Strike Anywhere is a political band, with lyrics touching on such issues as police brutality, anarchism, anti-capitalism, women's rights, animal rights, and globalization. They have also contributed tracks to political benefit albums, such as a live version of "Sunset on 32nd" for 1157 Wheeler Avenue: A Memorial for Amadou Diallo and "To the World" for the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 album. According to the liner notes for their album Change is a Sound, they support "the vegetarian lifestyle, the living wage movement, and the fight against corporate globalization".
Current Members:
* Thomas Barnett - Vocals
* Matt Smith - Guitar/Vocals
* Garth Petrie - Bass
* Eric Kane - Drums
* Mark Miller - Guitar/Vocals
Former:
* Matt Sherwood - Guitar/Vocals (1999-2007)
Iron Trees
Strike Anywhere Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like cities
Breathing below
While lights mark time
In the lowest room
Outside
The white man's death
In the hands of violence
In the prison parks
Our righteousness
Contains the litter
That we kill in contempt of
Ourselves
We followed these streets
Through the city's red lights
Underneath these iron trees
On rooftops worth burning
Whispers to prayers
In these strange futures
Know your rights
We kill in contempt of kindness
Extricate or obliterate me
Don't let it get so far away
Don't settle
For justice punch it through the screen
And every dead commercial in between
Calls you to be captured
To write you down
We followed these streets
Into the city's red lights
Underneath these iron trees
On rooftops worth burning
Whispers to prayers
In these strange futures
Know your rights
don't settle for justice
Punch it through the screen
And every dead commercial in between
Calls you, calls you to be captured
To write you
To write you in
We followed these streets
Through the city's red lights
Underneath these iron trees
On rooftops worth burning
Whispers to prayers
In these strange futures
Know your rights
The song "Iron Trees" by Strike Anywhere is a protest against social injustice and the oppression of people by the ruling class. The opening lines "To glitter/Like cities/Breathing below/While lights mark time" paint a picture of a city that appears glamorous and affluent, but underneath it all, people are struggling to survive. The "lowest room" represents the marginalized community that is left out of the benefits of the city's prosperity. The mention of "the white man's death" and "the hands of violence" highlights the brutality that people of color face in a society that prioritizes the interests of white people.
The song also speaks to the indifference that people have towards the plight of the less fortunate. The lines "Our righteousness/Contains the litter/That we kill in contempt of/Ourselves" imply that people's sense of morality is often misguided and leads to the mistreatment of others. The lyrics "We kill in contempt of kindness/Extricate or obliterate me" express a desire to escape from a world where people's cruelty towards each other threatens to destroy everything.
The chorus "We followed these streets/Through the city's red lights/Underneath these iron trees/On rooftops worth burning/Whispers to prayers/In these strange futures/Know your rights" is about resistances, urge the listener to stand up for themselves, to protest, to fight against the status quo, and to fight for their rights no matter how bleak the future may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
To glitter
To shine brightly
Like cities
Like the bright lights of cities
Breathing below
Existing beneath the surface
While lights mark time
While time passes by and the lights show the movement
In the lowest room
In the most humble of places
Outside
Beyond the usual boundaries
The white man's death
The suffering caused by the privileged class
In the hands of violence
Due to the use of force and aggression
Are choking our breath
Are suffocating us
In the prison parks
In the places where confinement and punishment take place
Our righteousness
Our sense of moral rightness
Contains the litter
Holds onto the waste and pollution
That we kill in contempt of
That we destroy without any respect for
Ourselves
Our own humanity and well-being
We followed these streets
We walked along these paths
Through the city's red lights
Through the warning signals in the urban environment
Underneath these iron trees
Below the rigid and imposing structures
On rooftops worth burning
On top of the buildings that deserve to be destroyed
Whispers to prayers
Quiet expressions of hope and faith
In these strange futures
In the uncertain times to come
Know your rights
Understand your freedoms and entitlements
We kill in contempt of kindness
We show no mercy or compassion
Extricate or obliterate me
Either free me or destroy me completely
Don't let it get so far away
Don't allow the situation to become too distant or hopeless
Don't settle
Don't accept less than what is deserved
For justice punch it through the screen
Fight for justice, even if it means breaking through the illusions and distractions
And every dead commercial in between
And every advertisement that lacks meaning or sincerity
Calls you to be captured
Directs you to be controlled and imprisoned
To write you down
To diminish your significance and power
We followed these streets
We continued down these paths
Into the city's red lights
Into the traps and dangers of urban life
Underneath these iron trees
Beneath the oppressive and unyielding structures
On rooftops worth burning
On top of the buildings that deserve to be destroyed
Whispers to prayers
Quiet expressions of hope and faith
In these strange futures
In the unpredictable and unsettling times to come
Know your rights
Understand your freedoms and entitlements
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KyleAWhile85
So we follow these streets through the city 's red lights underneath these iron trees....
Lucas Genari
best song everrrrrrrrrrrr