The Way of All Flesh
Gojira Lyrics

Anything that has a shape will crumble away, disappear
Everything in this world is temporary and will eventually fade away

We belong to the circle life of all creation
We are a part of the natural cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth

We crawl, deny ourselves, refuse this evidence
We tend to ignore the fact that we will eventually die and try to avoid thinking about it

That we project our greatest fears on death and forget our power
We fear death because it represents the unknown, but we should remember that we have the power to live meaningful lives while we are still alive

I want to live my life in close touch with the sacred
The artist wants to live their life in harmony with the divine or spiritual aspects of existence

Pacify disturbances of the mind, I face my own death
The singer is trying to find inner peace and acceptance of their inevitable mortality

Lower and lower is the pressure
As death approaches, the singer feels a physical and metaphorical pressure weighing down on them

I can feel the parts of me collapsing one into the other
The artist feels their body and mind breaking down and losing their sense of self

Higher state of consciousness awaken
As death nears, the artist experiences a heightened awareness and understanding of life and the world

I can see the light of this next world leading my soul reborn
The artist envisions a new phase of existence after death, where their soul will be reborn in another form

I find it hard to believe that this picture on the wall is everything
The singer questions the limited and materialistic view of the world that many people hold

I do understand all the prayers, life is so sharp, hurts so bad
The artist empathizes with those who pray for a better life or afterlife, but recognizes the pain and hardship of existence

What does it mean to be dying, what if you take the guts and brain away?
The singer ponders the mysteries of death and what it truly means to cease living

Is it this blood and heartbeat that you call life
The singer questions the definition of life and whether it can be reduced to physical processes like blood flow and heartbeats

Every effort to ignore it is unavailing, we all have to die
No matter how much we try to avoid or deny it, death is an unavoidable part of life

Is it too late to dull the edges of the pain, I have to try
The artist wants to try to lessen the pain and fear of death, even though it may be difficult or impossible

This is another dimension, you can scatter ashes to the winds
Death represents a shift to another plane or dimension of existence, where physical matter is no longer important

And even buried in the ground I'm still there
Even after death, the singer's essence or soul still exists in some form

Do not be afraid, you are dying and the four great elements
The singer reassures someone who is dying that they should not be afraid, and reminds them that their physical body is made up of the four elements (earth, air, fire, water)

Of your body are collapsing one into the other
As death nears, the person will begin to physically break down and return to the elements from which they came

It feels as if you are being crushed by mountains
The experience of dying can be overwhelming and feel like an immense weight or pressure

The light of this world has faded completely
As the person dies, their connection to the physical world and their senses fades away

But the light of the next world have not yet appeared
The singer believes in an afterlife or another phase of existence after death, but acknowledges that it has yet to be revealed

Your breath is now still, no warmth to your skin
The artist observes the physical signs of someone dying

Do not be afraid, there's no way that you can stay here
The singer reassures the dying person that they cannot stay in this world forever, but they should not be afraid of moving on

You are leaving this world, all lights are fading away now
The dying person is transitioning out of this world and their physical senses are shutting down

Leave behind loved ones and all you know
The dying person will have to say goodbye to everything and everyone they have known in life

Do not be afraid and let yourself go
The artist encourages the dying person to let go of their fear and surrender to the process of dying