The first time I heard this I thought it was about how religion is bad/ a tool to use people. It seems like its about alcohol, but I'm going to offer my interpretation.
'when I'm blind and I think I see everything'
-Religious people have a lot of belief, but its all false.
'this god that I worship (a faded reflection)
this demon I blame (a flickering flame)
conspire as one, exactly the same
ITS EXACTLY THE SAME'
-When he says they conspire as one, He means the church uses people's love of god and fear of demons to get them to do as they please. They are exactly the same - a tool of religion. a faded reflection means god is made in man's image.
'DESCENDING
to never recover the pieces to all that we've lost
RECOVER...THE PIECES LOST
THE PIECES...TO ALL WE'VE LOST'
-Descending in general means religion is putting us back, preventing humanity from advancing. 'The pieces we've lost' is anything lost to religion- old information or ideas destroyed because they counter the church, or people lost to religious wars.
'I shudder to think of the consequence
it's blasphemy simple and true
the tragic protaganist torments
convincing myself again'
-The consequence of speaking out against religion (the blasphemy) is usually excommunication. In the days of the church's strength, they convinced Galileo to abandon his ideas (the idea the earth isn't the center of the universe)that countered theirs at the threat of excommunication. The protagonist torments because he suffers silently, going along with what he doesn't believe in, or he speaks out and suffers publicly.
This is where I think the first 2 lines
'the river I'm bound to be found in
a rope chosen bound for the hang'
make sense. If he speaks out he will likely be killed.
The first time I heard this I thought it was about how religion is bad/ a tool to use people. It seems like its about alcohol, but I'm going to offer my interpretation.
'when I'm blind and I think I see everything' -Religious people have a lot of belief, but its all false. 'this god that I worship (a faded reflection) this demon I blame (a flickering flame) conspire as one, exactly the same ITS EXACTLY THE SAME' -When he says they conspire as one, He means the church uses people's love of god and fear of demons to get them to do as they please. They are exactly the same - a tool of religion. a faded reflection means god is made in man's image. 'DESCENDING to never recover the pieces to all that we've lost RECOVER...THE PIECES LOST THE PIECES...TO ALL WE'VE LOST' -Descending in general means religion is putting us back, preventing humanity from advancing. 'The pieces we've lost' is anything lost to religion- old information or ideas destroyed because they counter the church, or people lost to religious wars. 'I shudder to think of the consequence it's blasphemy simple and true the tragic protaganist torments convincing myself again' -The consequence of speaking out against religion (the blasphemy) is usually excommunication. In the days of the church's strength, they convinced Galileo to abandon his ideas (the idea the earth isn't the center of the universe)that countered theirs at the threat of excommunication. The protagonist torments because he suffers silently, going along with what he doesn't believe in, or he speaks out and suffers publicly. This is where I think the first 2 lines 'the river I'm bound to be found in a rope chosen bound for the hang' make sense. If he speaks out he will likely be killed.