A farewell to arms by Machine Head is one of my favourites in The Blackening. The lyrics are awesome, the music kicks ass and Robb's voice is absolutely powerful and conveys so much feeling to this song.
The guitar riff at the beginning of this song creates an atmosphere; it's like a chime, asking you to behold and listen, it's enchanting. Then Robb sings
Can you hear their cries?
Nowhere can the children run to hide
Crimson rivers
Flow down hills
Atone our ills
And woe to all her songs of love
A farewell to arms...
His voice is soothing at the beginning until
After that the tempo really kicks in. You can hear Robb's growls and Phil's awesome guitar. Below is the full lyrics, taken from metrolyrics.
Always our souls entwine
Erase this vast divide
Deaf ears our voices rest
Tyrant, this is protest
Can you hear their cries?
Nowhere can the children run to hide
Crimson rivers
Flow down the hills
Atone our ills
And woe to all her songs of love
A farewell to arms
Mutilated lives
Blackening as coffin line the sides
Filled with fathers
Who has won?
When only sons
Hold their grieving heads and mourn
A farewell to arms
Always our souls entwine
Erase this vast divide
Deaf ears our voices rest
Tyrant, this is protest
Who has won?
Yes, who has won?
[Chorus:]
I’ll wave this flag of white
So the venged see the light
We’ll pay for closed eyes
With our genocide
Piercing the masquerade
March to the death parade
Trade no humanity
For pearls of the slavery
In the depth of mind the heart will I find
The truth of our leader
We’ll try the facts so through the cracks
May fall the lying cheater
Who has won when we’re all dead?
[Chorus]
So is this how we live?
Or is this how we die?
Black blood dripping from platinum fangs
Rich blood flees while
Our poverty hangs
Shepherds they herd the mindless trance
As the flock follows the puppet’s dance
In a fatal romance
[Solo: Demmel]
All that they needed was
A pretext, war’s next
Heads to the chopping blocks
And our necks are next
For those we died
Who fought for our rights
Whose children now slaves
They’re turning in their graves
War hawks and senators
They sit tight, so trite
Never their sons will know
What it’s like to fight
But soldiers are dead
And children have bled
And the silence is numb
What have we become?
God save us
A farewell to Arms
Nowhere can the children run to hide
Crimson rivers
Flow down the hills
Atone our ills
And woe to all her songs of love
A farewell to arms
Mutilated lives
Blackening as coffin line the sides
Filled with fathers
Who has won?
When only sons
Hold their grieving heads and mourn
A farewell to arms
Always our souls entwine
Erase this vast divide
Deaf ears our voices rest
Tyrant, this is protest
Who has won?
Yes, who has won?
[Chorus:]
I’ll wave this flag of white
So the venged see the light
We’ll pay for closed eyes
With our genocide
Piercing the masquerade
March to the death parade
Trade no humanity
For pearls of the slavery
In the depth of mind the heart will I find
The truth of our leader
We’ll try the facts so through the cracks
May fall the lying cheater
Who has won when we’re all dead?
[Chorus]
So is this how we live?
Or is this how we die?
Black blood dripping from platinum fangs
Rich blood flees while
Our poverty hangs
Shepherds they herd the mindless trance
As the flock follows the puppet’s dance
In a fatal romance
[Solo: Demmel]
All that they needed was
A pretext, war’s next
Heads to the chopping blocks
And our necks are next
For those we died
Who fought for our rights
Whose children now slaves
They’re turning in their graves
War hawks and senators
They sit tight, so trite
Never their sons will know
What it’s like to fight
But soldiers are dead
And children have bled
And the silence is numb
What have we become?
God save us
A farewell to Arms
The lyrics themselves are masterpieces. This song talks about war, genocides, politics and death, which is a very recurrent theme in Machine Head's discography. It provokes you to think about war and the costs of wars, all the lives lost, all the children orphaned, is this the price of freedom? And do we really win a war when at the end of the day you have lost your family, your home?
Who has won?
Yes, who has won?
Who has won when we’re all dead?
Moreover, this songs talks about how politicians, senators, "hawks" who will never ever know what war is really about. For them it's just a matter of sitting in their comforts, sending troops, watching the event live and not be a part of it.
War hawks and senators
They sit tight, so trite
Never their sons will know
What it’s like to fight
But soldiers are dead
And children have bled
And the silence is numb
What have we become?
Well that's it dudettes and dudes, I have given lyrics analysis a try! Just to see some updates here. ;)
Love... Morinn.
Image source: mp3.com
Great review. This song touches to the very core. \m/
Thanks for hacking my blog morinn. LOLL
Nice post btw. I really like the part where robb goes
"Never their sons will know
What it’s like to fight"
And the song's got an awesome solo. :P
Thanks Nash ;) yup this song is great.
Jevin, it wasnt easy to hack that! :P I had to do complicated charms! booh!
Thanks for the comment Nash.
And you miss. I'll get you later. :D
ha! never! :u