Since Defiance, Ohio formed in 2002 they have released four full length LPs, Share What Ya Got, The Great Depression, The Fear, the Fear, the Fear, Midwestern Minutes and several singles, B sides and split EPs. In the DIY spirit they release most of their music themselves, producing their own CDs, as well as allowing anyone to download all their music for free from their website (http://defianceohio.terrorware.com). When not releasing their own music, the band works with small independent record labels in order to produce their releases. Their three most recent albums were released on No Idea.
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Old Dead Tree
Defiance Ohio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's so much more than just one's needs.
this lies with you in a california highway somewhere.
a manmade strip between the trees.
i found a new value in slayer last night.
nighttime fits for changing hands.
And it will chop you down,
this dirty old town,
i try not to believe.
that it would chop me down,
like an old dead tree.
this dirty old town,
i try so hard not to leave.
i wrote again.
it sounded a lot like last time.
nothing stems from nothing left.
But we leave in the morning.
it's tough to know not much has changed,
and that we won't be coming back.
In Defiance Ohio's song Old Dead Tree, there are some striking lyrics that seem to convey a sense of loneliness and despair. The opening line, "It's in the east and in on the kill taker," could be interpreted as a reference to the destructive forces of capitalism and globalization. The song seems to be about feeling trapped and powerless in the face of these forces. The line, "There's so much more than just one's needs," could be seen as a comment on the way that capitalism and consumerism prioritize individual wants over the needs of the community.
The next few lines become more specific, with a reference to California highways and man-made strips cutting through nature. The line, "I found a new value in Slayer last night," could be interpreted as a means of coping with this sense of despair by finding comfort in something familiar, like a favorite band or song. The line, "Nighttime fits for changing hands," further emphasizes the idea of transformation and change that runs throughout the song.
The chorus continues the theme of feeling trapped and powerless, with the repeated phrase, "It will chop you down, like an old dead tree." The dirty old town mentioned in the song could be seen as a symbol of the oppressive forces that make it so difficult to escape this feeling of being hemmed in. The line, "I try so hard not to leave," suggests that even though the town is unpleasant, it's still home and leaving it would be difficult.
Overall, Old Dead Tree seems to be a meditation on the difficulty of breaking free from oppressive systems and finding a sense of agency in the face of overwhelming forces.
Line by Line Meaning
It's in the east and in on the kill taker.
There are forces working against us, causing harm and destruction, and they are coming from the east.
There's so much more than just one's needs.
Our desires and wants are not the only things that matter in life; there is a greater purpose beyond our own personal satisfaction.
this lies with you in a california highway somewhere.
This truth or realization is with you, but you are not yet sure where or how to apply it in your life.
a manmade strip between the trees.
The world we've created and built for ourselves is often at odds with the natural world, and we must navigate the divide between the two.
i found a new value in slayer last night.
I discovered a newfound appreciation or meaning in something that I previously overlooked or underestimated, like the band Slayer.
nighttime fits for changing hands.
The darkness of night is a time for transformation and transition, where things can shift and change.
And it will chop you down, like an old dead tree.
The hardships and obstacles we face in life can be devastating and destructive, like a tree being chopped down.
this dirty old town, i try not to believe.
The town we live in is rundown and unclean, and it's difficult to reconcile our own hopes and dreams with the bleak reality around us.
that it would chop me down, like an old dead tree.
We fear that the challenges we face will be our undoing and cause us to wither away and die, like a tree losing its life.
this dirty old town, i try so hard not to leave.
Despite the negative aspects of the town we live in, we find it difficult to leave behind the memories and experiences that make it our home.
i wrote again.
I wrote something down again.
it sounded a lot like last time.
What I wrote felt familiar and similar to what I've written before.
nothing stems from nothing left.
Without any foundation or starting point, we cannot expect to create or achieve anything meaningful.
But we leave in the morning.
Despite the difficulties we face, we are moving on and leaving behind our current situation.
it's tough to know not much has changed, and that we won't be coming back.
It's disheartening to realize that despite our efforts, not much has changed and we won't be returning to this place or situation again.
Contributed by Levi M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.