Empire

If feel this song is definitely about the soul and the afterlife and possibly reincarnation. Breaking down the lyrics by verse here you go:

Feel the ocean as it breathes Shivering teeth See the mountains where they meet Smothering me

(the physical body is failing- shivering maybe from fever and getting smothered- finding it hard to breathe. At the same time the senses of the body/soul are heightened and more aware of it's connection to the earth as the earthly body prepares for death. Perhaps being able to "feel the ocean" hints at an out of body experience.)

As the wind fends off the waves I count down the days Heavy stones fear no weather

(The body is getting itself ready for death, counting down the days. The heavy stone reference is again referring to the weight of the body, as in "dead weight". But the body does not fear the weather- the pain and suffering of death as it knows something more is coming.)

I find comfort in the sound And the shape of the heart How it echoes through the chest From under the ground

(The person is dead now and buried, under the ground. But there is something still alive here, its the spirit and what was in the persons heart.)

As the hills turn into holes I fill them with gold Heavy stones fear no weather

("The hills turn into holes"- this is a reference to the burial grave. "Filling them with gold" refers to the physical body as a holy temple, with the value of gold, ie. something precious.)

From the rain comes a river Running wild that we create An empire for you Illuminate there is a river Running wild that will create

("from the rain comes a river"- the rain is the pain and suffering of death. The river is the afterlife of the spirit or soul. "illuminate" is a reference to rebirth or resurrection. We are cleansed and reborn in the river of life.)

An empire for you An empire for two An empire for you An empire for two

(the river runs wild and creates an empire for us, this is possibly a reference to reincarnation, leading many lives where we get to experience all that the physical world offers. "for two" references the body and soul.)

And I paint your body black I hide in your hair And you're staring back at me Like I wasn't there

(painting the body black- it is dead. But the spirit is there an separate now, hovering around the head/hair. The dead body is staring back at the spirit.)

As our bodies become stills We welcome the fear Heavy stones fear no weather

(as our bodies become stills- another reference to the death of the physical body. It welcomes death though as it knows this is not the end and the spirit lives on.)

From the rain comes a river Running wild that will create An empire for you Illuminate there is a river Running wild that will create

An empire for you An empire for two An empire for you An empire for two

From the rain comes a river Running wild that will create An empire for you Illuminate there is a river Running wild that will create

An empire for you An empire for two An empire for you An empire for two