Everything Must Perish
Front Line Assembly Lyrics


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Through the smoke I see the trees
No one left for us to please
A perfect world where no one dies
Go to heaven with your lies

Wasted and confused
I walk around with my shortened fuse
A fire burns inside my head
Is this living or am I dead?

In my dreams I see the end
A perfect circle never bends
As time and hope erode our fears
I close my eyes for one last tear

Tomorrow may never come
Mountains clash in the sun
The freezing snow starts to melt
A quiet moment to myself
Reflecting somewhere on the past
I hope this feeling will always last
In paradise we stand alone
Forgotten king without a throne
A bird takes flight, now out of sight
The sun catches its shadow

Come alive

Above in the air, there is no despair
We are waiting for the moment

A darkened shadow hides my face
I hope I won't forget this place
This burning sky that we call home
In the end we stand alone

Tomorrow may never come
Mountains clash in the sun
The freezing snow starts to melt
A quiet moment to myself
Reflecting somewhere on the past
I hope this feeling will always last
In paradise we stand alone
Forgotten king without a throne
A bird takes flight, now out of sight
The sun catches its shadow





Above in the air, there is no despair
We are waiting for the moment

Overall Meaning

"Everything Must Perish" by Front Line Assembly is a song that elicits feelings of despair, loss, and confusion from the listener. The opening lines of the song set the tone for what's to come, with the singer observing the destruction around them and wondering what's left for them to do. The image of the smoke clearing to reveal lifeless trees paints a dark picture of a world that has become barren and lifeless. The lyrics suggest that the singer has lost all hope in this world and is waiting for death.


The second stanza of the song speaks to the inner turmoil of the singer, with lines like "Wasted and confused, I walk around with my shortened fuse" and "A fire burns inside my head, is this living or am I dead?" The singer is grappling with their own mortality and the meaning of their existence in this bleak world. The dream-like lyric "In my dreams I see the end, a perfect circle never bends" speaks to the singer's desire for closure and a final resolution to their story.


The third stanza features a glimmer of hope amidst the despair, with the singer reflecting on the beauty of nature and the lasting impression it leaves on people. The image of a bird taking flight and the sun catching its shadow is a symbol of renewal and the cycle of life starting anew. The final lines of the song proclaim that "Above in the air, there is no despair, we are waiting for the moment," conveying the idea that while there may be darkness in the present, there is always the possibility for hope and change in the future.


Line by Line Meaning

Through the smoke I see the trees
Despite the haze, I'm still able to perceive the natural beauty surrounding us.


No one left for us to please
We are in a situation where there is no one left to live for or any real purpose to fulfill.


A perfect world where no one dies
The idealistic imagination of a place where there is no suffering or death.


Go to heaven with your lies
You can continue to falsely believe that there is a perfect utopia waiting for you in the afterlife.


Wasted and confused
Lost and aimless, unsure of how to proceed.


I walk around with my shortened fuse
My tolerance for frustration and obstacles is ever-shrinking, and I am growing more irritable and impatient by the day.


A fire burns inside my head
I feel an intense internal pressure that never seems to cool.


Is this living or am I dead?
I'm starting to question whether there's any real difference between existence and non-existence.


In my dreams I see the end
In my subconscious mind, I am witnessing the inevitable conclusion of everything I've ever known.


A perfect circle never bends
There is no changing the predetermined course of fate, no deviation from the cyclical nature of life and death.


As time and hope erode our fears
Over time, a certain sense of comfort develops in even our most common phobias so that even they eventually dissipate.


I close my eyes for one last tear
For one last time, I allow myself to feel before facing the nothingness of eternity.


Tomorrow may never come
The fleeting, uncertain nature of our existence makes it impossible to predict what the future holds.


Mountains clash in the sun
Even immutable entities like the natural world can seem to erupt in chaos and conflict.


The freezing snow starts to melt
Even the coldest, harshest winters eventually give way to the warmth and light of spring.


A quiet moment to myself
A soft, reflective moment of solitude with only my thoughts for company.


Reflecting somewhere on the past
Contemplating the choices and events that have led me to this point in my life.


I hope this feeling will always last
I cherish this moment and the sense of self-awareness and clarity it brings, and I hope to carry it with me indefinitely.


In paradise we stand alone
Even in a perfect world without pain or grief, we are ultimately alone with our thoughts and emotions.


Forgotten king without a throne
Our achievements and accomplishments offer little comfort or lasting significance in the grand scheme of things.


A bird takes flight, now out of sight
The fleeting moments of beauty and freedom we experience are quick to disappear, leaving only memories behind.


The sun catches its shadow
Even the things we think we know or see for certain are, in the end, ephemeral and elusive.


Above in the air, there is no despair
There is a sense of hopeful possibility in the unknown and the unreachable.


We are waiting for the moment
We exist in a perpetual state of anticipation, always ready for whatever comes next.


A darkened shadow hides my face
The darkness of the future is unfathomable and terrifying, and I cannot predict how it will affect me.


I hope I won't forget this place
I hope to remember these experiences and feelings even in the face of overwhelming hardship and chaos.


This burning sky that we call home
The chaotic and violent nature of the universe seems at odds with the idea of a benevolent, protective deity.


In the end we stand alone
At the end of our lives, we are alone and beyond help or salvation from any outside source.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILL LEEB, CHRIS BRYAN PETERSON, CHRISTOPHER PETERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

天佑

Tomorrow may never come
Mountains clash in the sun
The freezing snow starts to melt
A quiet moment to myself
Reflecting somewhere on the past
I hope this feeling will always last
In paradise we stand alone
Forgotten king without a throne
A bird takes flight, now out of sight
The sun catches its shadow

Above in the air, there is no despair
We are waiting for the moment



All comments from YouTube:

Max Omnicast

This is by far the most amazing track ever recorded. Deep, apocalyptic, pure truth. Epitath was generally incredible, but this is a unique masterpice! ./\.

Graysen Santiago

@Julian Armani Yea, been using Flixzone} for years myself :)

Julian Armani

Pro trick : you can watch movies on flixzone. Me and my gf have been using it for watching lots of of movies during the lockdown.

Ev3ntum

I think this song perfectly describes the feeling of knowing everything will end soon, or that you are about to die. And you sit down reflecting and see things in nature, as the "bird takes flight, now out of sight, sun catches it's shadow" and see things in a way you never have before.

Dr3dLord

This is one of the greatest songs I ever heard!

hektorlinko

Easily one of my favorite songs from this band. Very mellow, heavy, yet beautiful and bad A$$ all at the same time. Love this! A+++

TripToyMusic

This album is definitely really good.

Drompa Game Club

The greatest technical ballad.
This song is my youth. This song reminds me of Timothy J. McVeigh.
I made score of this song and Insolence and synthesized every sounds including rhythm.

Mindbender05

Agreed! Great, mesmerizing track.

Sudet Chobot

epitaph, civilization, artificial soldier. these albums have songs full of feelings. full of truly feelings. Pessimism, bitterness, rottenness, disgust, social decay and melancholy. However ..these songs describes only pure truth....to last word. Some songs may sound like prophecies. For example: Look back and think of Mindphaser from Tactical neural implant..- computers and machines de facto control our lives nowadays. If only more people listen to this and realize the state we,re in.

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