Rose

My life relates perfectly to this song, as it has saved me from the darkness that i dug myself into with its cryptic but clear lyrics

This is what the song Rose by APC means to me... it is the most important song in my life. there are also musical elements that shape this song (such as the incredible violins at the end) but here's what i have to say about the lyrics:

take the first verse:

dont disturb the beast, the tempermental goat, the snail, while he's feeding on the rose, stay, frozen compromise, what, i, will, i am

This lays out my whole theory, and is the most important part of the song. this is a huge metaphor for something that's inside you. The beast (the tempermental goat, the snail) represents the things that make you sad, depressed, and helpless. the rose are the things that make you happy and prosperous... at many points in your life, the beast will feed on the rose... this part gives u first advice on what to do when this happens. you musnt get too involved with stopping the beast HIMSELF, but stopping his HUNGER... stopping himself causes paranoia and gets the beast really pissed and makes everything worse, but if you stay where you are, and compromise what you have, you can attack the problem...

take the second verse:

bend around the wind, but silently its blown, about, again, im treading so soft, and, lightly compromising, my will, i am...

This verse is about the wind. the wind is similar to the beast, its problems that occur daily, continuations of the beasts wrath. "It" in the sentance is the rose... when the wind blows, the rose blows with it and as this is happening, MJK (or people) feeling like theyre treading in water, but theyre staying alive by compromising what they have, like I said earlier

In the third and fourth verse, it talks less about the literal rose inside and more about the past tense of rise and how it has to do with the internal rose.

i am, i will, so no longer, will i lay down, play dead, play your doe in the headlights locked down & terrified your deer in the headlights shot down & horrified, when push comes to pull comes to shove comes to step around this self-destructive dance that never wouldve ended till i, rose, i, roared aloud, here, i will, i am...

This verse means a lot to me, especially in my depression. This is about not being a slave to things around you that cause the beast's hunger. for example, in my deep depression, I felt completely unloved and unfound. I found a girl that i thought would solve all my problems, but in reality she was killing me inside, I had to learn through this to rise about her and everyone around me (my friends that were spineshankin me like crazy)... this "self-destructive dance" is how you act around ppl that are killing you inside, and it will only end if you rise above them and roar (make a name for yourself)

the last verse is the most intense:

i am, i will, so no longer, will i lay down, play dead, play this kneel down, gunshy, martyr, pitiful... i rose, i roared, i will i am

This is beautiful, it's similar to the third verse but its more about when your down, its more about when you rise, you will no longer become the horrible things inside that kill you. You are higher than that, you are better than that, and with "i will, i am" it speaks out, as you have finally won.

As all of this comes in a very intense matter, the song quickly transforms in the end to a beautiful mush of violins and helpless tears. This part of the song is just so beautiful, so rare in rock, and so amazing, it is like the turning point once understood, and that beautiful music that exits the song, is what my life is like, in the end.

Out of all the songs this is probably the hardest to understand. To be honest, I had no clue what this song was about until I got on here and read these posts. It's like when a camera lens is out of focus and all of a sudden it comes clear. It makes a lot more sense now. It has a very prominent theme of nature. The song is about someone in a vulnerable and terrified position and the only way to break free is to stand up and roar. Let yourself be heard.

Freaks. A bit too personal, don't you think. It talks about being intimidated and pushed around by someone, then standing up and no longer acting like the dear in the headlights, etc. THen you add your own personal desperate twist. Personally I find writing my own songs far more rewarding.

My interpretation of the song is somewhat similar to toolgirl's. I must say I was inspired by it. The main difference in mine would be the one who is rising. I hear the story being told through the child of the fighting couple. It opens with a haunting sound that, to me sounds like someone tossing and turning in bed. The lines "Don't disturb the beast...feeding on the rose" show the child's current state of being used to these horrible noises. He stays frozen and compromises his true feelings to himself. "Silently blown about again" relates to the actual physical blows given to the mother which she remains silent about. "I'm treading so soft" is the child actually walking to the scene and witnessing firsthand the abuse. This becomes too much for the child. The lines "So no longer...til I rose" are one long sentence that the child shouts toward the father and acts upon. Just as toolgirl mentioned, the "self destructive dance" refers to the mother constanly leaving only to always return. This ended when the child rose. What the child actualy did is somewhat left out for the listener to decide, but in the lines "so no longer...pitiful", where the child is expressing his former state before this night, he distinguishly says he is no longer "gun shy". Whatever happened, the story ends with the two distinctly differently sounding violins in harmony. This may indicate the two reactions of the mother and child and how they are left together in the end.

man this song is so good. the first time i heard it i stopped what i was doing, turned the speakers up real loud and just sat there listening to the lyrics. it's such an empowering song.

i think the lyrics are from the perspective of this guy who's kind of a pushover. like he lets people walk all over him and does what they ask of him because he's weak. and then one day he decides "hey, i'm not gonna be your freakin doormat anymore. i'm not going to compromise who i am for you." and that's when he says "so no longer will i lay down, play dead, play your doe in the headlights." and him roaring is like him finally telling the people to fuck off.

i can totally relate to this song because i used to be a pushover. i used to agree with what other people said to avoid confrontation. i still do sometimes, but i'm standing up for myself more and more each day. yay for me! =)

First of all, I have figured out not only the meaning of every song on the album but the meaning of the album itself. This album is a concept album, telling the story of a relationship.

Now about the song "Rose". This song is about being in a fucked up ass relationship. This is evident with the mentioning of Compromising and also the mentioning of playind dead and rolling over(doing anything to please ur partner) When Maynard says I will I am, he means " I will leave, I am leaving"

i saw this as someone being dominated by some one else or something...perhaps an emotion. this dominating force is completely consuming until the person confronts and conquers it. Simple explaination for such a lovely and emotional song.

Maynard usually likes to write songs about his own personal experiences and share them with other so that they can relate. Of course he does have his way with words, both metaphorically and poetically, able to express so beautifully the emotions and depth of a man's innermost psychi. This song is about rising up and out of depression and self-denial, not about a rose so much as the past tense of the word rise. The first stanza depicts Maynard in a stage of his life where he was frightened by the consequences of his own actions and by the dennial of his own person to the point where it paralyzed him. He had fallen prey to his own anxieties, and they were eating away at him inside, and devouring his true person and his good intentions (the beautiful rose). He believed the only way not to be destroyed by his anxieties immediately (just to hang on to what was left of himself) was to be governed by them, held down and suppressed by them. He feels helpless and defenseless. This is why he says, "compromise what I will, I am." He decides to compromise his will and his person to be held in the grips of his own depression and fear. The second paragraph once again reinforces this round-about lifestyle of always trying to evade yourself, not stand and face yourself, which is the hardest thing to do in the world, I know. I am a firm believer that the only thing most people are afraid of is themselves. The 2nd stanza, like the first, paints a picture of the terrified fawn in the forest, running through the foliage, when it senses danger and tries desperately to get away, quickly and quietly. He finally comes to the realization that this has to stop. He can't run forever. He must face his fears, his anxieties, let loose his anger, his beast. In the next stanza he proclaims, "I am, I will, so no longer Will I lay down, play dead, play your doe." He realizes who he is is who he is and this will not change and that its a good thing and that he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't have to trap himself in the prison cell of his mind. He no longer wants to be that doe, running away through the forest from something not so real. He continues saying, "[play your doe]...In the headlights, locked down and terrified, your Deer, in the headlights, shot down and horrified." He sees that this paralysis of his mind, like a deer in the headlights, will lead only to an imminennt disaster. He finally recognizes, "when Push comes to pull comes to shove comes to step around this Self-destructive dance that never would've ended till I rose, I roared aloud here I will, I am. The only way to avoid this self-destructive fate is to stop running away, to turn around, and to pit his conscious person against his fears and anxieties. He finds the confidence to finally fend off and suppress these anxieties in order to stop being the prey for once. In the final stanza, he reinforces this revalation of self consciousness by saying, "I am, I will, so no longer Will I lay down, play dead, play this Knee down, gun-shy, martyr, pitiful I rose, I roared, I will, I am." He finally knows who he is and what he wants and is satisfied with this. He know longer has to play the role of martyr to his fears, his anxieties. He will not give himself up to prove a point or to make others feel sorry for him. He will aggressively attack and destroy whatever was holding him back. He will destroy his fears. He will carry on.

a me... this is about rage... dont disturb the beast when it's destroying the beautiful. lie down and let it take over. actually, epiphany in the middle of the song, dont lie down and let it take over. stand up! end the rage! save us/yourself from the beast!

this song is about overcoming something quite tragic. i know. been there. done that.