people I will never know
but I still cannot forget
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for
a world of black and white
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
Lyrics submitted by TheBloodyTrees
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