Blood on the Screen
From Ashes Rise Lyrics


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Beckoned to the frontlines, to ease the pain from starving stomachs.
No floods of tears, no stench of death on the screen.
Beckoned to dismiss, chosen to defend.
The population reels, when consistence is our enemy.




Overall Meaning

The lyrics to From Ashes Rise's song Blood on the Screen are a powerful commentary on the senseless violence and destruction that is often perpetrated by those in power. The opening lines speak to the callousness of those who send others to war, using the pretext of easing the suffering of the hungry as a justification, even as they themselves remain removed from the horrors of the battlefield. The absence of emotion and empathy, conveyed through the absence of tears and the lack of any olfactory indication of death, highlights the way in which these conflicts are often carried out with a brutal efficiency that disregards the humanity of the individuals involved.


The second verse continues this theme, emphasizing the arbitrary nature of the power dynamics at play. Those who are chosen to defend are often just as vulnerable as those whom they fight against, and the defensive measures that they undertake only serve to exacerbate the hardship and suffering of the population. The use of the word "consistence" in this context implies a kind of relentless insistence on maintaining the status quo, even in the face of the most egregious violations of human dignity and compassion.


Overall, Blood on the Screen is a searing condemnation of the senseless violence and dehumanization that is so often a part of warfare, and a call to recognize the humanity of all individuals, regardless of which side they are on.


Line by Line Meaning

Beckoned to the frontlines, to ease the pain from starving stomachs.
Called upon to fight in the battlefield for the sake of ending hunger and starvation.


No floods of tears, no stench of death on the screen.
There are no visible signs of the human cost of war or conflict, as depicted by the sanitized media portrayal of it.


Beckoned to dismiss, chosen to defend.
Summoned to disregard the opposition or opposing point of view, yet compelled to safeguard what one values.


The population reels, when consistence is our enemy.
The people suffer and are overwhelmed, particularly when oppressed by a system that is consistent in its harmful ways.




Contributed by Alexandra G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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