As some of you have mentioned before, yeah, this song is about the religious cult Heaven's Gate. The evidence is in the video, where you can see they have "Away Team" (Star Trek reference) bands. This religious cult commit mass suicide May 1997. The cult did in fact have a survivor just as in the video, who later on informed the media about his experience. They didn't die in a shack, though, they rented out a mansion before their suicide.
The beginning, "Something's tearing me down" and "I just wonder what we've gotten ourselves into" are the feelings of apprehension and anxiety the survivor feels before he's about to take his own life. While I don't get the fire references, the "I'll burn before you bury me" symbolizes the cult's beliefs that the earth will renew itself by rejuvenating after an apocalypse, and that to avoid this, the cult must evacuate Earth the only way possible: by leaving their bodies to join other extraterrestrial beings through suicide. Their times of death were around the time when the Hale-Bopp comet passed Earth in 1997, since their cult leader Marshall Applewhite believed that escaping the world then would allow them to climb aboard the spaceship he claimed was following the comet. "Mind is willing/Soul remains" shows yet again the survivor's tension, as his religious beliefs wanted him to suicide, but his gut/body/soul doesn't think it's such a good idea.
The rest, I'm not really sure of. "Flesh too weak to jump yourself" could also relate to the cult's belief that their bodies were just weak vessel that were caught in this terrible world, and that their suicide could turn them into transhuman "Next Level" beings. I don't really know why this song's called "Propane Nightmares," but my guess is that it has something to do with Robert Leon Nichols, formerly in the band Grateful Dead, who also committed suicide in the same manner, only this time he used propane to kill himself rather than phenobarbital. It's just a guess, but the propane would explain all the fire references.
@failtopale i know this was a long time ago but to clear up some things, the whole fire thing is in relation to the comet they thought they where going to be joining, the "trail of fire" relating to the trail left behind the comet. so "in the trail of fire I know we will be free again" is they thought ultimate freedom was existing as one in this trail behind the comet, "in the trail of fire I'll burn before you bury me" is "before you can bury my body after my suicide I will already be burning as...
@failtopale i know this was a long time ago but to clear up some things, the whole fire thing is in relation to the comet they thought they where going to be joining, the "trail of fire" relating to the trail left behind the comet. so "in the trail of fire I know we will be free again" is they thought ultimate freedom was existing as one in this trail behind the comet, "in the trail of fire I'll burn before you bury me" is "before you can bury my body after my suicide I will already be burning as a part of the comet's trail"
@failtopale I know this is a V E E E R Y old comment to reply to, but I have the answer for the lyrics you're confused about:
@failtopale I know this is a V E E E R Y old comment to reply to, but I have the answer for the lyrics you're confused about:
"In the trail of fire" refers to the cults belief that they would get to The next Level by riding the tail of the Hale-Bop Comet, the trail of fire.
"In the trail of fire" refers to the cults belief that they would get to The next Level by riding the tail of the Hale-Bop Comet, the trail of fire.
"I'll burn before you bury me" shows that the survivor was not unwilling to go through with the ritual suicide as they were determined to travel on the comet. The survivor themselves IRL stayed behind as per Marshall Applewhite's wishes in order to room the Heaven's Gate website which is still running to this day.
The song isn't actually about an unwillingness to go through with it, but the regret in being unable to due to their leader's wishes.
And leading to "Flesh too weak to jump yourself" which is a literally interpreted lyric, you can't jump to the comet, but by freeing your soul from your "Vehicle" as the cult liked to call their corporeal bodies, your soul could reach the comet's trail.
I had no idea what this song was about until I saw your comment, but I know a decent amount Heaven's Gate in order to contribute so I'm glad my first post on here is useful haha.
As some of you have mentioned before, yeah, this song is about the religious cult Heaven's Gate. The evidence is in the video, where you can see they have "Away Team" (Star Trek reference) bands. This religious cult commit mass suicide May 1997. The cult did in fact have a survivor just as in the video, who later on informed the media about his experience. They didn't die in a shack, though, they rented out a mansion before their suicide.
The beginning, "Something's tearing me down" and "I just wonder what we've gotten ourselves into" are the feelings of apprehension and anxiety the survivor feels before he's about to take his own life. While I don't get the fire references, the "I'll burn before you bury me" symbolizes the cult's beliefs that the earth will renew itself by rejuvenating after an apocalypse, and that to avoid this, the cult must evacuate Earth the only way possible: by leaving their bodies to join other extraterrestrial beings through suicide. Their times of death were around the time when the Hale-Bopp comet passed Earth in 1997, since their cult leader Marshall Applewhite believed that escaping the world then would allow them to climb aboard the spaceship he claimed was following the comet. "Mind is willing/Soul remains" shows yet again the survivor's tension, as his religious beliefs wanted him to suicide, but his gut/body/soul doesn't think it's such a good idea.
The rest, I'm not really sure of. "Flesh too weak to jump yourself" could also relate to the cult's belief that their bodies were just weak vessel that were caught in this terrible world, and that their suicide could turn them into transhuman "Next Level" beings. I don't really know why this song's called "Propane Nightmares," but my guess is that it has something to do with Robert Leon Nichols, formerly in the band Grateful Dead, who also committed suicide in the same manner, only this time he used propane to kill himself rather than phenobarbital. It's just a guess, but the propane would explain all the fire references.
@failtopale i know this was a long time ago but to clear up some things, the whole fire thing is in relation to the comet they thought they where going to be joining, the "trail of fire" relating to the trail left behind the comet. so "in the trail of fire I know we will be free again" is they thought ultimate freedom was existing as one in this trail behind the comet, "in the trail of fire I'll burn before you bury me" is "before you can bury my body after my suicide I will already be burning as...
@failtopale i know this was a long time ago but to clear up some things, the whole fire thing is in relation to the comet they thought they where going to be joining, the "trail of fire" relating to the trail left behind the comet. so "in the trail of fire I know we will be free again" is they thought ultimate freedom was existing as one in this trail behind the comet, "in the trail of fire I'll burn before you bury me" is "before you can bury my body after my suicide I will already be burning as a part of the comet's trail"
@failtopale I know this is a V E E E R Y old comment to reply to, but I have the answer for the lyrics you're confused about:
@failtopale I know this is a V E E E R Y old comment to reply to, but I have the answer for the lyrics you're confused about:
"In the trail of fire" refers to the cults belief that they would get to The next Level by riding the tail of the Hale-Bop Comet, the trail of fire.
"In the trail of fire" refers to the cults belief that they would get to The next Level by riding the tail of the Hale-Bop Comet, the trail of fire.
"I'll burn before you bury me" shows that the survivor was not unwilling to go through with the ritual suicide as they were determined to travel on the comet. The survivor themselves IRL stayed behind as per Marshall Applewhite's wishes in order to room the Heaven's Gate website which is still running to this day. The song isn't actually about an unwillingness to go through with it, but the regret in being unable to due to their leader's wishes.
And leading to "Flesh too weak to jump yourself" which is a literally interpreted lyric, you can't jump to the comet, but by freeing your soul from your "Vehicle" as the cult liked to call their corporeal bodies, your soul could reach the comet's trail.
I had no idea what this song was about until I saw your comment, but I know a decent amount Heaven's Gate in order to contribute so I'm glad my first post on here is useful haha.