The paths that I once tread
Have all but gone
Only embers now smoulder
Where bridges once burned

I feel alive and yet I fear
What may happen now
I know I can't return

And I hear me say again 'Oh let me not return'

Damn the illusions of redemption
And the hopes that held me here
I will oppose all that would befall me
With this rage inside of me
I'll defy what I would become

This solitude and anger
That do battle inside of me
Will always guide me to the answers
That I know I may not see
They are the bonds that hold me tighter
They are the chains that weigh on me
One day, I know they will become

Can I start again
And erase this pain
By casting doubts into the waters
Asking judgement of the sea

Though fortune, you guide the fools
I have no wish to be free
Until I am gone


Lyrics submitted by rynlee83

Distant song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    This was the song that I was listening to the last time I tried to commit suicide. I won't get into details, but basically I had crossed the Rubicon - I was a mouse, backed into a corner by a cat named Regret, and at that final measure I turned and bared my fangs at all that would oppose me - what I would become, the waste my life would be - in order to make good my most final decision. Though fortune may guide the fools - and thus the yearning for conscience of something or nothing after death does make cowards of us all - I wished nothing more to be free from everything. Free from the world, from those around me, and most importantly, from my own self and the hatred for myself I fight to keep still even today.

    Renzokuon May 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is another one of my big vnv favs.. Beautiful

    Electric_Jungleon June 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't know why this song Reminds me of Julius Caesar... But it does :/

    Davegetaon August 20, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The paths that I once tread Have all but gone Only embers now smoulder Where bridges once burned - There was a Riot when Julius Caesar died. PEople went nuts too kill the Conspiraters.

    I feel alive and yet I fear What may happen now I know I can't return - Outcasted by Rome, the Conspiraters flee, no longer fearfull of Julius Caesar's Tyrany.

    And I hear me say again 'Oh let me not return' Damn the illusions of redemption And the hopes that held me here I will oppose all that would befall me With this rage inside of me I'll defy what I would become

    Brutus feels as if Julius Caesar didn't actually have to die... The "Illusions of Redemption" Would be Caesar's Ghost.

    This solitude and anger That do battle inside of me Will always guide me to the answers That I know I may not see They are the bonds that hold me tighter They are the chains that weigh on me One day, I know they will become - Brutus, became a Victim, of what he did the second his Wife, died, because of what he did. She "Swollowed Fire". He may have been emotionless on the outside, but on the inside, he was ripped apart.

    Can I start again And erase this pain By casting doubts into the waters Asking judgement of the sea - The big fight where ALOT of people Died... Cassius and Brutus included.

    Though fortune, you guide the fools I have no wish to be free Until I am gone - Brutus, and the Conspirators fought for a cause, and that cause brought them down till the very last. It was a strong play as this is a Strong Song.

    Davegetaon August 20, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Wow.. that last post did a great job at killing conversation. I believe the first post hit this on the head of the nail

    necromancer07707on February 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    erm.. I got that reversed.. the one who hit the head on the nail is Davegeta

    necromancer07707on February 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    No it wasnt nailed...to anything. You may put whatever names instead - God vs Satan, Hitler vs Jews and blah blah blah.

    This is a song about a person who had stepped one more step over the line past which there is no return. Apparently there are regrets about taking that step. The person is trying to find the strength within to go on and stay the chosen course.

    LordMorningStaron May 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is Caesar controlling his destiny through deliberate willpower alone. Pretty neat.

    emueyeson August 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    VNV NATION "SONG MEANINGS" INSIDE 15 page interview with Ronan Harris.

    dancemusic.about.com/od/artistshomepages/a/VnVNationInt.htm

    HorsesMouthon April 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, this song is definitely about regret and the temptation that follows when we try to correct it. But we can't...we can't return and inner conflict ensues until we find a way to break away from it. Until we are free.

    xcentricon February 08, 2010   Link

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