Lyrics for Genesis as interpreted by PraiseTheFallen

Genesis Lyrics
Breathing an air, permeated,
soaked in darkness,
eminating from within,
resonating like a scream no one can hear

I wear this chaos well
Though none should save me,
desperation keeps me here,
my need for innocence,
the place where I began.
The abyss becomes me,
I wear this chaos well

Are these not words of heresy,
a venom on my lips, a poison?
My spirit impurified,
in everything I choose to say

With you I stand in hope that
God will save us from ourselves.
Every cry a wasted moment
until another day is lost.
Even lands we once called home
lie undiscovered and unknown.
Only heaven's silence for an answer.
And did our laughter, did our tears
have some purpose after all?
Did we toil in vain in hope
that wisdom came from what we'd done?
Even lands we once called home
lie undiscovered and unknown.
Only heaven's silence for an answer.

Are these not words of heresy,
a venom on my lips, a poison?
My spirit impurified,
in everything I choose to say
If I would shed my skin, the layers left,
but not the lessons learned
it would not undo what I have done
or grant forgiveness in some better days.

With you I stand in hope that
God will save us from ourselves.
Every cry a wasted moment
until another day is lost.
Even lands we once called home
lie undiscovered and unknown.
Only heaven's silence for an answer.
And did our laughter, did our tears
have some purpose after all?
Did we toil in vain in hope
that wisdom came from what we'd done?
Even lands we once called home
lie undiscovered and unknown.
Only heaven's silence for an answer.

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Syrinx
05-09-2002

Rated 0 
This song speaks to me of the fact that the true purpose of life is only what we can take with us when we leave it. Technology advances, civilizations grow, but in the end, it's our experiences and what we've learned that justify our existence. "If I would shed my skin, the layers left, but NOT the lessons learned, it would not undo what I have done." Life is not what you accomplish, but what you see along the way. The journey > the destination.

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Davegeta
05-28-2002

Rated 0 
Too me? It means, You've got all but one life to live, live it up so that you can say you accomplished something, rather then saying, "yah, I watched TV when the Football stadium blew up" You could say... "I was next door to the stadium when it blew"

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morphed
10-05-2002

Rated 0 
i see it as a choice he asks himself. to beleive in god, or not to beleive. all these things we do to live, all these trials and tribulations. beleive in god,, or to not beleive in god.


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enchiridion
05-01-2003

Rated 0 
Ok, for one thing: It's astronauts... in space.. reading the bible... to techno. contender on those bases for the coolest song ever. For the next, my interpretation. The author alludes to the acceptance of his greivous faults, or accepting the abyss equals heresy. And he states that perchance God will him from his own faults, although that has not happened yet. Coming to terms with a darker side is difficult.

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MrMarouka
09-29-2004

Rated 0 
To me, this song doesn't refer to a single person, but to humanity as a whole. "With you I stand in hope that God will save us from ourselves" alludes to the notion that we are a destructive race, yet there's still hope for our redemption.
"Did we toil in vain and hope that wisdome came from what we'd done"....With this, he's asking if all of the things we've accomplished, all of the tears shed, all of the suffering and joy we've gone through as a growing species; was it all in vain? The astronauts are an allusion to our accomplishments as human beings.

But of course, with everything we've done so far, it's left us with "only heaven't silence for an answer."

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DesolateSoul
11-06-2004

Rated 0 
I'm completely in the same vein of thinking as MrMarouka. I think it's more about the reflections of humanity, when all is said and done. It's us looking back and wondering if all we've done was even worth it.

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1307boy
11-07-2004

Rated 0 
enchiridion, nail on the head with the "coolest song ever" quote. to me, it's all about God, like morphed says, but i think he's saying that he wants to believe, that he wants there to be a god, and not to think that we have not "toiled in vain". but i think eventually it means that Ronan cannot bring himself to believe in anything beyond the world, as we have "only heaven's silence for an answer"...
it's a beautiful song, though, whatever it means, and the line "Even lands we once called home, lie undiscovered and unknown" makes me goosebumpy every time, thinkin about these once great peoples who have been conquered, and their home changed beyond recognition... that's what i think, anyway, but who's gonna agree with a kid like me? :P

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_faye_
12-16-2005

Rated 0 
I'm kinda there with MrMarouka. this is definately one of my favorite songs next to Honour and Perpetual. i always saw it as a contemplation as to why we have so much left to do and learn and discover. it seems like we are so far behind from where we should be. my favorite line has always been 'even lands we once called home lie undiscovered and unknown' - i could be taking it too literally but i seriously do wonder wtf we are doing out fighting unjustified wars, destroying our own planet and eachother instead of exploring the potential endless possibilities of being human and learning all there is to know about the universe we live in. we seem to be stuck (most of us anyway) and not moving forward or evolving as you would think we should be as a whole.

whewwww sorry about that....

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Revv
02-01-2006

Rated 0 
Actually, it sounds like he is using "us" and "we" as metaphors. This song seems to mostly be about himself, and his belief in God (and even humanity, itself, afterall, he is human).

At times, it sounds like he believes (grew up believing), but is surrounded by those who don't. He has to wear a mask of disbelief (chaos) around these people. He wonders if it is heresey to wear this mask. He gets bombarded (internally) with questions of beilef and hope (but of course, only silence as an answer).

The darkness comes from his own doubt. The "saving us" comes from a general dark desire to punish those creating the need for the mask.

As for the lands... the song seems to reference space (astronauts, etc). Some might think he means the oceans deep, but he might also mean space (we once called space home? maybe?). After all, we assume "heaven" is up, in the sky, with the stars... where we came from, and will return.

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chaoticone
03-23-2006

Rated 0 
this song sounds mroe as a anti religion

" With you I stand in hope that
God will save us from ourselves.
Every cry a wasted moment
until another day is lost. "

that god will save us from ourselves. that tis a waisted breath that only we can save ourselves.

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RandomOck
04-13-2006

Rated 0 
this song is about the sega genesis, and how it was supercool, along with super nintendo. the line "i wear this chaos well" is an ode to chaos emeralds, and how the author failed his life by never getting all of them. The other paragraphs all talk about ecco the dolphin. i can relate to this song a lot because i am a dolphin going through hard times breathing in air while living in the ocean. this is my favorite vnv nations song, although i like "i poo-pood on the choo-choo", which is very deep and insightful and i listen to it on my ipod at funerals.

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harvy
03-19-2007

Rated 0 
this song is all about the bible.
The quote itself from the book of genesis 1.
The song speaks from the story of Adam and Eve.
"Venon on the lips" represents from the serpent to Eve the fruit that eaten and then given to Adam.
Read the bible and you will understand vnv nation.

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HorsesMouth
04-04-2007

Rated 0 
VNV NATION "SONG MEANINGS" INSIDE
15 page interview with Ronan Harris.

http://dancemusic.about.com/od/artistshomepages/a/VnVNationInt.htm

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thrustae
03-19-2008

Rated 0 
Genesis by VNV Nation actually seems a lot like Psalm from the Bible. It begins by lamenting about evil phenomena, but then take a 180-degree turn and speaks of hope from On High. The change isn't only in the lyrics, but the music changes and becomes sort of more upbeat in the chorus.
IMHO, 'Even lands we once called home/Lie undiscovered and unknown' speaks of a spiritual world. 'Only Heaven's silence for an answer.' We think we know that spiritual world, but we really don't. I think this is an expression of Ronan's doubt, but also of his hope. We cannot clearly hear or see God, but we can still choose to have hope. It really follows the same formula that so many of the Psalms of David follow.

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