Cesium 137 is an American synthpop musical group composed of Isaac Glendeni… Read Full Bio ↴Cesium 137 is an American synthpop musical group composed of Isaac Glendening and Vince Guzzardo. It originally also included Matt Cargill.

Its first release was the album "Advanced/Decay" in 2001 on Tonedeaf Records. Its style was electro-industrial. It gained widespread attention, particularly with the moody dance track "Regrets", which was also released as a single and became a danceclub hit.

Soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Matt Cargill joined the U.S. military and was no longer available as a member of Cesium 137. Cesium 137 had a hiatus of three years before their next release.

That release was "Elemental" in 2004; it was issued with Metropolis Records, a much more prominent label than Tonedeaf. It was soon followed by an E.P. release, "Luminous", also in 2004 on Metropolis; it composed largely of remixed material from "Elemental". Cesium 137's style was much mellower and synthpoppy and less angst-ridden on these releases than on "Advanced/Decay". Whether that was simply a natural progression or whether Cargill was the sole source of angst and took it with him to the military is an open question. In 2006 Cesium 137 released "Intelligent Design". And their latest album "Proof of Life" was released in 2007. Like its predecessor, both were released by Metropolis.

Cesium 137 is named after a radioactive isotope of cesium. It continues a tradition in industrial music of incorporating a number in the band name, which became popular after the example of Front 242. It also continues the narrower tradition in industrial music of adopting the name of an isotope as the band name, as with Carbon 12 and Front 242 offshoot Cobalt 60.

Taken
Cesium:137 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is my farewell
i feel my spirit renewed
it's not a trick
no slight of hand
i think i'm just ... just over you

another slow passage
a chapter filled with swollen eyes

one glance back
to honor
a man whose tears have dried

Taken
you had my heart
and i want you to know
i need you to know

Given
all that i could
and still you wanted more
you want it all

A stranger sense
of motion
has come to revive my heart
a second chance

means everything
and still it feels like a naive art

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cesium:137's song "Taken" express a deep sense of heartbreak and farewell. The song begins with a sense of renewal and the realization that the singer is finally over the person they were once with. They declare that this is not a trick or a sleight of hand, but a true feeling that has set in. The following verse is filled with imagery of swollen eyes and tears, which suggests that the singer has recently been through a difficult time. The line "a man whose tears have dried" implies that the singer's heartbreak has been ongoing and something they have been trying to get over.

The chorus says that the singer had given their heart to the person they were with and that they still need them to know that. Despite all of the love that was given, it seems that it was not enough for the other person. The final verse uses the poetic language of "naive art" to express the feeling of being given a second chance, yet still feeling somewhat uncertain about it.

Line by Line Meaning

This is my farewell
I am bidding my goodbye

i feel my spirit renewed
I feel rejuvenated

it's not a trick
This is not a prank

no slight of hand
There is no deception involved

i think i'm just ... just over you
I have moved on from you

another slow passage
Another phase of my life

a chapter filled with swollen eyes
A period punctuated with tears

one glance back
One last look behind

to honor
To acknowledge

a man whose tears have dried
A man who has come to terms with his emotions

Taken
Taken away from me