1) Boyd Rice… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists who use the name Non/NoN/NON:
1) Boyd Rice, an American noise musician.
2) Norio Hanzawa, a video game music composer.
3) Japanese singer-songwriter from Hokkaido.
4) improvisation project featuring Ray Evanoff, et al.
5) Italian post-punk band.
6) Rena Nōnen, a Japanese singer and actress.
7) Swedish multi-instrumentalist also called Stigmata.
1) Originally a duo with Robert Turman, NON is the moniker for solo noise musician Boyd Rice. The first release under the name NON was the 1977 album Mode of Infection/Knife Ladder. Most of NON's music has been released on the Mute Records label. Later albums have often been explicitly conceptual.
2) Non is the recording name of Norio Hanzawa (半沢 紀雄), a composer of video game music. His first soundtrack was 1994's Dynamite Headdy. Non is one of the original members of Treasure Co. Ltd. and is responsible for the soundtrack to their debut game, Gunstar Heroes. Since then he has either contributed to or has been involved with the soundtrack for every published Treasure game.
3) Non is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Hokkaido. Her debut album release was 1998's Honest (素直). Her representative songs are "Hoshi no Senro" (星の線路), "Akushu" (握手) and "Aoi-mori no Message" (青い森のメッセージ). In 2001, she released her last album Treatment.
4) non was a one-time improvisation project featuring Ray Evanoff, Kieran Daly, Sam Sfirri, Ron Wiltrout, and Jason Brogan. It yielded one record, by virtue of the fact (2008), released digitally on insides music.
5) NoN is an alternative rock/post-punk band from Florence, Italy. They released the album Sancta Sanctorum in 2016.
6) のん (NON) is the stage name of Rena Nōnen (born 1993), a Japanese singer, actress, and model. Her first album, Super Heroes, was released in 2018.
7) Non is an alternate name of Swedish multi-instrumentalist Stigmata. He is a former member of Lifelover, Woundism, IXXI and Hypothermia (live).
Invocation
Non Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when the time comes what are you gonna do?
when the sirens blow, 10 seconds of chaos
is it your regret? does it matter anyway?
when the poisons come from all around
no evacuations
for a split second we're all the same
nothing to lose, nothing to gain
no classes, money, or politics
just flesh and blood and eyes of fire
all those years of fucking pain
all those years of suffering
are wasted away
when the bomb is dropped
and the button is pushed
there is no second chance
your nations on fire
you're going down
The lyrics of Non's song, "Invocation," speak to the chaos and destruction that would ensue if a bombing were to occur. The opening line, "chaos chaos hear that sound," sets the tone for the song and is meant to create a sense of fear and unease in the listener. The questioning and introspective nature of the lyrics continue with the line, "when the time comes what are you gonna do?" This line encourages the listener to consider their own response to a crisis situation.
The lyrics then move on to describe the immediate aftermath of a bombing, with the line "when the sirens blow, 10 seconds of chaos." This is followed by a meditation on the true impact of such an event. The lyrics pose the question "is it your regret? does it matter anyway?" which brings up the idea that in the face of such overwhelming destruction, human losses and regret might be a moot point.
The climax of the song comes with the realization that when it comes to destruction on this scale, we are all equally vulnerable. "For a split second we're all the same / nothing to lose, nothing to gain / no classes, money, or politics / just flesh and blood and eyes of fire." This is a powerful statement that highlights the fact that in the face of total destruction, all of the societal constructs that we use to differentiate ourselves would be meaningless. Overall, the lyrics of "Invocation" provide a stark and thought-provoking warning about the dangers of nuclear war.
Line by Line Meaning
chaos chaos hear that sound
Listen to the sound of chaos that surrounds us.
when the time comes what are you gonna do?
What will you do when the time comes? Will you be prepared?
when the sirens blow, 10 seconds of chaos
When the sirens go off, chaos will ensue for at least 10 seconds.
is it your regret? does it matter anyway?
Are you filled with regret for your life choices? Does any of it matter in the end?
when the poisons come from all around
When poisons surround you, what will you do?
no evacuations
No evacuations will be available when the time comes.
for a split second we're all the same
In a brief moment, regardless of differences, we are the same.
nothing to lose, nothing to gain
At this point, there is nothing left to lose, nor anything to gain.
no classes, money, or politics
None of the societal statuses or systems matter anymore.
just flesh and blood and eyes of fire
All that's left is flesh and blood and the will to survive.
all those years of fucking pain
All the years of suffering feel like they were pointless.
all those years of suffering
All the agony and hardships have led up to this moment.
are wasted away
Everything we have gone through feels like a complete waste of time.
when the bomb is dropped
When the bomb is dropped, everything changes.
and the button is pushed
When the final button is pushed, it will be too late for anything to make a difference.
there is no second chance
You won't get a second chance to fix things.
your nations on fire
The nation you have known is now in flames.
you're going down
You are also going down with it.
Contributed by Maya M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.