The song refers to the imperfect nature of man. Like the phoenix, man constantly destroys himself, but never fails to rise out of the ashes to begin anew. Even though perfection will never be ours to know (at least in this life...), we should strive to achieve that state in order to fully live. The speaker infers that underneath all the taint and built-up stain, there lies in us the ability to renew ourselves.
The song refers to the imperfect nature of man. Like the phoenix, man constantly destroys himself, but never fails to rise out of the ashes to begin anew. Even though perfection will never be ours to know (at least in this life...), we should strive to achieve that state in order to fully live. The speaker infers that underneath all the taint and built-up stain, there lies in us the ability to renew ourselves.