Hmm...I will tell my interpretation. Agree or don't.
I get the impression that "He" is the singers drug dealer, one who the singer murdered either to save others from his poison, or perhaps out of self defense. Fasting black lungs might indicate that he had severely worn out his body by now anyway, thus the lungs barely work - or, this could refer to death itself, since a lung fasting would indicate that it was taking nothing in. Having killed a dealer, one would typically dump the body, which may perhaps end up washing up "swollen on the shore", while his ghost runs pale. The singer is both bloodshot from the blood constriction of the drug, and because he has metaphorical blood on his hands.
Clearly, those flocking to him from an isle of open sores would be the addicts, with track marks and other sores that heroin and meth cause, flocking to him to buy more poison, because once you taste it once, you will die to keep tasting it.
Hearing him every night in every pore would allude to the entire body, down to the pores, being permeated and affected by the drug, and it makes him warm, indicating heroin. Hearing him every night on every street may allude to seeing addicts on every corner, seeing the malignant influence wrought by the drug dealers greed and indifference, and the scales that do slither would allude to a snake, as many cultures represent evil or the devil in the form of a serpent. The only thing that can deliver the addict from his pain, the cold, and the fear, is more evil entering their veins.
The singer is now free from all the shame, due to the redeeming death of the dealer, but freezes inside without his narcotics.
The singer never sleeps alone, due either to the pain brought on by the drug (the drug in this case being so powerful that it becomes its own entity, or "thought-form"), or perhaps the ghost of the dealer, still as repugnant and evil in death as he was in life.
By the end, "The Widow," who is named so because they have lost their lifelong companion (drugs), is so miserable and tormented, they are ready to simply give up and die. And, as El Coyote suggests, I think the final riff being the same as the beginning riff of the CD is to emphasize that it will always happen again and again, a never ending cycle that will never stop in the world we live in (note that the CD on repeat will blend both riffs seamlessly).
Or, you know, maybe a cat on shrooms jumped on the keyboard and wrote random lyrics. Whatever.
Hmm...I will tell my interpretation. Agree or don't. I get the impression that "He" is the singers drug dealer, one who the singer murdered either to save others from his poison, or perhaps out of self defense. Fasting black lungs might indicate that he had severely worn out his body by now anyway, thus the lungs barely work - or, this could refer to death itself, since a lung fasting would indicate that it was taking nothing in. Having killed a dealer, one would typically dump the body, which may perhaps end up washing up "swollen on the shore", while his ghost runs pale. The singer is both bloodshot from the blood constriction of the drug, and because he has metaphorical blood on his hands. Clearly, those flocking to him from an isle of open sores would be the addicts, with track marks and other sores that heroin and meth cause, flocking to him to buy more poison, because once you taste it once, you will die to keep tasting it. Hearing him every night in every pore would allude to the entire body, down to the pores, being permeated and affected by the drug, and it makes him warm, indicating heroin. Hearing him every night on every street may allude to seeing addicts on every corner, seeing the malignant influence wrought by the drug dealers greed and indifference, and the scales that do slither would allude to a snake, as many cultures represent evil or the devil in the form of a serpent. The only thing that can deliver the addict from his pain, the cold, and the fear, is more evil entering their veins. The singer is now free from all the shame, due to the redeeming death of the dealer, but freezes inside without his narcotics. The singer never sleeps alone, due either to the pain brought on by the drug (the drug in this case being so powerful that it becomes its own entity, or "thought-form"), or perhaps the ghost of the dealer, still as repugnant and evil in death as he was in life. By the end, "The Widow," who is named so because they have lost their lifelong companion (drugs), is so miserable and tormented, they are ready to simply give up and die. And, as El Coyote suggests, I think the final riff being the same as the beginning riff of the CD is to emphasize that it will always happen again and again, a never ending cycle that will never stop in the world we live in (note that the CD on repeat will blend both riffs seamlessly). Or, you know, maybe a cat on shrooms jumped on the keyboard and wrote random lyrics. Whatever.