From band site: END OF THE LINE is building up to the big climax. At the en… Read Full Bio ↴From band site: END OF THE LINE is building up to the big climax. At the end of Pillars of Salt, there is a feeling of hopelessness. End of the Line begins with the kids hiding in the basements and barricading their homes from the devil's legions. The devil is literally knocking down their door. The parents have been drinking themselves to death in terror of this moment and when I say "time to fight our demons" I actually mean fight in a battle against demons. The next verse is the image of a girl trapped inside her house. She has "a flower pot full of dirt and bullet shells", which begins to warp and grow into horrible branches of barbed wire which cut at her, choke her, and block all the exits. The devil's forces are cutting down people and dementing the town and its inhabitants. Then the chant starts, the parents telling their children to "lay low lay low keep your head down" and to listen for the "dusty train" a western version of the ferry piloted by Charon that crosses the river Styx. More images of war are brought up "set the bone with a cardboard splint, strike the nail against the flint, and set the fields on fire... let the devil come, let him come..." Finally the townspeople are growing confident and are mentally ready for battle. They no longer hide in their houses waiting to die. They bust out the artillery and prepare for the big fight. They egg on the Devil to come and get it, shouting "I'll be waiting for him this time I am stronger now and I can fight it I'll be waiting at the end of the line..."
How does it end? That's up to you I guess... Thanks for reading and listening...END

End Of The Line
Murder by Death Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the kids have
Run inside
Grabbed a spot under the stairs

They've barricaded
All the windows
And rigged the doorknobs shut with chairs

What are they waiting for
They don't know
They just keep their fingers crossed and maybe

Pray to mary
Or jesus christ
I can hear them knocking down the door

The wait it is over
This bottle is done
So we clench our fists
And fight our demons

There's a girl with
A flower pot
Full of dirt and bullet shells

She puts it by her window
Gives it sunlight
Restores its health

After a month or two
The shells start to grow
Into branches of barbed wire

They spread across the walls
The windows and the floors
And their grip
Never tires

The wait it is over
This bottle is done
So we clench our fists
And fight our demons

lay low lay low keep your head down
Lay low lay low listen for the sound
Of the dusty train that's comin'
To sweep us all away
I can hear the rails a rattlin' against the hectic fray so
Set the bone with a cardboard split
And strike the nail against the flint
And set the fields on fire

Let the devil come
Let him come
I'll be waitin' for him this time
I am stronger now and I can fight it
I'll be waitin' at the end of the line
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting for him there

At the end of the line.

Overall Meaning

The song "End of the Line" by Murder by Death narrates the story of a group of people waiting for an unknown threat to come. The chorus repeatedly announces that the wait is over, and the group clench their fists and fight their demons. The first verse describes children who have taken refuge under the stairs and locked themselves inside the building. They do not know what exactly is the danger but pray to Mary and Jesus for safety. The group can hear knocking down the door, and the threat is getting closer to them. The second verse talks about a girl with a flower pot filled with dirt and bullet shells. The shells grow into branches of barbed wire after a month, spreading across the walls and floors. The group is preparing for an impending invasion.

Through the lyrics, the band tries to depict the feeling of uncertainty and the idea of facing one's fears. The song suggests that when people are put in a desperate situation, their survival instinct forces them to fight their demons. The line "Let the devil come, let him come" symbolizes the acceptance of waiting for the inevitable, but this time, the group is prepared to take on the challenge. The last line "I'll be waiting for him there" highlights the idea of facing the unknown and the determination to confront one's fears.

Line by Line Meaning

All the kids have
All the children have left the open areas

Run inside
They have hidden themselves indoors

Grabbed a spot under the stairs
They have taken shelter under the stairs

They've barricaded
They have blocked all possible entry points

All the windows
They have sealed all windows

And rigged the doorknobs shut with chairs
They have used chairs to prevent the doors from being opened

What are they waiting for
They do not know what to wait for

They don't know
They are unaware of the situation

They just keep their fingers crossed and maybe
They hope for the best but are unsure

Pray to mary
They seek prayers from Mary

Or jesus christ
They seek prayers from Jesus Christ

I can hear them knocking down the door
Someone is trying to break in

The wait it is over
They can no longer wait

This bottle is done
They have consumed all alcohol

So we clench our fists
They prepare to fight

And fight our demons
They face their inner demons

There's a girl with
A girl has a flower pot with dirt and bullet shells inside

A flower pot
The object the girl has

Full of dirt and bullet shells
It is filled with soil and spent bullet casings

She puts it by her window
She places it near her window

Gives it sunlight
She exposes it to sunlight

Restores its health
The pot with soil and bullets starts to flourish

After a month or two
After some time has passed

The shells start to grow
The bullet casings start sprouting

Into branches of barbed wire
The bullet casings grow into barbed wire-like structures

They spread across the walls
The bullet casing-barbed wire structures spread across the surfaces of the room

The windows and the floors
The structures cover the windows and floors too

And their grip
The barbed wire structures' hold

Never tires
It never weakens

Lay low lay low keep your head down
Stay low and out of sight

Lay low lay low listen for the sound
Remain hidden and wait for an audible cue

Of the dusty train that's comin'
The sound is a train coming in a dusty area

To sweep us all away
The train will take everyone with it

I can hear the rails a rattlin' against the hectic fray so
The sound of the train is so loud that it causes a commotion

Set the bone with a cardboard split
Try to mend a broken bone with a cardboard splint

And strike the nail against the flint
Using a flint to ignite a fire with a nail

And set the fields on fire
Burn the surrounding area

Let the devil come
Allow the devil to come

Let him come
Do not stop the devil from coming

I'll be waitin' for him this time
They plan on confronting the devil this time

I am stronger now and I can fight it
They feel more capable of defeating the devil

I'll be waitin' at the end of the line
They will be waiting for the devil at the end of the line

I'll be waiting
They will be waiting for the devil

At the end of the line.
This is where they will wait for the devil

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GRAHAM RUSSELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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