The Element Sonnets

These are the last tracks on each element's disc from The Alchemy Index by Thrice. These four songs are fire, water, air, and earth, personified- all ending with an original sonnet that sums up what that element is trying to tell mankind.

The Flame Deluge - Fire

Kings Upon the Main - Water

Silver Wings - Air

Child of Dust - Earth


The Flame Deluge

I feel that I was meant for something more,
My curse, this awful power to unmake.
And ever since you found your taste for war,
You've forced me onto those whose lives you'd take.

While Guernica in peaceful valley lay,
And Dresden dreamed of anything but death,
The day was turned to night, and night to day;
You let me loose upon their fragile flesh.

And so I hid among the smallest things;
You found me there and ferried me above.
The flame deluge is waiting in the wings;
The smallest thread holds back the second flood.

And who will stand to greet the blinding light;
it's lonely when there's no one left to fight.


Kings Upon the Main

This lesson you'd do well not to forget.
Your life could be the one its wisdom saves
At sea, when you're beleaguered and beset,
On every side by strife of wind and waves.

Despite the best of maps and bravest men,
For all their mighty names and massive forms,
There'll never be and there has never been
A ship or fleet secure against the storms.

When kings upon the main have clung to pride,
And held themselves as masters of the sea,
I've held them down beneath the crushing tide
Till they have learned that no one masters me.

But grace can still be found within the gales;
with fear and reverence, raise your ragged sail.


Silver Wings

From tender years you took me for granted
(But still I deigned to wander through your lungs)
While You were sleeping soundly in your bed
(Your drapes were silver wings, your shutter's flung)

I Drew the poison from the summer's sting
(And eased the fire out of your fevered skin)
I Moved in you and stirred your soul to sing
(And if you'd let me I would move again)

I've danced 'tween sunlit stands of lover's hair
(Helped formed the final words before you death)
I pitied you and piled your sails with air
(Gave blessing when you rose upon my breath)

And after all of this, I am amazed;
that I am cursed far more than I am praised.


Child of Dust

Dear prodigal, you are my son and I
Supplied you not your spirit, but your shape.
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes;
I fathomed not you wanted to escape.

And though I only ever gave you love, like every child you’ve chosen to rebel;
uprooted flowers and filled the holes with blood;
ask for not whom they toll the solemn bells.

A child of dust to mother now return;
for every seed must die before it grows.
and though above the world may toil and turn,
no prying spade will find you here below.

Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet;
here I will teach you truly how to sleep.


Here's what each is about:

Fire is ashamed of the way man has used it for destruction through war and violence. It tried to hide, but we found it again and used it against it's will. Deluge is another word for flood. "The Flame Flood". This is referring to nuclear weapons. "The blinding light" from the sonnet is probably hinting at the flash of light atomic bombs emit before exploding. It's like fire is telling man: sure, you won, you have gotten what you wanted. You have destroyed your enemy...now then. What's next? Who will you fight now? Now how do you go about satisfying your hunger for war? It's lonely when there's no one left to fight.

Water is teaching prideful people that no matter how prepared you think you are, you can never tame the awesome power of the ocean. In spite of all of our ships, technology, brave crews, and navigation, ultimately the sea is the higher power. The Titanic is a prime example of this concept. The ship that could not be sank, in fact, sank. Through catastrophe, water humbles man and teaches them a valuable lesson. But afterwards, in the final part, water challenges them to get back up and try again, but this time, with respect. With fear and reverence, raise your ragged sail.

Air is in disbelief at our utter unappreciation towards it. Air does so much for us, as mentioned in the song, but we deem it unimportant. Air has been disregarded from the beginning of time, yet it still feels compelled to do all it can for us. Sail our ships, allow us to live. May sound ridiculous, but if you think about it, what is more taken for granted than the very air we breathe? Nothing. This, like the other elements, can be interpreted as God as well. Many people take God for granted and all He does for us. Air finally says in the final line, after all I have done for you, this is the thanks I get? I am amazed by this.

Earth is disappointed in man's harmful ways towards the planet. Earth is basically saying that as powerful as we may think we are, death is inevitable. Very comparable to water's sonnet. Earth supplied us all we ever needed, Eden's wealth, and we wanted out. Earth tells man that it has done so much for us and yet we want more, destroy nature, and explore space as if we aren't satisfied with what we have already been given. We have uprooted flowers and replaced them with blood through reckless action. In the end, we are all just made of dust, and like the Bible says: from dust we begun, and to dust we can return. That's what I think Earth is trying to tell us in the song.

YouTube:

The Flame Deluge- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHEKGImcowk&feature=related

Kings Upon the Main- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3gTEf-bZfk&feature=related

Silver Wings- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKNdSIyfsJY&feature=related

Child of Dust- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_l59yZmqvs&feature=related

Four sonnets together- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ZQw7GwhH0

Top Ten Thrice Songs?

So here I am...trying to do this. I'm actually going to try and make a list of the top ten songs. By Thrice. Who knows when I'll get it done...I'd put something up tonight, but I don't want to rush it. Right now I'm just really thinking hard and writing nominees down. This might take a bit, but if anybody reading this gives a rip, I'll try to have my list up ASAP.

HTML Rulez D00d by The Devil Wears Prada

And yet, I've been cleansed with the water.

A purity no mind can grasp; A purity so cool upon my fingertips.

The vision I have seen: This is the action that spawns from the end.

For the longest time, I've been watching the world breathe against (spider-webs).

What lies here are mountains composed of tombstones.

Examine these beautiful faces and keep singing.

Keep singing.

Will we push bedlam noise to the state of blissfullness?

Display her beauty to the people.

A purity no mind can grasp...

This song is about baptism, I've always thought. "I've been cleansed with the water." It's pretty obvious. The Devil Wears Prada is a Christian metal band...pretty unusual, but awesome. Anyway, this song basically just deals with the purity of baptism and how it cleanses you and gives you a new start.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHamo5Aavbs

Silhouette by Thrice

Your eyes, followed me here.
Your eyes, seamless and sure.
They leave me broken and, in need of a cure.

Your eyes, followed me here.
Your eyes, sifting my soul.
They leave me broken hands, those diamonds from the coal.

They lace me along,
Giving synapse of white lines.
Then chasing the dawn,
Story book syntax.

Your eyes slit the throat, of all I know.
About myself and this life.
Silhouette lies.

And your eyes, speaking in tongues.
Vigilant still, filling my lungs.
Testing my will.
They leave me broken and, bruised and bleeding.

Your eyes, resting in flame, Leaven me breathless again.
Like hydrogen spread on fault lines.
Or dead, kissing me with exposure to radon.

Your eyes slit the throat, of all I know.
About myself and this life.
Silhouette lies.

Your eyes, Your eyes.
Speaking in tongues.
Vigilant still, lead our way.
Filling my lungs.
Testing my will.

You slit the throat, of I know.
About myself and this life.
Silhouette Lies.

You slit my throat.
Because I know,
That this life, is a lie.
So slit my throat.

This one of Thrice's heaviest songs, and I believe it's about temptation. In this case the "eyes" are temptation, and they "slit the throat" of everything known about what is right and wrong. In the moment, it seems like falling into temptation is the way to go, when it's actually not. Resisting it is so difficult that it can leave you "broken and bruised and bleeding"...not literally of course, but you understand my point. It just really can test your will...as this song Silhouette says. Awesome song from Artist in the Ambulance...check it out if you like heavier stuff...

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg3qg_R9GGE

Music Box by Thrice

We move for all mankind, a million miles from everything we've ever known
And we're on their hearts and minds, a million heads are bowed to bring us safely home
Hemmed in by emptiness, a million ways that everything could be undone
This hollow in my chest is filled with reasons not to sing but I found one, I know

We are not alone, we feel an unseen love
We are sons and heirs of grace
We are children of a light that never dims
a love that never dies, keep your chin up child
And wipe the tears from your eyes

In sleep we saw ourselves, a million years
We had been waiting there it seems
while someone weaves a spell, a million stars look on in witness to our dreams

We feel an unseen love
We are children of light
Stand ready and tall, reflect the light

This is a very powerful song...definitely one of my favorites from Vheissu. This song really speaks to me in that it's a song for all Christians. It's a reminder that we are in fact not alone. God is always there whether we like it or not, and there's nothing we can do about it. It doesn't matter what we think...God is with us and always will be. We all need get up and take action, and this song is an awesome reminder of that.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK9t9ozIetY

Thrice

Thrice is my favorite band. I started listening to Thrice by recommendations from friends a couple years ago, and I remember the first song I ever heard was Identity Crisis, the first song from their first album of the same name. Great song, but it took some listening to really digest it all- hardcore wasn't really my cup of tea at the time...but it wasn't long before I fell in love with it and Thrice is really what transitioned me. Thrice is composed of four members- Dustin Kensrue, Teppei Teranishi, Eddie Breckenridge, and Riley Breckenridge, who do vocals/rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, and drums, respectively. At least three of the four members are Christian, including Dustin who is an avid reader- C.S. Lewis being his favorite. 90% if not more of Thrice's lyrics are deep and faith-influenced. Identity Crisis was in the works when Thrice was just getting started and they were still very young at the time...and you can pretty much tell- the album is very...teenage-esque. But awesome. Fast-paced stuff. Next was The Illusion of Safety...this where the ball really got rolling. It was my favorite album at the time, and had Thrice's first big hit, Deadbolt...as well as a lot of other awesome songs that I really loved. See You in the Shallows...The Red Death...and the The Red Death was a song about Edgar A. Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" I think it was called...which was a short story we were reading in English last year when I was really into the album! So that was very cool. Next we have The Artist and the Ambulance, which I didn't even own until about two weeks ago when I got around to buying it. Thrice's real first major label album, and it did not disappoint. Probably their heaviest album overall, it had many hits like..of course, The Artist in the Ambulance and Stare at the Sun. They got a quite a bit of media attention on this one, and actually played live on late night shows and such. Next was the bridge between Thrice's hardcore background and where they are today- Vheissu. Vheissu not only had a very different name, but very different music. It was almost as if Thrice suddenly realized they can make whatever music they wanted, and they did just that. They weren't restricted by "hardcore" anymore, they felt free to just write songs I guess. Don't get me wrong, I love Thrice's metal-ish roots, and they had some deep lyrics there, but I think Vheissu was where they really got creative. Vheissu had some heavy stuff, but it wasn't necessarily hardcore. It was a different sound. Vheissu as a whole was based almost completely on the Bible...each song telling a different story, which is very cool. Like Moths to Flame was about Peter denying Christ...Music Box is about Christians basically trusting God. Very cool songs. Next, we get serious. The Alchemy Index. Released in two volumes, The Alchemy Index Vol. I released in Fall of 2007, and Vol. II the following Spring. This blew me away. Thrice attempted, through these albums, to capture the four elements in music. Vol. I contained six fire songs and six water songs, and Vol II contained six air and earth songs. This is literally the most amazing music I've ever heard. Fire was heavy and aggressive, water cool and soft...almost haunting at times, air was light, and earth was jazzy, acoustic, and sometimes pretty solemn. Awesome songs include Burn the Fleet from the Fire cd, The Whaler and Digital Sea from water, Daedalus and A Song for Milly Michaelson from air, and The Earth Isn't Humming from Earth. Now the thing with the Alchemy Index was after the end of each element's disc, there was a final song that personified an element, like it was speaking to all of mankind through the song...and at the end of each of those songs, there was a sonnet that pretty much summed up the whole cd. The songs are The Flame Deluge, Kings Upon the Main, Silver Wings, and Child of Dust. Fire told man that it didn't appreciate being used for destruction, water talked about redemption or something, air was in disbelief we actually curse it when it does so much for us, and earth said basically from dust you were made, to dust you can return. Biblical reference. So anyway, this is a long post...and it would be impossible to describe Thrice in only one. So, I'm gonna cut it off here. And thanks if you actually read this far.

Dustin Kensrue's MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=10160857

Thrice's MySpace: www.myspace.com/thrice

The Whaler by Thrice

My lover's arms, they beg me to stay.
But I know the storms,
they will sweep me away.

My daughter's eyes,
they are two tiny seas,
whose water will rise and then run down her cheeks.

"Father where do you go,
so far out upon the sea,
and when are you coming home to me?"

"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

The boat and the blade,
they are all that I know;
the sea calls my name,
and I must go.
And while they still sleep,I slip out through the door;
but how can I leave,
with my anchors ashore?

"Father where do you go?
It's farther than I can see,
and when are you coming home to me?"

"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

From Thrice's water record, part of the Alchemy Index, vol. I. There are very few songs that are as moving as this one. Very emotional. This is definitely about Dustin Kensrue, lead singer of Thrice, and his family when he leaves them to go on tour and long trips. But not just limited to that. This song tells every and any story of a father or parent leaving loved ones for duties...every time I hear this, it just really paints a picture in my head. This song is seriously amazing. I highly recommend listening to it on YouTube or someplace...right now.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6v6CdTWoZA&feature=related

Live and acoustic: http://music.aol.com/video/thrice-performances-interface-the-whaler/thrice/2057648

The Air That I Breathe by All That Remains

I will not relent no no
Never live with defeat never falter
This like the air that I breathe
I will not choke on failure

I am a mortal man
But im not falling, I'm not broken
I am a mortal man, but I'll
Hold tight to my beliefs

I have suffered defeat, pain, loss
Still I push to the edge, never falter
For this cements my beliefs
I'll remain my own master

I will not relent no no
Never suffer defeat, never falter
For this cements my beliefs
I will not choke on failure

I will not relent

I used to listen to this song all the time just because it's hardcore...and, strangely enough, the video for it was on my Zune when I got it. I think that's what actually got me listening to All That Remains. But as I heard more and more of All That Remain's stuff, it sort of hit me that most of their music has a lot to do with determination and acheiving goals despite conflict and resistance...which really applied to me in many areas of my life. Here I am starting yet another school year...this band's good to get you pumped. It's cool how they say "hold tight to my beliefs"- as if they are trying to uphold their faith in the face of adversity, and "for this cements my beliefs" - the trial they're facing actually strengthened their faith. Bold statements, awesome metal band. Hope to see this in Guitar Hero World Tour :).

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG9qlKEyV4E