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Fortress
Tim Exile Lyrics
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Shouting-
I’m coming, dying like sick disgusting…
I wish they'd understand.
We might clear out.
I'm stuck with my mind in the gutter...
---
Hey, little thing within.
Don't believe these stories.
Don't let them in.
There's only one for you.
There's one within that's true.
If you see truth for sale,
And buy it with your soul,
You'll see confetti flying, color burying the Earth.
And when the fanfare dies away, the silence sucks you in its wake
To spend a lifetime living out, the fantasies of salesmen.
Underneath the thorns beneath your feet,
There's a fortress-
Dig deep!
The slings and arrows never breached your walls.
The tales have smothered them all,
So bring in the archaeologists
To unearth your heritage and take you home.
There was a picture, hung in the nursery
Drawn from faded scripture, to teach me what to see:
A world where we're all helpless sinners,
Damned in weakness to slavery.
I voted in, gave up my eyes, drew in the shining myths,
The selfless deeds, the battle cries, the conquerors, the kings.
And so I drowned into a land, and watched my blunted teeth dissolve.
The sweet acidic resignation, damned to breathe obedience.
Underneath the thorns beneath your feet,
There's a fortress-
Dig deep!
The slings and arrows never breached your walls.
The tales have smothered them all,
So bring in the archaeologists
To unearth your heritage and take you home.
The wars you thought were lost weren't wars at all,
No one truer victory!
Bring in the archaeologists
To unearth your heritage and take you home.
The lyrics to Tim Exile's song "Fortress" are deeply introspective and ruminative, exploring themes of identity, consciousness, agency, and mythology. The song seems to begin mid-conversation, with an unknown character shouting up at someone who is coming up the stairs, lamenting that they might "clear out" and expressing frustration with the state of their own thoughts. The first few lines are fraught with conflicting emotions and imagery, with references to sickness and disgust highlighting a sense of self-loathing and discomfort. As the song progresses, however, the mood shifts towards empowerment and revelation.
The singer turns their attention to a "little thing" within themselves, urging it not to believe the stories that are being sold by others. There is only one truth, the song suggests, and it lies within us. If we give in to the flash and spectacle of the world around us, we risk losing ourselves to the fantasies of salesmen and marketers. Instead, we must dig deep beneath the thorns at our feet and find the fortress within - the place where our true selves reside. The singer acknowledges that this can be a challenging and fraught process, as we have been taught to view ourselves as "helpless sinners" who are "damned in weakness to slavery." However, they argue that there is hope for us yet, as long as we can bring in the "archaeologists" to help us uncover our heritage and find our way back home.
The imagery in "Fortress" is rich and evocative, drawing on a range of allusions and symbols to create a complex and layered portrait of the human psyche. The references to sickness and disgust in the opening lines suggest a sense of alienation and discomfort, while the mention of a picture in a nursery points to the power of childhood stories and myths in shaping our worldview. The idea of buying truth with one's soul conjures up themes of bargaining and sacrifice, while the image of confetti burying the Earth highlights the transience and artificiality of consumer culture.
Line by Line Meaning
You who's coming up the stairs,
Addressing an individual who's making his way upstairs.
Shouting-
Yelling in a loud manner.
I’m coming, dying like sick disgusting…
Expressing a sick and dreadful feeling towards a situation that is coming up.
I wish they'd understand.
Desiring for others to comprehend one's position.
We might clear out.
Possibly considering leaving the area.
I'm stuck with my mind in the gutter...
Feeling trapped in a negative state of mind.
Hey, little thing.
Addressing someone or something small.
Hey, little thing within.
Acknowledging something within oneself that is small.
Don't believe these stories.
Advising against trusting certain tales.
Don't let them in.
Discouraging from admitting certain things into one's life.
There's only one for you.
There's only one thing that belongs to oneself.
There's one within that's true.
Something inside oneself is genuine.
If you see truth for sale,
If one notices that the truth is up for grabs,
And buy it with your soul,
And sacrifices everything to attain it,
You'll see confetti flying, color burying the Earth.
You'll witness the world become overwhelmed by the superficiality and commercialism.
And when the fanfare dies away, the silence sucks you in its wake
And once the hype disappears, the emptiness of it all becomes painfully clear.
To spend a lifetime living out, the fantasies of salesmen.
To waste one's entire life fulfilling the shallow dreams of salespeople.
Underneath the thorns beneath your feet,
Beneath the unpleasantness below one's grounds,
There's a fortress-
A protective stronghold can be found.
Dig deep!
One must delve within themselves to uncover it.
The slings and arrows never breached your walls.
The attacks and hardships never succeeded in breaking one's defenses.
The tales have smothered them all,
The stories have suffocated the truth of the situation.
So bring in the archaeologists
Hire individuals to dig up the past and discover the real history.
To unearth your heritage and take you home.
To uncover one's true identity and bring them back to their roots.
There was a picture, hung in the nursery
There was an image that was placed in a child's room.
Drawn from faded scripture, to teach me what to see:
Taken from worn out religious documents to teach a certain viewpoint.
A world where we're all helpless sinners,
A world where everyone is at the mercy of their faults and flaws.
Damned in weakness to slavery.
Doomed to be subservient because of one's shortcomings.
I voted in, gave up my eyes, drew in the shining myths,
I bought into it, gave up my own viewpoint, and believed in the idealistic stories.
The selfless deeds, the battle cries, the conquerors, the kings.
Being convinced that acts of altruism, war calls, those who triumph and those in power are admirable.
And so I drowned into a land, and watched my blunted teeth dissolve.
And so I lost myself in a reality, and witnessed my ability to stand up for myself disappear.
The sweet acidic resignation, damned to breathe obedience.
A bittersweet acceptance of one's submissiveness.
The wars you thought were lost weren't wars at all,
The battles that seemed hopeless were never really fights,
No one truer victory!
True triumph had always been present!
Bring in the archaeologists
Uncover the real history.
To unearth your heritage and take you home.
Discover one's roots and bring oneself back to them.
Contributed by Hailey S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dagnole
This piece is truly brilliant.
tostare
A secular hymn for our times.
DeathByDinSync
this album is a must buy....
jertzy
Probably the best idm around at the moment. Fucking exciting landscapes.
Gunnar Liljas
Absolutely fantastic!
edgarector
Masterpiece!
etherealrhythm
WTF?! This CD totally slipped me by. Love Tim and have all his other releases, but this is just something else by the sound of it! WTF?! Getting bought, mate. Like, right now.
Luke Atkin
wow ive never heard anything like it . EPIC !
etherealrhythm
Hang on. Like, seriously... WTF is this track? Just listened again and now I'm totally fucking blown away. Chills. Can't wait to hear the whole album...
overmindeticsilence
To spend a lifetime living out, the fantasies of salesmen. Underneath the thorns beneath your feet, There's a fortress- Dig deep! The slings and arrows never breached your walls. The tales have smothered them all, So bring in the archaeologists To unearth your heritage and take you home. There was a picture, hung in the nursery Drawn from faded scripture, to teach me what to see: A world where we're all helpless sinners, Damned in weakness to slavery.