The first unintelligble bits sound like:

The road back to Preston was covered all in snow
So I went looking for that stolen [still unintelligible!]


In the video you see a motorway sign to Preston, and although he's not going "back" there it is mentioned so that makes me think that what the lyric is

2 Replies

great to have the doves back with this awesome song.

seems, imo, to be a song about being deeply in love with someone who isn't available ("went looking for that stolen heart"), but as opposed to trying to get to them and controlling the situation themselves, they decide to let things happen in their own due time, to let go, wait to see if they will ever return the love they feel. it doesn't seem that this is something that comes very easily, willingly, as the person from this perspective is in love. "my god, it takes an ocean of trust" to believe that the other person will one day come around if they just learn to let go and not force the situation.. and so they wait.

the line "i long to feel that wince in my heart" is absolutely great. describes well the sensation of being in love, imo.

Great song, this one is a grows on you,

The term 'kingdom of rust' is probably referring to this world where everything ages(rust decays slowly) and then dies naturally.

I have to agree he is deeply in love with someone(most probably a girl) who isn't available because they have passed away:
'videos shows him scattering the ashes at the sea in the end'

So in order to remember his lover he is going back to where he met her first, at the beach:
'As I go searching
Right to the start'

He is religious and is tempted to committ suicide but is saying its is so hard to hold on to your faith:
'My god
It takes an ocean of trust
Takes an effort, it does'

He is exptecing he would feel his lover's presence when he goes to the sea to scatter the ashes and feel that 'wince' in his heart:
I long to feel
That wince in my heart
As I went looking

Now he is going to wait to die naturally where he will meet his lover in the hereafter:
'I couldn't stop
Now I'm
Waiting for you'

1 Reply

The "unintelligible" part sounds a bit to me like "it's hard" ...idk just throwing that out there :)

Preston is a small town in Lacashire, NW England.

The 'cooling towers' are those of a nuclear power plant. Preston happens to be powered by one.

Kingdom of Rust I believe is an allusion to the "Kingdom of God." The Kingdom of God, believed by the Jews to be an actual Kingdom, was revealed by Jesus to be more metaphorical - a kingdom of people who upheld the central tenets of the faith - being kind to ones neighbours, forgiving those who have done us wrong and so on.

Many lines of the song seem to allude to a personal journey into the isolation of nature (being out on the moor, the blackbirds and the sound of thunder.) These kinds of journeys are common within religious and spiritual circles (though more so in Eastern religions such as Buddhism which focus more on medication and self-exploration) in order to find enlightenment.

"Searching", "looking for you" and "I longed to feel some beauty in my heart" are all common concepts from the Christian faith, which places importance on a person's search for a personal relationship with God. The song also makes multiple references to "God", however it is unclear whether the lyricist is using the word as a noun (referring to the deity) or as an interjection (God this comment is long.)

Note that this comment was written by a philosopher and not a Christian - my intention is not to impose a Christian reading on the song for the benefit (or as a consequence) of my faith (I'm agnostic.)

The unintelligible part to me sounds like "need i say more?"
Maybe a very slurred version..

Cant stop listening to the song though, great album. Saw them in Boston, awesome concert!

Reportedly, Jimi wrote this song for his late father who died while the band was recording Kingdom of Rust. In this case, kingdomofrust's explanation is the closest, it just needs to be appropriately adjusted for his father instead of a lover.

Couple of things.

Someone updated the lyrics here to the producer's transcript of the song included in the liner notes. The lines should be "I packed my bags" and "I long to feel that wince in my heart" as that is how those two lines are sung live as well. "Fast" is not sung, and "winter" is incorrect.

The unintelligible part is sung "It's in the Kingdom of Rust" live, but it doesn't sound like that on the album cut. Honestly, I sounded it out as "Do you see Mom?", which would make some sense as the song was written for Jimi's recently deceased father.