First of all, Dark Tranquility is famous for their lyrics having quite strange lexical combinations which can make one find difficult to understand (especially if they are not native speakers, which I am), though it doesn't make their songs any less cool! :)
So, as for me, I did not understand some lines at all, they just don't make any sense to me, but from what I DID understand is that maybe this song is about a person, who was summoned to war against their will to a certain death? I mean, if we look at the chorus of the song with the very name of it mentioned, it tells us that the person is confused/sad/angry with the fact that it was not him who decided his own fate ("Where did I sign? Did I miss the auction?" etc). He was simply robbed of any choice.
Now about the lyrics:
"If I wake up dead to the world with the helm at my command" suggests us that those who are sent "there", don't come back and considered dead, plus the phrase about the helm (helmet) strongly suggests that it's about war.
"Oh, faced tomorrow in the eleventh hour beckoned closer" means that tomorrow at 11 he is to be departed to war, and this hour is approaching, though he doesn't want it obviously.
"Went the half mile, wondered when the resolution would come" - I think he went only half a mile across the battlefield and expected that courage or confidence would come to him, so it suggests that it is a person who has nothing to do with war at all. Some young fella of 18 or something like that.
"Life became too solid" - not quite sure, but maybe "solid" means "rough" or "hard", assuming the present environment he is surrounded by.
"diluted by the essence of denial" - his senses become mixed and it is hard for him to face the reality.
"caught in fire's eye" - he finds himself in the center of some warfare that has just begun.
"my lip was venom, words formed in my mouth" - here, I think "venom" means "spite" or "malice". Maybe he wanted to say something or even curse, like "holy f**k"...
"and hid beneath the tongue" - but he didn't. He didn't have time even to say something like that...
"never to be, never to be seen" - because, well, at that moment, he died...
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
First of all, Dark Tranquility is famous for their lyrics having quite strange lexical combinations which can make one find difficult to understand (especially if they are not native speakers, which I am), though it doesn't make their songs any less cool! :)
So, as for me, I did not understand some lines at all, they just don't make any sense to me, but from what I DID understand is that maybe this song is about a person, who was summoned to war against their will to a certain death? I mean, if we look at the chorus of the song with the very name of it mentioned, it tells us that the person is confused/sad/angry with the fact that it was not him who decided his own fate ("Where did I sign? Did I miss the auction?" etc). He was simply robbed of any choice.
Now about the lyrics: "If I wake up dead to the world with the helm at my command" suggests us that those who are sent "there", don't come back and considered dead, plus the phrase about the helm (helmet) strongly suggests that it's about war.
"Oh, faced tomorrow in the eleventh hour beckoned closer" means that tomorrow at 11 he is to be departed to war, and this hour is approaching, though he doesn't want it obviously.
"Went the half mile, wondered when the resolution would come" - I think he went only half a mile across the battlefield and expected that courage or confidence would come to him, so it suggests that it is a person who has nothing to do with war at all. Some young fella of 18 or something like that.
"Life became too solid" - not quite sure, but maybe "solid" means "rough" or "hard", assuming the present environment he is surrounded by.
"diluted by the essence of denial" - his senses become mixed and it is hard for him to face the reality. "caught in fire's eye" - he finds himself in the center of some warfare that has just begun. "my lip was venom, words formed in my mouth" - here, I think "venom" means "spite" or "malice". Maybe he wanted to say something or even curse, like "holy f**k"... "and hid beneath the tongue" - but he didn't. He didn't have time even to say something like that... "never to be, never to be seen" - because, well, at that moment, he died...
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
@Metallic_Ant I didn't think about it this way, I like your interpration :)
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
I do think you could interpret some parts more figuratively, for example "the eleventh hour" is a phrase often used to denote "the last moment".
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Also, I think "I went the half mile" is a way to denote the person did not finish what he started (yet), because "to go the extra mile" foten means "to do more work than necessary" or something similar.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your interpretation :)