I disagree with pretty much everyone on the specifics. In my opinion, it's definitely about spirituality, which makes other appearances on the album theme-wise (Backslider comes to mind first).
I personally think it's about how he felt controlled and enslaved by religion, but when he left the church and spiraled into a life of "sin" he began to burn.
So now he's torn between living a life of selfish desires while dissolving, or returning to the chains of the church. Ultimately, the song is without resolution as he just continues to burn in indifference, which is how the song begins as well.
ANOTHER way to interpret it is flat-out rebellion from the church. "Tooth and bone, unimpressive, I have left these things"; that line argues that point the most. He feels simultaneously cleansed by the freedom of religious bondage but dirty because of what's been engraved, thus the "burning" being the adjective used to describe the conflict and/or transition.
Agreed. A lot of the album feels like it's about the vocalist having a crisis of faith, and struggling with his Baptist upbringing as an adult. It also sounds like there is an indictment against organized religion in there. "feel the lick of / bad religion / the finish and the start / in the beginning / we where smarter / the flame was heaven sent / through the ages / we got stupid / now we must repent". I take that to mean that religion was more pure, back when the message came directly from God....
Agreed. A lot of the album feels like it's about the vocalist having a crisis of faith, and struggling with his Baptist upbringing as an adult. It also sounds like there is an indictment against organized religion in there. "feel the lick of / bad religion / the finish and the start / in the beginning / we where smarter / the flame was heaven sent / through the ages / we got stupid / now we must repent". I take that to mean that religion was more pure, back when the message came directly from God. But now so many layers have been added to it, detracting from the original pure message. The message has been tainted by the belief structures man built around them.
I disagree with pretty much everyone on the specifics. In my opinion, it's definitely about spirituality, which makes other appearances on the album theme-wise (Backslider comes to mind first).
I personally think it's about how he felt controlled and enslaved by religion, but when he left the church and spiraled into a life of "sin" he began to burn.
So now he's torn between living a life of selfish desires while dissolving, or returning to the chains of the church. Ultimately, the song is without resolution as he just continues to burn in indifference, which is how the song begins as well.
ANOTHER way to interpret it is flat-out rebellion from the church. "Tooth and bone, unimpressive, I have left these things"; that line argues that point the most. He feels simultaneously cleansed by the freedom of religious bondage but dirty because of what's been engraved, thus the "burning" being the adjective used to describe the conflict and/or transition.
Agreed. A lot of the album feels like it's about the vocalist having a crisis of faith, and struggling with his Baptist upbringing as an adult. It also sounds like there is an indictment against organized religion in there. "feel the lick of / bad religion / the finish and the start / in the beginning / we where smarter / the flame was heaven sent / through the ages / we got stupid / now we must repent". I take that to mean that religion was more pure, back when the message came directly from God....
Agreed. A lot of the album feels like it's about the vocalist having a crisis of faith, and struggling with his Baptist upbringing as an adult. It also sounds like there is an indictment against organized religion in there. "feel the lick of / bad religion / the finish and the start / in the beginning / we where smarter / the flame was heaven sent / through the ages / we got stupid / now we must repent". I take that to mean that religion was more pure, back when the message came directly from God. But now so many layers have been added to it, detracting from the original pure message. The message has been tainted by the belief structures man built around them.