Thrice – Wood and Wire

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  General Comment:if it weren't for the 14 years bit, i'd say this is "the green mile". fits perfectly, other than that i don't think the prisoner in the green mile was incarcerated for 14 years, they pretty much fast tracked them to the electric chair back then...
  
  i would like to point out the the lyrics are wrong here, though. i'm positive that the ninth line should be:
  
  "throw the switch, son; i know you ain't got a choice"
  
  and i can't be certain, obviously, but i hear the chorus line as weight rather than wait, as in:
  
  "while the weight of an endless glory still remains"

  Flag ragnarok628on April 13, 2013   Link

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  Song Meaning:I found this great interview about Dustin talking about it:
  
  youtube.com/…

  Flag SaraJeanon August 07, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:Definitely written to convey the perspective of someone with a clean/guitless conscience through someone in jail facing the death penalty.
  
  "You take me where men fear to tread, but toward the thing I most desire"
  This shows that earthly consequences don't mean anything to this person, because they know no matter what happens here, they'll be saved in the end. In the end, we answer to God.
  
  "I've lost nearly everything to a crime of which I'm innocent....an endless glory still remains to me."
  This shows that this person has lost all of their worldly possessions and lifestyle, but they know that none of it matters because they have have glory waiting for them in the after life because of the way they lived here.
  
  So powerful. Very few artists even write about such heavy subjects.
  
  
  "Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."
  -Doctrine and Covenants 122:9

  Flag megbird1691on May 24, 2012   Link

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    Also embodies the feelings of many of the religious martyrs we know of in our history.

    Flag megbird1691on May 24, 2012  
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  General Comment:I agree with the prison theory totally. I'm not even gonna argue with it, because it sounds like it literally is a song about being in prison, mostly death row.
  But I will say this, it could be used as a metaphor as well. Anything can be a prison, if you make it so.
  Your mind, your room, your situation.
  That's what this song makes me think of. I sometimes feel like I'm trapped inside my own mind, and I won't go much further into that...but it's just something to think about, I guess.

  Flag Britster1821on December 17, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:This song is amazing. I am sitting here just listening to it on repeat. Even the tone of voice of the singer is spot on - it has hints of depression, sorrow, mourning, but also partial rejoice . . . finally the prisoner will no longer languish in a cell. "The dawn is coming. All is well, I will rejoice."
  

  Flag RealityandPurposeon April 08, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Well I didn't look as far into this as some of you guys did, but I just think of it as painting a picture of pure emotional agony and torture, then saying "but all my sufferings lie in momentary pain", etc. Leading him toward the thing he most desires, in my mind, was just mental torture, like leading a starving man up an endless staircase with a nice steaming turkey at the top. This could be a way of depicting how life is sometimes, where you're lacking something and you really desire it, and all around you are people who posses it. By the next verse he turns it around from an anthem of self-pity to a song of praise to God for giving us such a great and infinitely-good reason to have hope even in such a horrible situation. That's why we call it the gospel, or "good news". Basically, in the end, to me the message is that sadness is madness. The end of the song, however, sounds like he's dying, so I can't argue too much about the death penalty.

  Flag Lampala1203on February 13, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:brooks,
  here's your answer:
  
  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
  (2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV)
  
  almost the same exact words.

  Flag didymus1024on February 08, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:and now that we know that...does anyone know if that lyric "light and momentary pain" is derivative of something, because it's also used in mewithoutYou's "torches together."

  Flag brooks450on February 07, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:it's "a light and momentary pain" not "lie in momentary pain." listen to the acoustic version!

  Flag brooks450on February 07, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:It is "mesh of wood and wire" and this is one of the most poignant songs in existence, the fact that he meets his fate knowing that he is innocent (and I do also believe it is also 'weight' of endless glory): but still goes to God with a forgiving heart...effing awesome!

  Flag Beenixon October 29, 2010   Link

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