I take no credit for this interpretation, I found it on a website.
On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered by two men. He was tied to a fence post, then was continuously beaten, tortured, and left to die in the near-freezing temperatures. Eighteen hours later, a man rode by on his bicycle. He first mistook Matthew for a scarecrow, but on further investigation discovered that it was in fact a human being. Matthew's face was covered in blood, except for where his tears had washed it away. He was murdered because he was gay. Geoff Rickly is outraged, frightened, and disgusted by the murder of Matthew Shepard. He is so moved by this death that he cannot even disguise his feelings. This death, to him, shows the dehumanization by society that is becoming more and more popular, frequent, and life-threatening. He believes that eventually, no one will be unique or have identity - the world will be filled with robots. In this song, he gives a cry for unification and for revolution. The song starts off on the night Matthew was murdered. "The stage is set to rip the wings from the butterfly" refers to Matthew, a unique and delicate butterfly, tied to the fencepost, about to be ripped apart, both mentally and physically. This sets a serious tone for the rest of the song and causes everything that is said to relate to Matthew. Next, Rickly gives his thoughts on the subject. He feels that it will never be safe to express ourselves or to "take the stage" unless "the whole world dies," or society learns how to accept and cope with differences. He says that these kinds of crime will continue, and graveyards will grow to enormous sizes, near that of a "landing strip." He explains that when the whole world dies, "we won't have to be afraid anymore. But this is not the case, not yet at least, and in the meantime, people are scared. There is a "gathering storm" of hatred, and when it nears, everyone must "grow silent." The "curtain" separates those hated by members of society, like Matthew Shepard, from those faceless robots that are accepted by everyone else, loathed by no one. When this curtain falls, it becomes a game of survival. You must try to be caught on "the other side," the inhumane side, and "keep up the act" in order to survive. However, Rickly feels that it is worthless to live as a dehumanized soul, and refuses to put on an act for anybody. Instead, he chooses the other side of the curtain, and feels that he will soon find himself "in the back of black cars," of hearses, adding to the success of these fierce souls and joining their "procession of emptiness." Rickly points out that in today's society, many people are scared to voice their personal opinions. If they work up the courage to do this, they are immediately regretful and terrified. They hold their breath in anticipation, even though they know that eventually their planes "are going to crash" and they will become another martyred soul. To help stop this, Rickly cries out for a revolution. He suggests to the listeners that they "don't have to be alone ever again." He calls for them to unite against the faceless and start a riot in the theatre. He imagines a brawl between those who are unique and have opinions and the "murderers," who are waiting to do to them exactly what they did to Matthew and carve the same "M" in their sides. Rickly yells out that even if it comes to standing alone against the dehumanized, you must fight. If not, the world will become dull, monotonous, and full of robots. Rickly then goes back to the night that Matthew was murdered. Once again, "the stage is set to rip the wings from the butterfly." Then, there is a silence. Breathing. The helplessness of Matthew, the dullness of the world that will become of us, our inability to express ourselves, perhaps even Rickly's perception of the sound of death. Next, there is no singing, but talking. Singing would make the death of Matthew too unique. But it is not unique, not in today's world, because crimes like these have become almost as routine as talking. Rickly talks, describing Matthew's death. The mention of a "curtain" brings the listener back to the image of the brawl. Matthew, as Rickly instructed, is standing alone, defenseless against these two murderers. With the mention of lotus flowers and silk, we are reminded of a Chinese culture, of Buddhism, of reincarnation. Rickly hopes and prays that Matthew is reincarnated. He hopes someone else will come along to swim upstream and fight the worsening society. In the last lines, Rickly worries about himself and takes a stand. Suddenly, he finds himself "under the spotlight." He is the next target. He is "on display with the butterfly and the scarecrow," two images of Matthew Shepard. He then yells at the murderers, viciously accusing them of their crime. He says to them, "With smiles like picket fences you tie us all up and leave us outside." They then reply, speaking of Matthew, "That voice is silent now, the boat has sunk." Rickly then screams his final line, a final plea for help, for unification, for the betterment of today's society. He yells to anyone that is left from the brawl in the theatre, anyone willing to fight the murderers, anyone wanting to retain their opinions and their individuality. He tries to give these people confidence with his last line, while he also tries to make the murderers frightened. He yells, "We're on our own, but we're not going to run."
I take no credit for this interpretation, I found it on a website.
On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered by two men. He was tied to a fence post, then was continuously beaten, tortured, and left to die in the near-freezing temperatures. Eighteen hours later, a man rode by on his bicycle. He first mistook Matthew for a scarecrow, but on further investigation discovered that it was in fact a human being. Matthew's face was covered in blood, except for where his tears had washed it away. He was murdered because he was gay. Geoff Rickly is outraged, frightened, and disgusted by the murder of Matthew Shepard. He is so moved by this death that he cannot even disguise his feelings. This death, to him, shows the dehumanization by society that is becoming more and more popular, frequent, and life-threatening. He believes that eventually, no one will be unique or have identity - the world will be filled with robots. In this song, he gives a cry for unification and for revolution. The song starts off on the night Matthew was murdered. "The stage is set to rip the wings from the butterfly" refers to Matthew, a unique and delicate butterfly, tied to the fencepost, about to be ripped apart, both mentally and physically. This sets a serious tone for the rest of the song and causes everything that is said to relate to Matthew. Next, Rickly gives his thoughts on the subject. He feels that it will never be safe to express ourselves or to "take the stage" unless "the whole world dies," or society learns how to accept and cope with differences. He says that these kinds of crime will continue, and graveyards will grow to enormous sizes, near that of a "landing strip." He explains that when the whole world dies, "we won't have to be afraid anymore. But this is not the case, not yet at least, and in the meantime, people are scared. There is a "gathering storm" of hatred, and when it nears, everyone must "grow silent." The "curtain" separates those hated by members of society, like Matthew Shepard, from those faceless robots that are accepted by everyone else, loathed by no one. When this curtain falls, it becomes a game of survival. You must try to be caught on "the other side," the inhumane side, and "keep up the act" in order to survive. However, Rickly feels that it is worthless to live as a dehumanized soul, and refuses to put on an act for anybody. Instead, he chooses the other side of the curtain, and feels that he will soon find himself "in the back of black cars," of hearses, adding to the success of these fierce souls and joining their "procession of emptiness." Rickly points out that in today's society, many people are scared to voice their personal opinions. If they work up the courage to do this, they are immediately regretful and terrified. They hold their breath in anticipation, even though they know that eventually their planes "are going to crash" and they will become another martyred soul. To help stop this, Rickly cries out for a revolution. He suggests to the listeners that they "don't have to be alone ever again." He calls for them to unite against the faceless and start a riot in the theatre. He imagines a brawl between those who are unique and have opinions and the "murderers," who are waiting to do to them exactly what they did to Matthew and carve the same "M" in their sides. Rickly yells out that even if it comes to standing alone against the dehumanized, you must fight. If not, the world will become dull, monotonous, and full of robots. Rickly then goes back to the night that Matthew was murdered. Once again, "the stage is set to rip the wings from the butterfly." Then, there is a silence. Breathing. The helplessness of Matthew, the dullness of the world that will become of us, our inability to express ourselves, perhaps even Rickly's perception of the sound of death. Next, there is no singing, but talking. Singing would make the death of Matthew too unique. But it is not unique, not in today's world, because crimes like these have become almost as routine as talking. Rickly talks, describing Matthew's death. The mention of a "curtain" brings the listener back to the image of the brawl. Matthew, as Rickly instructed, is standing alone, defenseless against these two murderers. With the mention of lotus flowers and silk, we are reminded of a Chinese culture, of Buddhism, of reincarnation. Rickly hopes and prays that Matthew is reincarnated. He hopes someone else will come along to swim upstream and fight the worsening society. In the last lines, Rickly worries about himself and takes a stand. Suddenly, he finds himself "under the spotlight." He is the next target. He is "on display with the butterfly and the scarecrow," two images of Matthew Shepard. He then yells at the murderers, viciously accusing them of their crime. He says to them, "With smiles like picket fences you tie us all up and leave us outside." They then reply, speaking of Matthew, "That voice is silent now, the boat has sunk." Rickly then screams his final line, a final plea for help, for unification, for the betterment of today's society. He yells to anyone that is left from the brawl in the theatre, anyone willing to fight the murderers, anyone wanting to retain their opinions and their individuality. He tries to give these people confidence with his last line, while he also tries to make the murderers frightened. He yells, "We're on our own, but we're not going to run."