I think this song, as others have said, about people deserting you, and judging you. But I also think it's kind fo like the narrorator can't completely feel betrayed because at one tim he did the same thing? Let me explain.
I think the first verse is about a girlfriend or friend who is a girl doing the final deserting. When he says "goodbye to beauty" I think he's talk about how music, or the music they made, used to inspire them all. But now they've all turned their backs on him for what he's made now. This may in general reference the change Chiodos has made from All's Well That End's Well to Bone Palace Ballet, musically. From their harder, the stuctured sound, to the sound they have on this album. When he says "a shadow that has fallen over this town" I think he may feel as if everyone he once knew, everything he once knew is deserting him. Like it's not safe to be home anymore.
I think the next verse supports this even more, as if by saying "you're all just crows on the power lines" he's saying that they're all just faceless gatherers who have come to judge him.
Then onto the chorus, which by the way fits Craig's voice perfectly. I think the chorus is self explanatory, "sighting of shape shiftings" is him seeing how all of his friends have transformed into people he doesn't know "dissloved into the darkness". I agree drh890 on the next three lines. Having a final, unchangeable negative opinion of something is less admirable than at least appreciating the work someone is doing and tolerating the fact that it is something important to them.
The next verse kind of seems to me like he's trying to explain how what he's doing makes him feel, how much his work makes him happy. It's like he's talking about the music, and the way it sounds, and trying to explain how much it inspires him. I think by this he hopes others may begin to understand how much the music means to him and how much he likes it, even if they don't.
Now after the repeat of the chorus, it goes into the spider analogy which I found really intersting. It almost as if in this verse he's second guessing himself, as if he's agreeing with the people who judge him a bit. "I'll rest on nets made by spiders fed on drug dosed flies" I think he's saying that like 'Maybe I am resting on what's safe, what's considered commercial' (the commercial artist and music industry being flies) and the drug dosed flies being the people who don't really know music and are kind of just hyponotized but what's supposedly "popular". But when he sings "the spider sings alone" I think he's almost conversing with himself like saying 'Yeah but these spiders (commercial artists) have to face all the criticism from all these indie bands or bands who don't see them as credible for being successful'. There's a sadness that seems to be coming through there. Like he's accepthing the fate he's been given, to be judged and criticized for their growing popularity. I think when he sings "He paced the room with hurried steps, and placed his hands upon his head" he's almost explaining how he would act out this little battle in his head. Like while he is deciding if he really is a sell out or not and while he's fighting for the music he loves and trying to deal with all the shit he's getting for it, he's pacing the room and running his fingers through his hair and stuff. When he sings "as if he were afraid" I think he's saying that as he acts this way, he almost looks like he's scared of teh judgement and scared of losing the fans and scared of losing everyone, just for doing what he wants. And when he sings "his thoughts were bursting from his brain" that just pulls it all togther. He's so overwhelmed that his head feels like it's exploding from the weight of everything.
Finally it's the last two repeats of the chorus. I especially love the last repeat, because Craig's voice sounds AMAZINg and the piano really kicks in and it's just really climatic.
The last line "as if he were afraid" and the way Craig's voice sounds completely blows me away. I think the last line is really vunerable and really him just opening up and saying 'Look, I'm proud of this, but I'm really scared of how it's going to be taken' It seems to me like he's almost pleading for his friends and the people who have screwed him over to step up and just support him at a time that he really needs it. For everyone to just open up their minds.
Anyways that's my really really long take on it, but I could be SO far off. And if any of you actually finished reading it, I'm sorry, haha.
I think this song, as others have said, about people deserting you, and judging you. But I also think it's kind fo like the narrorator can't completely feel betrayed because at one tim he did the same thing? Let me explain.
I think the first verse is about a girlfriend or friend who is a girl doing the final deserting. When he says "goodbye to beauty" I think he's talk about how music, or the music they made, used to inspire them all. But now they've all turned their backs on him for what he's made now. This may in general reference the change Chiodos has made from All's Well That End's Well to Bone Palace Ballet, musically. From their harder, the stuctured sound, to the sound they have on this album. When he says "a shadow that has fallen over this town" I think he may feel as if everyone he once knew, everything he once knew is deserting him. Like it's not safe to be home anymore.
I think the next verse supports this even more, as if by saying "you're all just crows on the power lines" he's saying that they're all just faceless gatherers who have come to judge him.
Then onto the chorus, which by the way fits Craig's voice perfectly. I think the chorus is self explanatory, "sighting of shape shiftings" is him seeing how all of his friends have transformed into people he doesn't know "dissloved into the darkness". I agree drh890 on the next three lines. Having a final, unchangeable negative opinion of something is less admirable than at least appreciating the work someone is doing and tolerating the fact that it is something important to them.
The next verse kind of seems to me like he's trying to explain how what he's doing makes him feel, how much his work makes him happy. It's like he's talking about the music, and the way it sounds, and trying to explain how much it inspires him. I think by this he hopes others may begin to understand how much the music means to him and how much he likes it, even if they don't.
Now after the repeat of the chorus, it goes into the spider analogy which I found really intersting. It almost as if in this verse he's second guessing himself, as if he's agreeing with the people who judge him a bit. "I'll rest on nets made by spiders fed on drug dosed flies" I think he's saying that like 'Maybe I am resting on what's safe, what's considered commercial' (the commercial artist and music industry being flies) and the drug dosed flies being the people who don't really know music and are kind of just hyponotized but what's supposedly "popular". But when he sings "the spider sings alone" I think he's almost conversing with himself like saying 'Yeah but these spiders (commercial artists) have to face all the criticism from all these indie bands or bands who don't see them as credible for being successful'. There's a sadness that seems to be coming through there. Like he's accepthing the fate he's been given, to be judged and criticized for their growing popularity. I think when he sings "He paced the room with hurried steps, and placed his hands upon his head" he's almost explaining how he would act out this little battle in his head. Like while he is deciding if he really is a sell out or not and while he's fighting for the music he loves and trying to deal with all the shit he's getting for it, he's pacing the room and running his fingers through his hair and stuff. When he sings "as if he were afraid" I think he's saying that as he acts this way, he almost looks like he's scared of teh judgement and scared of losing the fans and scared of losing everyone, just for doing what he wants. And when he sings "his thoughts were bursting from his brain" that just pulls it all togther. He's so overwhelmed that his head feels like it's exploding from the weight of everything.
Finally it's the last two repeats of the chorus. I especially love the last repeat, because Craig's voice sounds AMAZINg and the piano really kicks in and it's just really climatic.
The last line "as if he were afraid" and the way Craig's voice sounds completely blows me away. I think the last line is really vunerable and really him just opening up and saying 'Look, I'm proud of this, but I'm really scared of how it's going to be taken' It seems to me like he's almost pleading for his friends and the people who have screwed him over to step up and just support him at a time that he really needs it. For everyone to just open up their minds.
Anyways that's my really really long take on it, but I could be SO far off. And if any of you actually finished reading it, I'm sorry, haha.
Amazing song.