This is a thread involving the discussion of Linkin Park songs relating to their political themes and motifs. Of course some songs/abums (HT-Meteora) will involve some more creativity while others (MTM-ATS) will involve careful examination and understanding of history/politics. For you interpretations, use a summary form or a line by line translation of your interpretations. RULE: I understand that some may disagree with interpretations but this is about PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS of songs so there will be no bashing or claims at anyone's interpretations as being wrong in this thread. You can offer your revisions or interpretations but ABSOLUTELY NO BASHING is allowed. Be polite please. *Hopefully a spoiler box will be implemented soon so we won't have big posts here. But for now we will deal with it. I'll add LPA Favorite Interpretations here on the main post: Jesse and I will start this post with some of our interpretations: The Requiem, The Radiance, Burning In The Skies Author’s Note: Since most likely you still have not listened to the album, this analysis will act as the opening key and map to the rest of the story. This is my analytical interpretation of A Thousand Suns, Enjoy! The world is still a changing place as humanity begins to evolve out of the war filled era of the previous half century. And as humanity races through this intense new era of evolution, we, too, must look back at our pasts. A Thousand Suns places this preceding premonition in the “emergent themes and metaphors [amid the album] in order to illuminate a uniquely human story”. A Thousand Suns heeds a new predicament towards humankind as it asks: “Will We Burn Inside the Fires of A Thousand Suns?” Alongside rage we hope to find redemption, and next to despair we find hope. A Thousand Suns begins with the haunting resonance of The Requiem. Slowly, drawing us nearer to the story the sounds build to that of a hymn. Seeming to be an entryway to the story, the synths build up to the haunting voice that asks the fear of humanity: God save us everyone, will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns? For the sins of our hand, sins of our tongue, the sins of our father, the sins of our young? Suddenly, the atmosphere changes as the listener seems to be brought out of the hallucination and into J. Robert Oppenheimer speech commenting on the first Trinity test of the atomic bomb: “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form, and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.” Setting the mood for the rest of the album, The Radiance ends with a return to reality. Drawing us into the world now are the sounds of a heartbeat. This steady echo leads into Burning in the Skies. Immersed in an array of light synths, the song sets what appears to be an optimistic atmosphere for the listener. Building with the sounds of a piano, the song’s imagery presents an illustration of our illusion-world. As Mike Shinoda sings the first lines, the meaning behind the song is clear: I used the deadwood to make the fire rise The blood of innocence burning in the skies I filled my cup with the rising of the sea And poured it out in an ocean of debris We as human-beings live our lives in disregard of all the aftereffects that we cause. The deadwoods may refer to the actual dying trees, or it may refer to the outdated and perhaps burdensome issues of our world. We “fill our cups” or make our money from the “rising of the seas”, which refers to the aftereffects of global warming. And then carelessly “pour it out in an ocean of debris”, which refers to the floating trash we have placed into the oceans and seas. Throughout this entire verse, the instrumental continues to be very relaxed and optimistic which I believe to be representative of our carelessness of our actions. Yet most importantly in the verse is the “blood of innocence” piece. This refers to the thought that our actions may not cause us harm, but will cause concerns for the innocent children. Following this is the more upbeat chorus: I'm swimming in the smoke / of bridges I have burned So don't apologize / I'm losing what I don't deserve What I don't deserve The chorus begins the transition of the story as it depicts the coming of the realizations of our errors to the environment and world. The two lines urge us to act before it’s too late. Following it is the second verse: We held our breath when the clouds began to form But you were lost in the beating of the storm And in the end we were made to be apart Like separate chambers of the human heart No When at last the major issues [global warming] began to form, the issues are so immense that they overwhelm us. And in the end, the problems we face will tear our worlds apart. The different chambers of the heart represent the different emotions we will face. Then once again the chorus returns. However this time, our perfectly imaged world has fallen apart as the guitar solo chaotically kicks in. Our soma and our illusions have finally fallen apart and Chester’s screams are heard as we face our fates. And finally, the introduction of the story ends as the final verse is sung: I used the deadwood to make the fire rise The blood of innocence burning in the skies Burning in the Skies acts as the introduction into this story as it portrays the illusionary world we live in today. The Catalyst And I posted my interpretation before but here it is again. I haven't really done anything to it since 2010 but if I find the time I'd love to go more in depth. God bless us everyone = Let there be a catalyst that changes the hard times into good times We're a broken people living under loaded gun - We're just humanity at the breaking point, any second and we'll expose the animals that we truly are. And it can't be out fought, it can't be out done, can't be out matched, can't be out run = our demise is inevitable no matter how hard you try to combat it. We are a primitive dangerous species. And when I close my eyes tonight to symphonies of blinding light When we dream of world that is overwhelmingly different for the better (God bless us every one we're a broken people living under loaded gun) basically it's saying never mind that dream, we are what we are. We're hopeless. Like memories in cold decay Transmissions echoing away = recollections of the past that linger coldly in our "souls" and transmit a feeling of pity that keeps amplifying. Far from the world of you and I where oceans bleed into the sky Is saying that wanting such a thing as that dream is implausible and that it's just so far out of reach of the reality between us all as human beings. God save us everyone we will burn inside the fires of a thousand suns = Let there be some way that we can change ourselves before we destroy ourselves The sins of our hand = all the wrong things that we have caused to happen, pain, suffering, the sins of our tongue = (I'm going to keep this literal) this is about dogmatic and hurtful speech. The words we write, the words we say, the ideas we come up with are all dragging us further into a pit of our own immorality The sins of our father (you can take this as God or you could not) Basically it means the sin of the ones who come before us, we're paying for and if you take it to mean God then it means the hypocritical bullshit that a deity had bestowed upon us all. The sins of our young What we teach our children, not raising them to be honest and moral beings , and knowing that even if they are good there is still a chance they are corruptible. Lift me up = Let us raise above the failures of our humanity Let me go = Let us evolve into something better or else we'll just keep regressing and eventually destroy ourselves
You might wanna add that a Requiem is defined as a death march song thus why it has the impact of marching soldiers when industralisation occureud/was at its peak thus the biggest lost in a war aka WWII. This whole album revolves around what humanity is capable of. Destroying worlds and whatnot. Because at the end of the day, no matter how subtle we are, we are monsters.
In a language (I forget what language), a thousand suns in that language is what they call the atom bomb. "Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?" = "Will we die in this war?" or "Will we die from the atom bomb?" etc... I can tell this thread will be cool.
Blackout I originally thought that maybe this was a personal song but seeing how it is on a very politically based album. what struck me was this one "No remorse for the trust you're breaking" reminds me specifically of how the US government did in fact double cross the head scientist of the atomic bomb project by using it on humans and in WWII which we know as the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings. This whole song is about the experience someone being bombed sees and what the US government did to get that far. They lied they backstabbed and they manipulated the creation and reasoning behind the use of the atomic bomb. Specific lines like "we've been waiting to collect the things you know" makes me think of historical documents, eyewitnesses and maybe an inquest into the bombings?
Wow, that's a great interpretation. I've spent hours listening to Blackout trying to fully and have never been fully able to do so. But now you've opened up my view of the song so much. That' great! I want to see a lyrics by lyrics version interpretation sometime
Ok, Mike is a student and Chuck said that Lucy weighed a motherf**kin' ton... And when you come for Chester... He'll be gone?.. Hmm... View attachment 4389
Blackout I originally thought that maybe this was a personal song but seeing how it is on a very politically based album. what struck me was this one "No remorse for the trust you're breaking" reminds me specifically of how the US government did in fact double cross the head scientist of the atomic bomb project by using it on humans and in WWII which we know as the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings. This whole song is about the experience someone being bombed sees and what the US government did to get that far. They lied they backstabbed and they manipulated the creation and reasoning behind the use of the atomic bomb. Specific lines like "we've been waiting to collect the things you know" makes me think of historical documents, eyewitnesses and maybe an inquest into the bombings? The opening paragraph obviously implies that someone took the blame for someone else's actions because he's "stuck in the bed you made along with a sinking feeling" which that obviously implies that sinking feeling is regret for "the secrets you've been keeping". In this political interpretation this holds a strong theme of deception, death and a cover up. Before the dropping of the first ever atomic bomb, there were several top secret bomb tests carried out in the desert. It wasn't until the new and improved final testing of the bomb that was going to be used to kill civilians that the Head Scientist for the US government, the creator, was informed that it was going to be used against his own kind. Which the government had always intended to use against the enemy but had not revealed its intentions until the last minute. Even despite the fact that the Japanese were already looking for terms and conditions for a safe surrender including the safety of the Emporer. "You can't get enough you take and take and never say" I understand this line as the fact that the Americans knew they couldn't target Germany and that Stalin was already in the atomic bomb race, and they had several targets suggested to them within Japan and that narrowing it down to two cities that held a large population of people and that would produce a "spectucular" effect. But due to prior bomb damage already done to the capital, Tokyo was excluded. Skipping to a talked about and confused line "blood in your eye" it's like saying to have blood on your hands but you are so blinded by your hate and your lust for domination which the US were, to wipe out communism and the Japanese empire for their role in WWII. They were metaphorically blinded in the eye, by their own blood and egos. They knew what the atomic bomb was capable of doing, and they were blind to admit what they were about to would have massive effects on generations to follow. Floating down / as colors fill the light We look up from the ground / in fields of paperwhite And floating up / you pass us in the night A future gazing out / a past to overwrite" This is what they saw, the victims. Before and after the bomb was dropped. No one had seen a mushroom cloud before and no one in these two towns hadn't seen American aircraft. So not only did they look up to see this random enemy plane in the sky, no one had seen the flash of fire and the devastation this singular bomb would cause. As for the last line "a past to overwrite" well, they overwrote several history books in the area of both history and science. It was the first tine that an atonic bomb had been created and used for mass murder. " So come down / far below We've been waiting to collect the things you know Come down / far below We've been waiting to collect what you've let go " What do you let go when you die? Memories and evidence to be used in the investigation that followed into the conduct and happenings of the US government and its researchers. WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU DIE? YOU BLACK OUT! (Due to the lack of oxygen to the brain).
Also am I the only one who sees the irony of the Catalyst film clip filmed in Los Angeles? With such a dystopic film clip its set set in "The City of the Angels". More like the City of the Fallen Angels.
It's Sanskrit, but "radiance of a thousand suns" refers to the splendor of Vishnu in the Bhagavad-Gita. Its use to describe nuclear detonation is, intentionally or not, a very ironic use of the descriptor.
Oh my god. "Blackout." What the government does to official documents when they censor them. They black them out. The song is about government cover-ups. How the fuck did I not get this until it was pointed out to me? "I'm stuck in this bed you've made, alone with the sinking feeling." The idea that the government has made and continues to make a bunch of shady, corrupt deals, and that the citizens are the ones who pay. "I saw through the words you said, to the secrets you've been keeping. It's written upon your face, all the lies how they cut so deeply" "You push it back down, blackout" "You say that it's not your fault, instead that I am mistaken. You said it's not what it seems, no remorse for the trust you're breaking." The idea of "blowback," that the U.S. government's involvement in shady deals with foreign countries leads to terrorism. But the government says no, how could it be our fault, we're the victims. "Suffocate in the mess you're making, you can't get enough, you take and take and take and take and take..." This could be interpreted a little more domestically; super-PACs? politicians who accept money from banks and corrupt business men? I'm still not quite sure what to make of Mike's part. Sarah's interpretation of the viewpoint of the people killed by the atomic bomb is good. Also, and this is kind of silly, Mike's imagery makes me think of aliens/UFOs. "Floating down, as colors fill the light, you look up from the ground, in fields of paperwhite." "And floating up, you pass us in the night, a future gazing out, a past to overwrite." "So come down, far below, we've been waiting to collect the things you know. Come down, far below, we've been waiting to collect what you've let go." This could all sound like a "believer" making his inner appeal to alien life. "what could these things tell us if we could communicate with them?" or maybe it's about satellites/drones, floating up in the sky, watching over us and working to rewrite history, for the future.
That was just an example. What the government does with official documents when they censor them, they use those huge black bars. They black them out. It could also refer to a government enforced media blackout.
I never imagined that was what Blackout was about. Very interesting thread! I fully believe that that is what the song is about. Very good work. I've spent hours listening to Blackout trying to figure out what it was all about.. Now I know. ATS really is a concept album, dealing with the destruction of humanity and the world pretty much. Some of the song, lyrically, seemed out of place to me, like they were personal songs, but now I can see that all the songs are about the same concept, just some aren't as vague. Amazing. The only ones I don't think are about this concept are WTCFM and The Messenger, but only because Chester said he had originally wrote that song for his children.
As I read your post, my music player (which was at random) began playing Blackout. * Shivers *. Man, this is sick. Are the aliens. But anyway, great view!
I strongly believe BURN IT DOWN is on the Arab Spring. "The cycle repeated As explosions broke in the sky All that I needed Was the one thing I couldn't find And you were there at the turn Waiting to let me know" The cycle is the rise and fall of the government. The explosions refer to the violence. The two middle lines refer to either lost hope or a lost loved one. Last two lines is someone telling the person it will be alright. "We're building it up To break it back down We're building it up To burn it down We can't wait To burn it to the ground" Nature of the government and the rioters overthrowing it. "The colors conflicted As the flames, climbed into the clouds I wanted to fix this But couldn't stop from tearing it down And you were there at the turn Caught in the burning glow And I was there at the turn Waiting to let you know" Colors conflicted means the rioters attacking the army and government and the flames refer to the violence. I wanted to fix this means someone who wanted to end the problem. The burning glow means a lost loved one from the violence. The last two lines means someone who tells the person it's alright. "You told me yes You held me high And I believed when you told that lie I played soldier, you played king And struck me down, when I kissed that ring You lost that right, to hold that crown I built you up, but you let me down So when you fall, I'll take my turn And fan the flames As your blazes burn" Refers to a trustworthy leader in the first two lines. The people lost his trust after the third line. The last three lines are maybe a threat to the leader.