Firstly I think some of these lyrics are wrong.
"I will fight the loss" should be "I will find the lost"
Also why do the 2nd and 3rd choruses change "leave and let YOU fall behind", it stays You the entire time, not him or them.
As for the meaning, it's very confusing because at first glance the song seems to contradict itself, talking about following him and making it through alright, then talking about everyone being abandoned and "lying in the earth side by side", or dying. Really both of those are right.
Anyways here is my really long but awesome and emotional interpretation of the song.
I think it's about a soldier, his fellow troops, and the girl he left behind...
"Screaming on the inside
I am frail and withered"
Basically he's in a fierce battle and he's sick, tired, and wounded. The reason the screams are on the inside is because soldiers still have to be tough on the outside and keep it together.
"Cover up the wounds
That I can't hide"
A Paradox, if he can't hide the wounds, how does he cover them? But I think this has to do with hiding his pain and hurt to give himself, and the rest of his men, hope of getting in through it. He's lying to himself, telling himself that he's ok.
"Walls that lie between us
The saint within the sinner"
Double meaning for both lines. Literally he's far away in a battle, the walls of space and time lie between them. Mentally he's a "sinner" and most likely she's the "saint". Also, as later in the song you find out, through the intense battle, the soldier has redeemed himself and though he's a sinner, through his honorable courage he has become a saint in the end.
"I have lost the nerve
But it's all right"
Unsure about this. Probably back to the battle and he's losing it, but it's ok because no one has it together.
"Carry the wounded and shut your eyes
All will be forgiven
None will rise"
First you need to know that the battle has taken a turn for the worst. The soldier's troop has been ambushed and they are seriously outnumbered.
Looking at the 2nd line, the soldier becomes a "saint" by acting valiantly and doing
what the 1st line says. He helps his wounded comrades and loses his past sin. He tells
them to shut their eyes though sort of like you would "not look down" or "don't look back".
"None will rise" though because they are ambushed and will most likely all die.
"Bury the fallen and lead the blind
I will find the lost
Dead inside"
The 1st line here is not literal. The fallen are the men that have already died, "bury" simply means remember them and pay your respects, since their in a battle they can't actually bury them. The blind however are the ones perhaps still in shock or those who are wounded, he's once again being courageous and telling his men to lead them. Personally he says he "I will find the lost, dead inside" which are the ones that have given up hope and need to be rallied by a leader, the singer.
"Into the nothing
Faded and weary
I won't leave and let you fall behind
Live for the dying
Heaven hear me
I know we can make it out alive"
Their ambushed and face bad odds, thus they are going "Into the NOTHING" having no idea what lies ahead of them. They are tired from the previous fighting but the singer says he won't let his men fall behind. He tells his men to live for those who died, he's rallying them and giving them a cause. He cries out to heaven for help, and tells his mean they can make it out, he gives them hope.
"Leave me at the bottom
I am lost forever"
It sounds like the leader is giving up hope but I think he's saying he will "go down with the ship" and die so that the rest of his men can make it.
"Letters from the dead
Say goodbye"
Once again giving his mean hope, the dead are saying goodbye to them because when they ambush started they thought they would meet the dead, but now the dead say by because they will live and not end up meeting them.
"Sorrow falls upon us
This will be the last time"
Sorrow because they realize they will all die and no longer have hope. It's last time because soon they will be killed.
"Days begin to end
But I'll get by"
The fight is near ending, he says he'll get by but he doesn't mean literally and physically, instead he means that their spirit will live as they will fight to the death, read on...
"Follow the hopeless
And shut your eyes"
He knows they will die now so there's no more reason to give them false hope. He still tells them to shut there eyes though, instead of staring at death better to let it come quickly and quietly.
"All will be abandoned
None will shine"
Once again, they will all die and be left alone. No one will shine because no one will live. Note that they haven't died yet, this is future tense.
"Gather the broken and leave this life
Lying in the earth
Side by side"
Not sure about gathering the broken but obviously he's saying that they will die but will go down together fighting to the end.
CHORUS
Same meaning, fight to the death and rally behind him.
"I'll keep you inside
Where I lead you cannot follow"
Finally we get to his girl. He'll love her to the end and thus he'll "keep you inside". He knows he's going to die though so he tells her she can't follow him.
"Straight into the light
As my breath grows still and shallow"
Into the light is where he's going, heaven. Self explanatory for the rest of it, as he dies he loses his breath.
CHORUS
"Stay with me
You're all I have left
I know we can make it out alive"
Though he gave up hope previously and they all know they will die, this is perhaps their last act and so
he tries to get them to go down fighting. Stay with me may also refer to his girl. Though she has no idea what's going on, since he's close to death, he's thinking of her and what she would be thinking of if she saw him sacrificing himself. He asks her to still love him even though he's going to die, he tells her she's all she has left. Then "we" refers to their love, since he's probably not really going to make it he knows that they can at least love eachother til the death.
Firstly I think some of these lyrics are wrong. "I will fight the loss" should be "I will find the lost" Also why do the 2nd and 3rd choruses change "leave and let YOU fall behind", it stays You the entire time, not him or them.
As for the meaning, it's very confusing because at first glance the song seems to contradict itself, talking about following him and making it through alright, then talking about everyone being abandoned and "lying in the earth side by side", or dying. Really both of those are right.
Anyways here is my really long but awesome and emotional interpretation of the song.
I think it's about a soldier, his fellow troops, and the girl he left behind...
"Screaming on the inside I am frail and withered"
Basically he's in a fierce battle and he's sick, tired, and wounded. The reason the screams are on the inside is because soldiers still have to be tough on the outside and keep it together.
"Cover up the wounds That I can't hide"
A Paradox, if he can't hide the wounds, how does he cover them? But I think this has to do with hiding his pain and hurt to give himself, and the rest of his men, hope of getting in through it. He's lying to himself, telling himself that he's ok.
"Walls that lie between us The saint within the sinner"
Double meaning for both lines. Literally he's far away in a battle, the walls of space and time lie between them. Mentally he's a "sinner" and most likely she's the "saint". Also, as later in the song you find out, through the intense battle, the soldier has redeemed himself and though he's a sinner, through his honorable courage he has become a saint in the end.
"I have lost the nerve But it's all right"
Unsure about this. Probably back to the battle and he's losing it, but it's ok because no one has it together.
"Carry the wounded and shut your eyes All will be forgiven None will rise"
First you need to know that the battle has taken a turn for the worst. The soldier's troop has been ambushed and they are seriously outnumbered.
Looking at the 2nd line, the soldier becomes a "saint" by acting valiantly and doing what the 1st line says. He helps his wounded comrades and loses his past sin. He tells them to shut their eyes though sort of like you would "not look down" or "don't look back". "None will rise" though because they are ambushed and will most likely all die.
"Bury the fallen and lead the blind I will find the lost Dead inside"
The 1st line here is not literal. The fallen are the men that have already died, "bury" simply means remember them and pay your respects, since their in a battle they can't actually bury them. The blind however are the ones perhaps still in shock or those who are wounded, he's once again being courageous and telling his men to lead them. Personally he says he "I will find the lost, dead inside" which are the ones that have given up hope and need to be rallied by a leader, the singer.
"Into the nothing Faded and weary I won't leave and let you fall behind Live for the dying Heaven hear me I know we can make it out alive"
Their ambushed and face bad odds, thus they are going "Into the NOTHING" having no idea what lies ahead of them. They are tired from the previous fighting but the singer says he won't let his men fall behind. He tells his men to live for those who died, he's rallying them and giving them a cause. He cries out to heaven for help, and tells his mean they can make it out, he gives them hope.
"Leave me at the bottom I am lost forever"
It sounds like the leader is giving up hope but I think he's saying he will "go down with the ship" and die so that the rest of his men can make it.
"Letters from the dead Say goodbye"
Once again giving his mean hope, the dead are saying goodbye to them because when they ambush started they thought they would meet the dead, but now the dead say by because they will live and not end up meeting them.
"Sorrow falls upon us This will be the last time"
Sorrow because they realize they will all die and no longer have hope. It's last time because soon they will be killed.
"Days begin to end But I'll get by"
The fight is near ending, he says he'll get by but he doesn't mean literally and physically, instead he means that their spirit will live as they will fight to the death, read on...
"Follow the hopeless And shut your eyes"
He knows they will die now so there's no more reason to give them false hope. He still tells them to shut there eyes though, instead of staring at death better to let it come quickly and quietly.
"All will be abandoned None will shine"
Once again, they will all die and be left alone. No one will shine because no one will live. Note that they haven't died yet, this is future tense.
"Gather the broken and leave this life Lying in the earth Side by side"
Not sure about gathering the broken but obviously he's saying that they will die but will go down together fighting to the end.
CHORUS Same meaning, fight to the death and rally behind him.
"I'll keep you inside Where I lead you cannot follow"
Finally we get to his girl. He'll love her to the end and thus he'll "keep you inside". He knows he's going to die though so he tells her she can't follow him.
"Straight into the light As my breath grows still and shallow"
Into the light is where he's going, heaven. Self explanatory for the rest of it, as he dies he loses his breath.
CHORUS
"Stay with me You're all I have left I know we can make it out alive"
Though he gave up hope previously and they all know they will die, this is perhaps their last act and so he tries to get them to go down fighting. Stay with me may also refer to his girl. Though she has no idea what's going on, since he's close to death, he's thinking of her and what she would be thinking of if she saw him sacrificing himself. He asks her to still love him even though he's going to die, he tells her she's all she has left. Then "we" refers to their love, since he's probably not really going to make it he knows that they can at least love eachother til the death.