ThouShaltNot have built strong fanbases through their national tours and their work with acts such as The Dresden Dolls, VNV Nation, Alphaville and David J (of Bauhaus). Their club hits "Cardinal Directions," "Without Faith," "Last Comfort," and "Inside of You, In Spite of You," have been played at nearly every dark alternative and goth venue in America, while their more organic "True Love" and "When Everyone Forgets" have appeared to acclaim on high profile compilations that exceed the limits of genre.
ThouShaltNot's music, throughout its thoughtful subject matter, is hook-laden and complex in its emotional and intellectual architecture. With their latest releases, Land Dispute and the New World EP, ThouShaltNot is poised to change the way you think and feel about music.
The band consists of: Alex Reed (vocals, keyboards, guitars, programming, samples), Aaron Fuleki (percussion, programming, samples, guitars, backing vocals) and Jeremy David (guitars, backing vocals, piano, keyboards, programming).
Reborn
ThouShaltNot Lyrics
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Someday I will be reborn
And the earth spins faster at its core
The ground and sky each moving slower
A blind watchmaker's semaphore
Someday I will be reborn
Someday I will be reborn
(Or such is the design of human eyes)
As sure as each ice age melts and dries
The lyrics of ThouShaltNot's song "Reborn" are contemplative, reflecting on the inevitability of death and the possibility of rebirth. The repetition of "someday, I will be reborn" is both hopeful and uncertain, conveying a sense of anticipation for what may come after the end of life. The lines "the earth spins faster at its core / the ground and sky each moving slower" evoke a sense of disorientation, as if time itself is being disrupted by the singer's upcoming transformation.
The reference to a "blind watchmaker's semaphore" is intriguing - this phrase could be interpreted in several ways, but one possibility is that it refers to the idea of evolution without a guiding hand. In this view, the "blind watchmaker" is natural selection, operating without conscious intent or design. The "semaphore" may represent the signals of life and death that are being sent out by the singer, bouncing off of the unseen forces that govern the universe.
The final lines of the song - "And the world is beautiful because it dies / (Or such is the design of human eyes) / As sure as each ice age melts and dries" - are bittersweet. They acknowledge that death and change are fundamental parts of life, but also suggest that beauty can be found in the impermanence of existence. The parenthetical comment about "the design of human eyes" is particularly interesting, as it suggests that our perception of the world is shaped by our own limitations and biases.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday I will be reborn
At some point, I will be given a fresh start
And the earth spins faster at its core
Despite the idea of rebirth, time will move on faster than ever
The ground and sky each moving slower
Both day and night will be brought to a slower pace compared to the world moving faster
A blind watchmaker's semaphore
Life's unpredictability will be exposed even when comparing with the scientific ideas of human eyes
And the world is beautiful because it dies
Beauty in the present is attributed due to understanding it will one day perish
(Or such is the design of human eyes)
This thought is often influenced by the perspective of human nature
As sure as each ice age melts and dries
Just like each ice age cycles through, so will each stage of life lead to rebirth
Contributed by Abigail S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.