Lyric discussion by farble 

Cover art for The Chimera lyrics by Smashing Pumpkins, The

I have a lot of conflicting thoughts, so I might add them as different comments. I hear “Nightingales and Nazi crimes” - sometimes lyrics are meant to denote multiple meanings (i.e., Bowie’s “Lennon’s/Lenin’s on sale again” in Life on Mars).

The Nightingale is a famous book about French resistance to the Nazis. There was also the Nachtigall (Nightingale) Battalion, a Nazi group accused of war crimes in multiple trials.

Is it possible that Corgan is equating the mystery and elusiveness of folklore/fables with the study of more recent history? He then contrasts this with extremely recent history - Billy’s own history:

“Twins that spark the charts” - this likely references the cover of Siamese Dream.

The Chimera to me is a song about how obsessions with the stories of the past (ancient and recent) can cause people to lose sight of something real and present, which is a present chance at love.