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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 5, 2006 17:48:39 GMT -5
Well, we've reached the third album, "A Vision of Misery". I've decided to move on from Swallowed in Black for two reasons. The first is obviously due to my completion of analysis (even when it wasn't so deep). The second reason was to signal to those that are unaware that any analysis they want to add to Swallowed in Black should be done now. Then again, any comment on any song (that we've already covered) should be added if you feel it brings something to the table.
So, welcome to misery (or Missouri, where I'm from).
Through The Eyes Of Greed
Eyes of the Greedy See what they will Lust of the Flesh A need to fulfill The Fool and the Liar Must feed the desire The Will to acquire The Eyes of the Greedy will always Crave for more Feasting hungry Eyes on this worthless Horde The Eyes of the Greedy will see no Sleep or Rest Are you saved or enslaved Trapped by Need to have Feel it clench you Do you want to give in Through the Eyes the Will to see what they want to see Looking through the Eyes of Greed Feel Temptation burn Each earns his own Fate Each one has a will to Live Blind are the Eyes that Need Looking through the Eyes of Greed Eyes of the Greedy See what they will Lust of the Flesh A need to fulfill Looking through the Eyes of Greed Feel Temptation burn Each earns his own Fate Each one has a Will to Live Blind are the Eyes that need Looking through the Eyes of Greed
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 7, 2006 17:58:22 GMT -5
Truly a classic.
The Eyes of Greed is self-explanatory. It discusses those of us who actively desire something and are willing to do whatever must be done to obtain it, as well as those who are simply too weak-willed to control themselves. In the latter's case, it might not be that they want to throw away friendships and ignore risks, just that they can't resist what it is they wish to obtain. So there we have "intent" versus "accidental" greed.
You see it in the business world all the time, if you happen to be paying attention. Someone going behind someone else's back to get the job that both were hoping for. While one might play fairly, the other will sweet talk the boss, do a favor for someone. Whatever it takes to accomplish their goal and obtain the result.
Other cases include that of adultery, robbery, or another odd one to look at might be food rationing. Say that you're poor, and you have a family. You go out and get food for your family, but your STARVING, so you give them only half of what you found and tell them it's all you could get. So, not only do you split that half with them, but then you eat the whole other piece. You're no longer starving, but now they're much worse off. You're undercutting your family, making THEM starve, so you can feel better.
Yeah, that's right. You're a bastard.
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 7, 2006 18:26:18 GMT -5
Oh, also check out "Fun With D'ick and Jane". That's all about screwing people over for greed.
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Post by chainsawmax on Sept 8, 2006 1:25:02 GMT -5
this song always made me think about DAWN OF THE DEAD, the 1978 movie by George A. Romero. I grew up with that movie and when I first read the lyrics for this one, I said - "damn. this band can play SICK STUFF, and the even KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!!! i'm not alone around here!!!"
turned out quite true, uh?
this song is a damn masterpiece. this whole album is just incredible.
PS: I heard from Darren. he is alright and says ciao to everyone. he is totally beyond busy.
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 8, 2006 6:31:23 GMT -5
Great! Yeah, I left him a short message or two just checking up on him. Glad he's doing alright.
Edit: I'm going to leave "Eyes..." up for the rest of the week and Sunday I'll post the next song. I really hate to move on without Joarel, but I have no idea where he's gone.
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 17, 2006 5:00:02 GMT -5
Next!
Machines
What you breathe Is supposedly Exhausted clean Machines Toxins rise Through melting Skies Life will die Machines Work to feed A lifeless breed Eternally Machines Nourishing The flourishing Hybrid way Machines Circuits scream Authority Mankind heeds Machines Slave to all Lifeless thralls Of computer laws Machines Days are gone New life's begun On they'll run Machines
Fairly straightforward stuff, but I don't want to post two songs and then be the only one writing about them.
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Post by joarel666 on Sept 19, 2006 1:42:06 GMT -5
Hail to the Sadudes! Been buried in work with no end in site I'm afraid. Not much liesure net time these daze! . . . Seems only fitting that NES selects "Machines" for lyrical translation this week. "The Matrix" must have really tripped the Sadudes out when they watched it the first time. Like Whoa, Machines turned us into Batteries . . . .!
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 19, 2006 21:20:18 GMT -5
We rely way too much on technology. Most anyone can see, when in a developed country, that we use computers and machines to an astonishing extent to accomplish anything from keeping time, to make coffee, to running our cars, hospital equipment, and so on. Our lives DEPEND on our technology.
A good example happened to me recently. I work in a Target store, in their little food area. We aren't a restaurant, but more along the lines of a small fastfood joint. In recent weeks, we caught the tail end of a tropical storm and it wiped out our power. Target apparently doesn't think enough of it's food supply to supply the freezers with generators, so most all of our food had to be thrown out due to standards of what constitutes healthy food within given temperatures. All we had left was soda and packaged items.
You'd be surprised how hard it is to find food around here when the stores loose power. I commented to someone, "If all the stores closed for a few days, people would starve." What good are machines if we can't live without them? They should be supplementary, not complementary.
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 24, 2006 4:54:51 GMT -5
And now, my friends, the title track of this site!
Valley Of Dry Bones
Valley of dry Bones Bless the Land Arise come together Bone to Bone Fusion of Flesh to Bone Sand becomes the Blood of Man Do it because I say you will Repent to thee or turn to Dust Just like the Sand There'll be no rest Valley of Dry Bones Bless the Land Arise come together Bone to Bone
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Post by NESFantasy on Sept 25, 2006 21:34:57 GMT -5
Hmm, several thoughts hit me with this song, none of which seem to fit absolutely.
-Elephant Graveyard -God, Adam, and Eve -Sodom and Gomorrah
The elephant graveyard bit is only due to the idea of a valley of bones. I imagine all these skulls, tusks, and skeletons lying around. But the rest of the song doesn't fit.
Now, on to Adam and Eve. Obviously, there is a part here that says you must repent or turn to dust. I don't recall God ever threatening to turn Adam to dust, but certainly they had something on their conscience to repent about. Why Adam and Eve? Because of the phrase, "Sand becomes the blood of man". God created Adam from dust, as the story goes.
Then there's Sodom and Gomorrah. They too, obviously had something going on that wasn't pleasing, and much repenting to do if they had felt like doing it. So, the towns were set ablaze, and I'm assuming burnt everyone alive. This, in my mind, would also leave a great area of bones. As far as "Bless the land", I suppose it could be said that the land was "cured" of Sodom and Gomorrah, and depending on who you were, that could be a blessing or a painful way to die. Of course, that doesn't match the arise, come together flesh to bone part of the lyrics.
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Post by joarel666 on Oct 9, 2006 1:43:35 GMT -5
;D Great to see the VODB board growing in numbers!! Hail SADUS!
Aye NES, "Valley of Dry Bones"reminds me of the old "Evangelist Tent Revivals" spewing fire and brimstone to evoke the "holy spirit" and "$$$$ from it's "flock" . . . .Many of the song's tenants seem to be a reference to those "shows" or maybe to your point about the Elephant Graveyard, it could be a reference to the ill treated elephants in Circus Vargas/Carnival that used to roll into town(Antioch wasn't big enough back then to lure the Ringling Bros . . .;] ;D
Nothin like the Old Testament to paint a picture for us~ God’s message to mortals is that He is the God of life. He blessed His creation to overcome sterility and death. Filled with His life, the flora and fauna overcome death and survive. For His elect, Christ is their resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Whoever hears His word and believes Him who sent Him has eternal life…; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
"I will cause wind to enter you and you will come to life…"The wind, which God equates with His Spirit, transforms the Valley of Dry Bones into a vast and vital army.(somewhere in John yada yada . .) Somehow, I don't think the Sadudes were positioning VODB with a Christian bent in order to tour with Stryper back in the day Talk about the lamest band on Earth as it is Heaven . ..
The above passages from the Old Testament also remind me that I need to place that Darwin Fish on my truck, right next to the goat's blood and pentagram on my bumper };] . . .
PIECE~
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Post by joarel666 on Oct 10, 2006 11:04:37 GMT -5
UPDATE~ Some Baby Boomer in her F*$$in Hybrid Prius rear ended me in the truck just yesterday. I was at a complete stop and the first vehicle at the red light. BLAM! I look back and she is trying to extract herself from my bumper. What's worse? At the green, I turned left to pull over and she kept going. It was a Hit and Run!!
Guess God has spoken . . . .No worries. From the slight bend in my 93 Dakota's bumper and the extensive Prius debris remaining on the street and on top my bumper, she's gonna have some Karmic Debt to pay off in addition to the steep repair charges from the local body shop! There's some cosmic logic to all this. I thought Baby Boomer Prius owners from Berkeley were morally righteous and stable enough to accept responsibility. Now I'm definately getting the DARWIN Fish at minimum, with plans to fortify my bumper ala Mad Max for the next morally bankrupt idiot that will be unlucky enough to repeat this lil experience . . . };]PIECE & SHREDDZZ~joarel
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Post by NESFantasy on Oct 10, 2006 19:56:54 GMT -5
You alright, Joarel? You didn't mention any whiplash or anything, so I suppose if you're good enough to tell us about it then it wasn't painful on your part (minus the bumper).
I'm still not sure what to make of the song.
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Post by Steve Di Giorgio on Oct 10, 2006 22:36:32 GMT -5
Valley Of Dry Bones. Good one to start for me...? For the namesake of this forum I will. Honestly, I thought if I chimed in on the lyrics discussion it would take away from the listeners interpretation. Which I hold highly valuable, I love to read this section the most I admit. But I will try hard not to taint your perceptions of mine and Darren's lyrical wanderings. Anyway, Joarel, very close there quoting biblical scriptures. And for this song, VODB, more specifically in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 37. Darren's uncle was well read with the Bible and told him about this story. It was a cool idea, what with us being a metal band and all, to write a type of surreal battle scene. This guy, Ezekiel, was told by God that he would help him in his struggle to raise an army by raising the dead. Ezekiel didn't believe that God could do that, and God said "dude, I made your bones and skin and breath, you don't think I can bring these skeletons to life? Watch this...!" Then they go to this old battle ground and all these dry boned skeleton warriors start coming up out of the ground and start to march as an army. Some songs come out quick and have a not so profound meaning, and some are a little more well thought out. This one being more of the latter. Darren did write these lyrics and was definitely the composer, but he told me about it when he first thought about writing it. And I think there was a little discussion about how to approach lyrics inspired from the Bible. We just wanted to write from a more personal and projected stance rather than any kind of billboarding or preaching mode. And since the idea was fresh, I think I went on to be inspired to pen the other two Bible influenced lyrics on the same album. With some New Testament pieces found in Through The Eyes Of Greed. And another Old Testament story... Echoes Of Forever. SDG
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Post by NESFantasy on Oct 11, 2006 6:38:20 GMT -5
Very nice! Now I must go read that particular chapter.
I suppose now would be a nice time to post the next set of lyrics. Thank both of you for chiming in!
Slaves To Misery
Skilled Victims play their Games A cause of violence for Fortune and Fame Like all possessed they worship it all Money loving mercenary Risks it all Why can't you see the Intensity The High that was not to be With no decline it works every Time Until we had enough we'll see You can't get enough of the f**king Stuff The rotting of the Brains a Game Time after Time With the loss of a Mind You're crying out insanity You can't afford to be As f**king dumb as you seem You know the Price you can't Pay You Steal from one to Repay The Debts of Bets, you should Die Die Slave to Misery Causing Suffering Anything causing Pain Experiencing Agony Torment, Torture I don't want to see you Suffer Slave to Misery Causing Suffering
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