Adrian Belew (born December 23, 1949 as Robert Steven Belew) is an American… Read Full Bio ↴Adrian Belew (born December 23, 1949 as Robert Steven Belew) is an American guitarist and vocalist (and sometimes drummer, pianist and bass player), perhaps best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock group King Crimson, which he first joined in 1981. He has also released a number of solo albums for Island Records and Atlantic Records, and has worked with many other musicians.

In addition, Belew is well-regarded for his contributions, particularly on guitar, to various other artists' recordings. In 1977, he performed with Frank Zappa, appearing in Zappa's 1979 concert film Baby Snakes, as well as Zappa's controversial album Sheik Yerbouti. He also supported David Bowie on his "Heroes" tour that was released as "Stage". He also played on the 1990 Sound + Vision tour. On both tours he was musical director, playing guitar and singing backing vocals.

Belew's other session credits include the 1980 album Remain in Light by the Talking Heads, Lights Out by Peter Wolf, and Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album Graceland. He worked with Laurie Anderson during the mid-1980s, appearing in her concert film Home of the Brave. During the 1990s, he contributed to three Nine Inch Nails albums, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Ghosts. He played synthesized guitar on the song "God Shuffled His Feet" by Crash Test Dummies in 1993.

In the late-1980s, Belew formed the pop band The Bears with ex-Raisins members and released two albums, The Bears and Rise and Shine. A third album, Car Caught Fire, followed in 2001.

He features prominently on Tori Amos's 2001 cover album, "Strange Little Girls". He also contributed his lead guitar stylings to Porcupine Tree's album Deadwing (2005) as well as to a track ("I Can't Get Behind That", also featuring Henry Rollins) on the 2004 Ben Folds-produced William Shatner album Has Been.

Burned by the Fire We Make
Adrian Belew Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And when Man gained dominion
over land and the oceans
he began to harm the planet
with his asphalt and his toxins
and to lay the forest bare
and to poison even the air
and he killed every beast
and taught the seas how to bleed

Burned by the fire we make,
what a shame
Then the winds gave in
and the rain knew no season
and the sun came to beat
on a land of sand and diseases
and when God looked down
on the earth and saw it was broken
then the tears of God fell down
through a hole in the ozone
Burned by the fire we make
what a shame
This is the nature of the human race
to kill off anything that gets in our way
poor Mother Earth we disfigured her face
Man is the maker of his own disgrace

Burned by the fire we make
what a shame

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics of Adrian Belew's song "Burned by the Fire We Make", the words describe the harm that humanity has caused to the environment. As humanity gained dominion over the land and oceans, it began damaging the planet by using asphalt and toxins. The rain no longer followed its season and the sun's rays beat down on a land filled with diseases and sand. The destruction caused by humankind was so severe that God cried tears, falling down through the hole in the ozone. The song highlights the unfortunate reality of how human beings are slowly killing earth and are the makers of their downfall.

The lyrics suggest that human beings have been killing everything in their way to achieve their goals, leading to disfigurement of the earth. The song invokes a feeling of regret and sadness as it presents the background of humanity's failure in preserving our planet. The lyrics illustrate how humankind continues to cause harm to the planet Earth, resulting in climate change, desertification and loss of species.

Overall, "Burned by the Fire We Make" is a poignant song that leaves the listener with a realization of the current state of the planet Earth. It encourages us to act more responsibly and reduce our carbon footprint to ensure that we don't burn with the very fire we create.

Line by Line Meaning

And when Man gained dominion
When humans took control

over land and the oceans
over both land and sea

he began to harm the planet
he started damaging the world

with his asphalt and his toxins
using chemicals and concrete

and to lay the forest bare
destroying trees and foliage

and to poison even the air
polluting the atmosphere

and he killed every beast
man hunted and eradicated animals

and taught the seas how to bleed
humans polluted the oceans

Burned by the fire we make,
we are suffering the consequences of our actions

what a shame
we should be regretful

Then the winds gave in
even nature gave up