The band's fifth studio album, A Lullaby for the Devil, was released on September 11, 2007.
Why?
Dead Soul Tribe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black hoods and camcorders televise homicide
Soldiers in shallow graves
Martyrs and thought police waiting to take you away
Why don't you let it lay
Won't you walk away
Let it end today
Land of democracy
Land of hypocrisy
Forced down our throats, the indecence of pleasure
While violence and war deemed appropriate measures
Land of morality
Hand of brutality
Kill on command over corporate profit
Don't let them send you away
Why don't you let it lay
Won't you walk away
Let it end today
Why don't you let it go
And we have such a long way to go
But we've taken the wrong way to go
There's one thing I want you to know
There is something they don't want to show
Why don't you let it lay
Won't you walk away
Let it end today
Why don't you let it go
The lyrics to Dead Soul Tribe's song "Why?" discuss the hypocrisy and brutality of the modern world. The first stanza describes the grotesque voyeurism of violence, with blindfolds and cigarettes suggesting a sinister atmosphere, and black hoods and camcorders represent anonymous viewers recording the heinous acts they perpetrate. Meanwhile, soldiers lay in shallow graves, suggesting they are treated as expendable pawns in a deadly game. Martyrs and thought police implying the oppression of free thought and speech, with individuals punished for speaking against the violence.
The chorus pleads with the listener to walk away from this violence and let it end, but the second verse argues that the systemic problems with our society make it hard to do so. Democracy is juxtaposed with hypocrisy, as the "indecence of pleasure" is forced upon citizens while violence and war are considered acceptable tactics. This is a society that enforces morality through brutality, with the hand of violence controlled by corporations focused on profit. However, despite these problems, there is hope for change, and the singer implores the listener to not be sent away from this possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Blindfolds and cigarettes
People are being kept in the dark and deceived through addiction and harmful habits.
Black hoods and camcorders televise homicide
Violence is being recorded and shown to the masses for entertainment and propaganda purposes.
Soldiers in shallow graves
Those who fight for the cause of others are being buried without proper honor and respect.
Martyrs and thought police waiting to take you away
People who hold strong beliefs are at risk of being persecuted and silenced.
Why don't you let it lay
Why don't you let the negative things in your life rest and stop causing you pain?
Won't you walk away
Won't you leave the negativity behind and move on with your life?
Let it end today
Let the negative cycle come to a close starting today.
Why don't you let it go
Why don't you release the negativity and burden that holds you down and start rebuilding yourself?
Land of democracy
A country where the people have the power and say in government.
Land of hypocrisy
A country that proclaims certain values but doesn't consistently practice them.
Forced down our throats, the indecence of pleasure
Unhealthy indulgences are promoted and forced upon people, leading to their eventual downfall.
While violence and war deemed appropriate measures
Despite preaching peace, violence and war are seen as acceptable solutions to problems.
Land of morality
A country with strong values and principles.
Hand of brutality
The people in power use force and violence to maintain their control and interests.
Kill on command over corporate profit
Money and power are the driving forces behind actions that result in death and destruction.
Don't let them send you away
Don't let anyone force you out or move you from where you belong.
And we have such a long way to go
We still have a long journey ahead to create a better world.
But we've taken the wrong way to go
We have strayed from the right path and need to correct our course.
There's one thing I want you to know
I have something important to share with you.
There is something they don't want to show
There is information being kept secret and hidden from the public by those in power.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew Wilson
I listen to a lot of fairly unknown bands, but this is one that really should have more recognition. Perfectly polished, great music, great quality. I love DST. If I can ever find their music anywhere, I'll be sure to buy it.
xtcrider
What bands that are unknown do you listen to?
i live for music
I dont know how I found this song but already 2 minutes in and I love it!
xtcrider
you have to go down quite the rabbit hole to find this sort of music
Mista FiOth
Fantastic album. Maybe not as demanding of the listener as "A Murder of Crows" but equally inspired. Dead Soul Tribe should be getting more attention...
Creature what Nibbles
This is niiiice! I think I'll add this to my list of albums to buy!
Flemming Jensen
A super totaly great album.
Tkot2326
4 years later, I now own all of DST's albums. No more advice needed. \m/
AutumnsNightfall
Yeah, just get all of them, Dude. There's no harm or negatives in having 'em all. Don't just limit yourself to one album at a time...The problem with that is every album of Dead Soul Tribe is different, hence their prog metal title ; they are always progressing and changing their sound. So all I'm saying is try to grab as many albums as you can at once, it really helpred broaden my horizons on the group...(also take a look at Psychotic Waltz...Buddy Lackey's group before DST..Truly Amazing).
Bucketbothead007
This song jams! Thanks.