Refuge
Northlane & In Hearts Wake Lyrics

Waves of poverty, of hope and desperation.
There are natural waves or shifts in societies where poverty, hope, and desperation can arise.

Waves of tragedy, of death and desolation.
There are also waves of tragedy, death, and desolation that can occur in societies.

Waves of fugitives forced to flee their broken homes.
Sometimes, waves of people are forced to flee their homes due to violence and other dangerous conditions.

Hostile humankind can't you see you're fucking blind.
Despite these waves of tragedy, humans can be hostile and blind to the suffering of others.

Hostile humankind thinking with a narrow mind.
This hostility often arises because people think with a narrow mind.

Stranger, so far from home.
The song is addressing strangers who are far from their home country or city.

There's a terror in your eyes.
These strangers often feel afraid and vulnerable.

You whisper words of a hell unknown.
These strangers often come from countries or places experiencing dangerous and unknown conditions.

Stranger in a sea unclear.
These strangers are often adrift in a sea of uncertainty and confusion.

The currents that drifted us now draw us near.
Despite these differences, the strangers are drawn together by circumstance.

Welcome to mayhem,
The song is welcoming the strangers to this environment of chaos and unrest.

Farewell to the world they know.
The song is saying goodbye to the world these strangers once knew and loved.

Who's gonna save them?
The song is urging the listener to consider how these refugees will be helped and protected.

Running from war to woe there's nowhere to go.
The refugees have nowhere else to go- they are running from violence and are left with no other options.

Neighbour will you take my hand?
The song is calling out to nearby people and is asking them to help the refugees in need.

Is there still virtue in your heart,
The song is asking the listener if they still have compassion and kindness in their heart.

That will shelter me from dark?
The song is asking if the listener will offer the refugees comfort and protection from the dangers around them.

Have you stopped to think and reflect that in this lifetime,
The song is asking the listener to take a moment to consider and reflect on the suffering of others.

Your child could be next?
The song is emphasizing that anyone could become a refugee and experience the pain and loss of war.

All we show is neglect.
The song is pointing out that many people only show neglect and a lack of caring towards refugees instead of offering help.

Why do we disconnect the hearts,
The song is questioning why people are so quick to disconnect themselves from the suffering and pain of others.

From the lives that fell apart?
The song is saying this disconnection prevents people from helping those whose lives have been torn apart due to war or other tragedies.

Borders built to barricade.
The song is pointing out that many countries build borders to prevent refugees from entering their land.

No one enters, no one is saved.
The song is pointing out that, as a result, there are millions of refugees who are in danger.

Building walls.
The song is saying that the building of walls and borders has become almost inevitable in our world.

Digging graves.
This line is a metaphor for the dangers refugees face as they try to flee their country or try to find a new home country.

The rivers rise with the lives of dead men.
This line describes the dangerous journey that many refugees face, and is pointing out that many lose their lives during this trek.

Open up the gates.
The song is urging people to open up their hearts and to provide help to refugees.

The Earth stood still for a moment.
This line shows the gravity and the significance of the suffering of refugees and the need for the world to address it.

Feasting eyes on the feed that was chosen.
The line is criticizing the media and society for focusing on certain stories and ignoring the plight of refugees.

Forcing down a pill, Deceptive and bitter.
This line is a metaphor for the false information that people are often fed regarding the refugee crisis.

Fear is gripping the trigger.
This line underscores the fear and desperation of the refugees and the ways in which they are often threatened.

Guided to their graves, In scarlet chains.
This line describes the futility and hopelessness that many refugees have to face.

Engaged, betrayed.
This line is underscoring how refugees are let down and abandoned by their countries and societies.

Collateral slaves.
This line is pointing out that refugees are often treated as pawns in the dangerous games of those who caused the conflicts.

Prepare to disembark, Butchered in the dark.
This line describes the dangers that refugees face as they try to leave their dangerous environments.

Outgunned, outweighed, No one is safe.
This line is pointing out that the power dynamics are stacked against refugees and no one is safe in these dangerous environments.

We're conditioned to be afraid,
This line is pointing out that as a society, we are being conditioned to fear the unknown and to view refugees with suspicion.

Faceless figures control the game.
This line is criticizing those who hold power and control in society and who perpetuate the suffering of refugees.

Lips stitched shut speak violence.
This line is saying that those who remain silent in the face of the refugee crisis are complicit in the violence that these refugees face.

Never struck a chord, When the blood flowed, From a heart you didn't know.
This line is criticizing those who are unmoved by the suffering of others and who do not experience empathy or compassion.

Now your dead friends are a part of the show.
This line is emphasizing how society often consumes stories of violence and death almost as entertainment, often forgetting the human element and meaning behind the suffering.