Brave Saint Saturn is an American rock band started as … Read Full Bio ↴1995-present
Brave Saint Saturn is an American rock band started as a side project by members of Five Iron Frenzy, a now-defunct Christian ska band. Described by the band as "astro-rock," the music of Brave Saint Saturn (often abbreviated to BS2) is generally more serious than the lighthearted FIF. The group was originally an outlet for Five Iron's frontman, Reese Roper, to explore themes of loneliness and abandonment. BS2 also experimented with more melancholy song composition and ambient sounds, with instruments like synthesizer, glockenspiel, accordion, strings and electronic sampling rounding out the simple, guitar-driven music.
The band's trilogy of albums follow the same outer space-themed story that uses space exploration as an extended metaphor, making the three records an extended concept album. The first album, So Far from Home, was about being lost, while their second, The Light of Things Hoped For, focused on being found. Their third album, entitled Anti-Meridian, about returning home, was released on September 15th, 2008, completing the trilogy and the story of the crew of the U.S.S. Gloria.
Blessed Are The Land Mines
Brave Saint Saturn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stretched across the desert floor,
God, bless the hands that formed them,
Filled their shrapnel hearts with war.
May You bless the companies,
The goose that laid the golden egg,
May they make a million more,
Blowing off a million legs.
Substituting fear for reason:
" To hate war is to hate us,
If you love peace, then you must love treason."
Beat your plowshares into swords,
Beat your pulpits, turn your tables,
Blessed are the hand-grenades,
Bless the church who rattles sabers.
This house,
Is burning,
This poison still is worming.
This temple
Will cave in
There's nothing here worth saving.
Nail the gold up to the altar,
Like Ahab taunts his crew to war,
Blessed are the shareholders,
Lack of faith is for the poor.
Hold your wallets to the sky,
A temple built to soothe yourself.
Blessed is the church who tries,
To help you build your blessed wealth.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth...
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy...
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
--Matthew 5:5-9
The song "Blessed Are The Land Mines" by Brave Saint Saturn is a protest against war and the way it is glorified and justified by some religious and political leaders. The lyrics criticize the makers and users of land-mines, which are deadly weapons designed to maim and kill innocent people, as well as the companies that profit from them. The song also denounces the hypocrisy of those who claim to be followers of God but use their religion to justify violence and hatred. The lines "Beat your plowshares into swords, beat your pulpits, turn your tables" suggest that the church should not be promoting war but should be promoting peace and justice instead.
In addition to these powerful lyrics, the song also references biblical passages and stories that support its message. For example, the line "Nail the gold up to the altar" refers to the story of King Ahab, who led his people into war for his own personal gain. The lines "Blessed are the meek... merciful... peacemakers" are taken from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches his followers about the importance of love, compassion, and nonviolence.
Overall, "Blessed Are The Land Mines" is a passionate call for peace and justice in a world that is often marked by violence, greed, and self-interest.
Line by Line Meaning
Blessed are the land-mines,
Those who create land-mines are blessed by God.
Stretched across the desert floor,
Land-mines cover the ground.
God, bless the hands that formed them,
May God bless those who made the land-mines.
Filled their shrapnel hearts with war.
Land-mines are designed for destruction and war.
May You bless the companies,
May God bless the corporations making money from war.
The goose that laid the golden egg,
The companies that profit from war are like the mythical goose that lays golden eggs.
May they make a million more,
May they produce more land-mines to sell.
Blowing off a million legs.
Each land-mine can cause serious injury or death.
Blessed are the black-tongued ravens,
The people who spread fear and ignore reason are blessed.
Substituting fear for reason:
Fear is used instead of logical thinking.
"To hate war is to hate us,
Those who oppose war are seen as enemies.
If you love peace, then you must love treason."
Advocating for peace is seen as betraying one's own country.
Beat your plowshares into swords,
Conversion of farming tools into weapons is praised.
Beat your pulpits, turn your tables,
Even religious leaders and places of worship should support war.
Blessed are the hand-grenades,
Hand-grenades are seen as a positive thing.
Bless the church who rattles sabers.
The church that supports war is blessed.
This house,
The world we live in.
Is burning,
It's in trouble and chaos.
This poison still is worming.
The destruction continues.
This temple
The world we live in.
Will cave in
It will collapse under its own weight.
There's nothing here worth saving.
The world's situation is so bad that it's not worth saving.
Nail the gold up to the altar,
Worship money like it's a god.
Like Ahab taunts his crew to war,
Leaders encourage people to fight like Ahab did in the Bible.
Blessed are the shareholders,
Those who profit from war are blessed.
Lack of faith is for the poor.
Only the poor don't believe in war.
Hold your wallets to the sky,
Money is what truly matters.
A temple built to soothe yourself.
People's lives revolve around money and their own desires.
Blessed is the church who tries,
Churches that promote materialism are blessed.
To help you build your blessed wealth.
God blesses the church for supporting people's pursuit of money and wealth.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth...
Biblical verse about how those who are humble and gentle will be rewarded.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy...
Another biblical verse saying that those who show mercy to others will receive mercy themselves.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Biblical verse praising peacemakers and calling them children of God.
Contributed by Brayden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.