This song is from the point of view of coal itself, and points out all the contradictory ways that human beings have viewed and treated coal since we started digging it up and using it, and the toll it has taken on our lives. It's strongly implied that the coal is controlling us, rather than the other way around. Coal is presented as a savior, a temptress, a tyrant, hope, and despair, all rolled into one.
This song is from the point of view of coal itself, and points out all the contradictory ways that human beings have viewed and treated coal since we started digging it up and using it, and the toll it has taken on our lives. It's strongly implied that the coal is controlling us, rather than the other way around. Coal is presented as a savior, a temptress, a tyrant, hope, and despair, all rolled into one.