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On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
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In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
The first lyrics introduce us to the character. Here "a cobweb afternoon" tells us about how he is spinning a cobweb of thoughts on an afternoon. The next line emphasizes the emptiness of his room, (later on about how "we'll" die alone). The freeway represents the separation of ways between him and this person, and also his location in a motel etc. He then goes about the bible "a book full of death" and reflects on how it shows he and (I'm going to assume a she) will die alone or apart but if they are good "we'll lay to rest anywhere we want to go." This is a complex line that introduces the next part about afterlife between him and her.
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
He longs to be in her house in a room across from her (later on we'll learn he's recalling this from nostalgic pov). He's going to wait for her in heaven, like a stone (something of little interest) and he will be alone (without her).
On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
When he's dying he'll pray and wish for, to anyone or anything that will take him to her house to be with her (his heaven). The sky was bruised is a metaphor about how his mind hit the sky. The wine was bled refers to him having wine there, and he was led on by her there.
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
He continues reading until the day is over. He sits in regret of his wasted day (and maybe something that happened between them?). The next part is a little unclear, but the For all I've blessed and all that I've wronged starts the sentence on "in dreams until my death I will wander on" describes about she was his destiny, and how without her he is simply wandering despite all his good attributes and bad etc.
I disagree full-heartedly that it is about enlightenment or any religion since it only mentions them out of hand and really doesn't match the candor of the song (which seems to be some epic ache). It seems much more likely that he is simply being nostalgic about a girl he parted ways with.
But i am surprised no one has mentioned the Tibetan Book of The Dead.
I initially thought the Bible as there are references to lines in the bible.
Except that religions that go against the Christian and Catholic bible use same references and change a word or two to change the meaning. The bible is about eternal life not death.
That's why if you grow up reading the bible and loose your way and read another bible you can easily feel like this.
"I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death"
Also: The bible says there is only one god, its the Devils bible, the Greek Mythology and many other that say there is more than one God.
"To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven"
No one who is reading a bible would reference themselves as a pagan. The Gods and the angels can easily be a reference to the devil and the fallen angels. And anyone that does not agree with the bible will seek one that allows for ones behavior. With out consequences.
In the book of the dead it states how dreams will manifest themselves.
You see references of dreams in the bible that tell of future events.
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
This sounds to me like he is trying to reach Karma or an enlightened state, analyzing his life.
I came to this because of this line:
"For all that I've blessed"
Sounds like a shaman a guru.
The songs sounded to me like he is trying to get close to God. But the more i read it, heard it and watched the video the more i think there is a lot more to it, that i am no were near qualified to comment on.
Great voice though and awesome lyrics that make you think. Just what lyrics are suppose to do.
I think he's singing to death itself. He's even talking to it, face to face, because he's not afraid of it anymore. He even wants it to come, he's "waiting patiently" for it. Part of the reason he isn't scared is he knows what it's all about, he's read that "book full of death", and also he's already alone, so that part of it won't be anything new.
Death's house could be the void, nothingness, but he's also hoping that it'll be something more like the afterlife. Or maybe it's hell, purgatory, or heaven, and the "room by room" thing means going through each's different circles, like in the Divine Comedy.