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They fall in line
One at a time
Ready to play
(I can't see them anyway)
No time to lose
We've got to move
Steady your hand
(I am losing sight again)
[Bridge]
Fire your gun,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
There's nothing left,
So save your breath,
Lying in wait.
(Caught inside this tidal wave)
Your cover's blown,
Nowhere to go,
Holding your fate.
(Loaded I will walk alone)
[Bridge]
Fire your guns,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Wanting it back
(Don't fight me God!)
(Here I come! (held out for about 2 seconds))
(Die! (held out for about 5 seconds))
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Save us all!3x
One at a time
Ready to play
(I can't see them anyway)
No time to lose
We've got to move
Steady your hand
(I am losing sight again)
[Bridge]
Fire your gun,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
There's nothing left,
So save your breath,
Lying in wait.
(Caught inside this tidal wave)
Your cover's blown,
Nowhere to go,
Holding your fate.
(Loaded I will walk alone)
[Bridge]
Fire your guns,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Wanting it back
(Don't fight me God!)
(Here I come! (held out for about 2 seconds))
(Die! (held out for about 5 seconds))
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I am a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Save us all!3x
Lyrics submitted by The_Cereal_killer, edited by winny32
Track duration: 03:26
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Personally I think this song was custom made to be on the soundtrack for Halo 2, everyone else before me has already explained why this is so, and I can't do it any better, so aside from the Halo 2 theme this song also seems to be about some futile or desperate battle, most people think its about Iraq or some other actual war, but I think here Ben is just refering to a battle, what that battle is is left to the listener to decide, it doesn't even have to be a war, it may be somebody battling cancer (that was just an example, I don't honestly believe this song is about cancer) Whatever the battle is it is a group battle and written from the point of veiw of one of the leaders (that explains the "we" and "us" used often in the song, and some of the instructions he gives makes him a leader). But the song is not directly about the battle, its about the final decission he has to make in the battle. Read my explanation to find out what that is.
They fall in line
One at a time
Ready play
(I can't see them anyway)
*This has almost like a "Ok, were ready, let's roll" theme to it, who it refers to, his men or the enemy I don't know, but it seems like the enemy because its sent almost as a warning, or a threat, its something he knows is happening but can't see (hints the last part) but the addition of "anyway" makes it seem like he doesnt care and just wants to gt it over with, like he nkows ho its going to end.
No time to lose
We've got to move
Steady your helm
(I am losing sight again)
*This makes it seem like a very improtant mission, they need to go now, and they need to make sure their going to get the job done when they get there, thats the steady your helm part. But the I'm losing sight again sounds as if hes rushing into this to much, and geting to anxious,like he needs to calm down and just focus.
[Bridge]
Fire your gun,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
*Now its go time, I think he actualy said "guns" like as in plural, but either way hes giving orders, I dont know whether hes saying "mess I've made" which sounds like hes going back in to fix his mistakes or "unless I may" so like if he is allowed, and welcomed to stay he knows he is needed else where, I personally think its the second one, but I can't tell.
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
*Notice how he doesn't sya "now that we've fallen" he knows hes screwed, but isn't fretting it, hes just still focused on the mission at hand and is trying to reassure others that thats all they need to do as well, and hes trying to reassure someone who isn't as sure like "We both know you can do it, now show me!"
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I have a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
*I think the unspoken part of the first line is "... will survive, and we are the strongest" he knows there the best, and they can do great wit his leadership, but the second line once again says, WHEN we die, like he knows hes going to, which tells us what the "Shadow on the wall" (I think its I'm a shadow) means, that although hes the one you never see coming, the shadow on the wall, he also is just one man, and wont change anything major, hes just a shadow. The last line sounds sacrificial, like he knows he can live up to what his men expect of him, even if it will change nothing, but he will have to sacrifice himself.
There's nothing left,
So save your breath,
Lying in wait.
(Caught inside this tidal wave)
*With the second verse, the theme changes a little, thier situation becomes darker. All the bolstering retoric, the pre-game pep talk, and motivating famous last words are gone, its now life or death, so save you breath, dont bother trying to act tough, or macho, or assure everyone that everythings going to be alright, because this is it, the final showdown, and they know how its going to end, in defeat, so now hes just lying in wait, waiting for the defeat thats coming. The last line also supports this, I mean think about it, what can you do to stop a tidal wave mother nature's most destructive weapon? Jack Crap. Hes in a hopelessly dooming situation, and knows that no matter what he does, he can't change it, yet hes caught in it, he cant get out because to finish and loose is his duty.
Your cover's blown,
Nowhere to go,
Holding your fate.
(Loaded I will walk alone)
I think here it skips foward a little, hes watched his comrades fall around him, now all the support and "brotherhood" I guess you could say, that hes relied on for cover, to reasure himself that although their doomed, their doomed together, is gone, hes alone, he has "No where to go" but straight foward or back. Before back wasn't an option, because he had to lead his men, he had their respect to live up to, but now that their all dead, he can make any decision he wan'ts without fear of shame, he and he alone is holding his fate. It kind of doesn't tell you what he decides, as there are no more verses that would give us a hint, and all the other lyrics could go either way, even the last line, which at first thought sounds like hes loaded his gun and is facing the enemy, could be seen as him retreating. "Loaded I will walk alone" he still has amo in his gun, he never fired, and hes walking back alone.
[Bridge]
Fire your guns,
It's time to run,
Blow me away.
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall,
We'll shake it off,
Show me the way.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I have a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Wanting it back
(Don't fight me God!)
*Which ever decision he made, he takes it back, either he choose to fight and realizes how screwed he now is, or he is retreating, but although his teamates aren't watching him, that doesn't mean he doesn't have to live up to them, so now he wants to go back. We can't tell which, but we can observe he says "wanting" not going back, so hes made his decision and its to late. The second and last line his him crying out to God, "Why?!" He has been faced with the toughest decision any man can make, and each choice was wrong, he feels as if God himself is against him.
(Here I come! (held out for about 2 seconds))
*Most people would say "Like you said, he can't take back his decision, so hes not turning around from a retreat, so that means hes saying 'here I come *Insert Enemy name here*', so he decided to take them on." but if you ask me hes saying here I come fate, hes made his decision, he can't go back and so now he has to accept his decision and keep going. Also, he could be talking to his comrades as he ascends to the "heaven" he has refered to in the courses. But how he got there, killed in the same battle, or live to fight and die another day, remains unsaid.
(Die! (held out for about 5 seconds))
*Here we can probably assume that he is yelling at his enemy, as he charges them, so he decided to stay. But he could also be cursing his enemies as he walks away, or cursing himself for whatever decission he made.
[Chorus]
Only the strongest will survive,
Lead me in heaven when we die,
I have a shadow on the wall,
I'll be the one to save us all.
Save us all!3x
So obviously which path he took remains unsaid, its up to the listener to decide that. So, which path did he choose?
They fall in line, one at a time,
Ready to play (I can't see them anyway)
No time to lose, we've got to move,
Steady your hand (I am losing sight again)
Fire your guns, it's time to run,
Blow me away (I will stay in the mess I made)
After the fall, we'll shake it off,
Show me the way
Only the strongest will survive
Lead me to heaven when we die
I am the shadow on the wall
I'll be the one to save us all
There's nothing left, so save your breath
Lying in wait (Caught inside this tidal wave)
Your cover's blown, nowhere to go
Holding your fate (Knowing I will walk alone)
Fire your guns, it's time to run,
Blow me away (I will stay in the mess I made)
After the fall, we'll shake it off,
Show me the way
Only the strongest will survive
Lead me to heaven when we die
I am the shadow on the wall
I'll be the one to save us all
You wanted it bad...
COME FIGHT ME!
HERE IT COMES!
FIGHT!
Only the strongest will survive
Lead me to heaven when we die
I have a shadow on the wall
I'll be the one to save us all
Save us all
This song is about war. Not just Halo 2, but any war, real or fictional. The first time I heard this song, a friend was playing it for me because we were going to use it on an English project (we had to make a soundtrack for the book Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - good book, by the way). My take on this is, soldiers are lining up, getting ready to be deployed onto the battlefield. They're talking to each other, giving words of encouragement, trying to get themselves pumped, knowing that they may never see another sunrise. It comes time for deployment, and they move out, trying to keep steady hands for better aim, despite the adrenaline pumping through their veins. They see the enemy, and unleash a gunpowder-and-lead hell upon them. After it's all over, and no enemy remains standing, those that remained alive shake off the dirt, blood, and tears, and go back to base. Only the strongest of the soldiers will make it through the battle, and those that don't will meet again in heaven. And so on, and so forth. I'm not entirely sure about the "shadow on the wall" bit, but I think it means the fear you feel when you're all alone, and you see another person's shadow on the wall. From the soldier's point of view, he is that shadow, and he's about to scare his enemy to death, literally.
Also, for those of you who insist on using vulgarities to insult others, can't you find a better way? If your insults rely on swearing, then you need to shut up and learn how to talk respectfully. Try to assume good faith.
at the beginning, it's "Ready to play" (rather than "Ready play")
"Steady at helm" not "Steady your helm"
"Fire your guns" not "Fire your gun"
in the chorus
"Lead me to heaven..." not "Lead me in heaven"
"I am the shadow..." not "I have a shadow"
in the screaming part
"You wanted it bad
(Don't fight me now!)
(Here it comes! (held out for about 2 seconds))
(Die! (held out for about 5 seconds))"
other than that, great!!!
once again, love this song, love breaking benjamin