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In this dark night we stand or fall
We are kings now, or nothing at all
Check your armor; Light up your torch
Touch the flame to the sail before you head for shore
And we will burn the fleet
We can never go home
It's on to victory or under ground
Burn the fleet, we'll be heroes or ghosts
But we won't be turned around
The old flag will burn with the sail
And a new one won't fly if we fail
But the fire continues to rise
And it shows not a hint of any fear in our eyes
Burn the fleet, we can never go home
It's on to victory or under ground
Burn the fleet, we'll be heroes or ghosts
But we won't be turned around
We are kings now, or nothing at all
Check your armor; Light up your torch
Touch the flame to the sail before you head for shore
And we will burn the fleet
We can never go home
It's on to victory or under ground
Burn the fleet, we'll be heroes or ghosts
But we won't be turned around
The old flag will burn with the sail
And a new one won't fly if we fail
But the fire continues to rise
And it shows not a hint of any fear in our eyes
Burn the fleet, we can never go home
It's on to victory or under ground
Burn the fleet, we'll be heroes or ghosts
But we won't be turned around
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what man has become, the weight of the guilt of the world, just hit me and resonated such a real way. i wanted to just fall to the ground and beg forgiveness for and from everyone. im not religious, either.
i just felt that i could, more clearly, see the prices weve paid for our successes and mistakes. life changing.
Maybe I'm just a huge nerd, though.
Great song and lyrics whatsoever.
Light up your torch,
Touch the flame to the sand,
Before you head to the shore.
It's not "touch the flame to the sand"
it's "touch the flame to the sail"
anyways i think you guys have the meaning all sorted out.. so i just wanted to correct the lyrics :)
I took a class called 'Classics in Western Literature' about a year ago. In reading the Iliad, I recall that the Greeks arrived by boat on the shores (near Troy) with a fleet of some 50 boats. These boats carried the great warriors and leaders of Greece. Some of whom were prior suitors to Helen, the wife of Menelaus (a greek). Helen was 'abducted' by Paris, a trojan. For anyone familiar with greek mythology or culture, themes of hubris, honor, family, hospitality, etc.. Character of a person was everything. Wars could be fought over honor, and for 'celebrities' of their era such as the beautiful and 'honorable' Helen, they were. Hence, the battle of Troy.
Anyhow, at one point the Trojans begin an offensive that takes them from the walls of Troy all the way to the shores where the Greeks hold their furthest camp, at their fleet. The Trojans are having a surge of victory, and it is suggested that they might 'burn the greek fleet' so that they will fight and die rather than return home to their home.
The Iliad draws on favoring and folly between the Gods as well as mortals. Things turn around for the Greeks and ultimately they are not defeated at the shores. Here's where things get foggy for me. I don't recall if in fact a greek too makes allusion to 'burning the fleet' in order to make an honorable and ultimate stand agains the Trojans who have Helen, or if this was only suggested by a Trojan.
My gut feeling is that either Agamemnon, Odysseus, Menelaus, or some other prominent Greek suggests a final stand like this, where the Greeks would forgo any fall-back and unite to defeat the Trojans for the honor of Helen and greek tradition, etc...
I've done the 'Iliad' a great injustice here! Understand that it is so much more than I've probably made it sound...
My point is that withing the story of the battle of Troy (forget the movie Troy, please) I remember similar sentiment to lyrics in this song.
'heroes or ghosts but we won't be turned around'
-a classic summary of Greek honor in war
'a new flag will fly if we fail'
-upon defeat, the greek homeland would undoubtedly fall to the Trojans... because the prominent figures and warriors would be gone, dead in battle overseas.
-and I think the last thing to note would be the rather 'epic' sound to the song. Try and tell me it doesn't sound like the score to a classic Greek epic?
Whatevs.