I've loved this song and band for years. It wasn't until recently while watching a short video about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that I put any elaborate meaning behind it.
"The god of man is a failure."
Witnessing the total and absolute destruction created by the bomb, the city flattened, its people incinerated, doesn't show much about our morality. Where was our god that day? We surely weren't influenced by him. When it mattered, people didn't follow their god. The god of man is a failure because it had no real effect on the actions of man.
"Our fortress is burning against the grain of the shattered sky."
The fortress is simply the Earth, burning under the flaming mushroom cloud of the blast. The fortress could be extended as a metaphor for mankind, how we are falling apart as a whole, with the bomb as evidence. And the sky, naturally beautiful, is shattered by the event. The contaminated cloud cuts like a scar against the horizon.
"Charred birds escape from the ruins and return as cascading blood"
As you probably know, the initial blast isn't the only killer in a nuclear explosion. The pulverized debris now flying through the air at breakneck speeds turns into radioactive fallout, and will remain deadly for a long time. It escaped from the ruins of the city, and fell back to Earth, ready to cause radiation poisoning or a cancerous death.
"Dying bloodbirds pooling, feeding the flood"
The fallout drifts gently down upon the ruins of the city, creating a blanket of radiation, contributing their part to the destruction.
"The god of man is a failure."
Point proven.
"And all of our shadows are ashes against the grain"
The destruction was so complete that the remains from a building couldn't be differentiated from the remains of a person. Everything was instantly incinerated. The explosion was so bright, and so hot, that it burned everything it touched. The only evidence left behind of human life was their shadows against a wall sturdy enough to remain standing. The wall around them was burned and darkened, but the people bore the burning before the wall. After their instant cremation, this outline was the only indication of life every existing there.
I seriously doubt this is what the band had in mind while creating the song, but after thinking about it in that context, it's the only way I can hear it. To me, it adds a lot of emotional depth while listening, and that's all that matters.
I've loved this song and band for years. It wasn't until recently while watching a short video about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that I put any elaborate meaning behind it.
"The god of man is a failure." Witnessing the total and absolute destruction created by the bomb, the city flattened, its people incinerated, doesn't show much about our morality. Where was our god that day? We surely weren't influenced by him. When it mattered, people didn't follow their god. The god of man is a failure because it had no real effect on the actions of man. "Our fortress is burning against the grain of the shattered sky." The fortress is simply the Earth, burning under the flaming mushroom cloud of the blast. The fortress could be extended as a metaphor for mankind, how we are falling apart as a whole, with the bomb as evidence. And the sky, naturally beautiful, is shattered by the event. The contaminated cloud cuts like a scar against the horizon. "Charred birds escape from the ruins and return as cascading blood" As you probably know, the initial blast isn't the only killer in a nuclear explosion. The pulverized debris now flying through the air at breakneck speeds turns into radioactive fallout, and will remain deadly for a long time. It escaped from the ruins of the city, and fell back to Earth, ready to cause radiation poisoning or a cancerous death. "Dying bloodbirds pooling, feeding the flood" The fallout drifts gently down upon the ruins of the city, creating a blanket of radiation, contributing their part to the destruction. "The god of man is a failure." Point proven. "And all of our shadows are ashes against the grain" The destruction was so complete that the remains from a building couldn't be differentiated from the remains of a person. Everything was instantly incinerated. The explosion was so bright, and so hot, that it burned everything it touched. The only evidence left behind of human life was their shadows against a wall sturdy enough to remain standing. The wall around them was burned and darkened, but the people bore the burning before the wall. After their instant cremation, this outline was the only indication of life every existing there.
I seriously doubt this is what the band had in mind while creating the song, but after thinking about it in that context, it's the only way I can hear it. To me, it adds a lot of emotional depth while listening, and that's all that matters.