The Silence

General CommentThe whole album tells the story of a dysfunctional family, with elements of Andy Hull's life woven throughout. From "my old man's heart attack" in The Gold, to "your drunken dad and a pair of scissors" in The Alien, and wanting to "feel the way our fathers felt" in The Grocery, there are references to family throughout the album including mothers, brothers, daughters, etc. But the references to fathers are most relevant, as Hull is coming to grips with his role as a father. The last track can be seen as an inter-generational conversation with each verse able to be interpreted differently when the speaker is changed between Andy, his father, or his daughter or any mix up of the three.

There is a running theme of "there is nothing you keep when you die" in the album.

The Maze - "There is nothing I've got when I die that I keep"

Lead, SD - "If I die there's nothing I keep"

The Wolf - "There is nothing you've got when you die that you keep"

However, in the final track, Andy changes this to "There is nothing you keep, there is only your reflection", the realization that we are reflections of our parents, more specifically boys grow up to be our fathers. This is echoed again as

"That was something your father had burned in me
Twenty hours out of Homestake eternity
'You can go anywhere but you are where you came from'"

Could it be Hull wants to abandon this paradigm since it would mean his daughter is "cursed by my ancestry" and "there is nothing but darkness and agony"?

The album is concluded with

"Let me hold you above all the misery
Let me open my eyes and be glad that I got here"

Signifying the escape from a troubled past which is characterized as a mine or cave, or simply A Black Mile to the Surface.

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General CommentLookup "I know how to speak" documentary on YouTube. They talk about how The Silence starts as a prayer to God for himself and his daughter. Then, it's God responding back and forth.

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General CommentYea, total thanks for that. I stumbled across this song only recently and just can't stop playing it but I couldn't really decipher it. What you said totally explains it, and really adds depth for me. Thanks! Do you have any recommendations for other songs by the band?

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General CommentFirst of all Andy Hull did not write these lyrics. I wrote them some while back in the comments section of youtube on one their other videos. The meaning of anatomically proving a point is referring to murder or suicide. The actual events that lead to this poem took place over 30 years ago. Someone I knew then and hope to find again understands exactly what I am writing about. She was a thirteen year old little girl pregnant by her father. She witnessed the murder of her mother by her father and two men. The girl fled into the desert from her mother`s killers. She managed get away and hide. Her father hired men to search for her. Never called the police. I found her and helped her escape. With a gun pointed at my head later I denied I found her. Her father was drug lord with millions of dollars and quite a few assholes working for him. The song has absolutely nothing to do with Andy or Manchester Orchestra. They are liars.

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