Armed
The Man-Eating Tree Lyrics

I do not know why
The singer expresses confusion about why they are giving the listener this information.

I am giving this to you
The singer is sharing something with the listener.

But here it is;
The singer presents the information simply and straightforwardly.

The number of days left
The singer is referring to the limited amount of time remaining.

Instead of an ocean of time
The singer initially thought they had unlimited time.

I painted, painted a house
The singer created an illusion of security.

Around you
The singer's illusion was for the listener's benefit.

And locked the door
The singer prevented anything from penetrating the illusion.

Left you at the shore
The listener is left with the false sense of security.

Until came
There was always an end in sight.

Came the flood
The singer is referring to an overwhelming force that destroyed the illusion they created.

No more can time bring mercy, mercy
The singer proclaims the inevitability of time's progression.

Forgiveness
The singer can no longer offer forgiveness for their false sense of security.

Ghosts can choose their houses to haunt
The singer uses a metaphor to suggest that the past can haunt us.

The thought of time passing
The singer is reflecting on their earlier attitude toward time passing.

Opened it for me
The singer has a realization about the passage of time.

I had never known what I need
The singer lacked clarity about their own needs.

Or heard what you really meant
The singer had not paid enough attention to the listener's true thoughts and feelings.

By saying, saying that I live a house
The singer is referencing an earlier statement that they made.

That would collapse
The earlier statement referred to the inevitable end of their false sense of security.

By any minute to come
The end could come at any moment.

As if washed
The end comes swiftly and thoroughly, like a flood.

Washed away
The end completely destroys the illusion of security.

Or time be disarmed
The singer is acknowledging the futility of trying to fight the passage of time.

Like a weapon to standstill
The singer uses a weapon metaphor to emphasize the power and inevitability of time.

And from these shores of time
The singer is referencing the present moment as a place where time is felt most acutely.

We would be exiled into
The singer refers to a potentially bleak future.

A place where things
The singer is conceptualizing the future as a location.

Obey rules laid down
The future is governed by established norms.

And laws that are
The future is characterized by strict regulations.

Heavy like walls of stone
The restrictions of the future are insurmountable, like walls of stone.

Like the shores
The singer repeats a earlier metaphor.

Washed by flood
The metaphor is used to suggest total destruction.

No more can time bring mercy, mercy
The singer repeats an earlier statement about the inevitability of time's progression.

Forgiveness
The singer can no longer offer forgiveness for the illusions they created.

Ghosts can choose their houses to haunt
The past will continue to affect us as we move into the future.