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.
In an age where stars only draw us in
Gaze is swept from our mother who birthed us here
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
Take a good long look at that horizon
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
Silenced by the solar wind
Forests evergreen wither to sand
There’s still shade in this wasteland
Shadows of towering glass span
As far as you can set your sights on
Take a good long look at that horizon
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
Take a good long look at that horizon
Open your eyes
Two worlds collide
Open your eyes
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
Watch it die
Gaze is swept from our mother who birthed us here
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
Take a good long look at that horizon
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
Silenced by the solar wind
Forests evergreen wither to sand
There’s still shade in this wasteland
Shadows of towering glass span
As far as you can set your sights on
Take a good long look at that horizon
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
She’s stormy, doubted and over-relied on
Take a good long look at that horizon
Open your eyes
Two worlds collide
Open your eyes
We bleed it dry
We multiply
And soon we’ll say it’s time to fly
So scorch the host
Watch it die
Lyrics submitted by AdamArtz
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This song seems to be about our destruction of the Earth, who is this "stormy, doubted and over-relied on" mother and host of ours. Confident in our ability to find a new planet to live on at some point in the near future ("soon we'll say it's time to fly"), humanity is continuing to bleed the Earth dry (think over-exploitation of resources, extinction of many species), multiply (population growth) and in the end scorch our host, Mother Earth, as they would probably say. I think every line fits into that metaphor quite easily. "Take a good long look at that horizon" might a) be either a warning to reconsider our conviction of what the future might bring or b) urge us to capture what we can still see so we don't forget how beautiful our home planet once was, after everything has gone down the drain...
After all, this is one of my favourites from the album. And although it seems somewhat simple lyrically, I think they integrated the lyrics well into the music and created a powerful message. Cheers!