The Afterman: Ascension
1. The Hollow
Lyrics:
Sirius: All Mother, are you awake?
All Mother: I am always awake.
Sirius: You'll stay with me won't you?
All Mother: I'll be there every step of the way.
The Afterman albums are a God-send for this kind of a project. Claudio hasn't spoken much about the interpretation of his other songs, but The Afterman albums received particular attention, with several "Inside the Concept" videos being released on youtube where Claudio explains a little bit about the story and the symbolism of the images, and The Afterman coffee-table book contains a small anecdote about the real-world inspiration/story that inspired that particular chapter of The Afterman.
A piano chimes in, the key's beautiful and sombre tones ringing in our ears. The timing is slow, and there is tension, but peace. We are aware of the fact that as we listen to this beautiful melody, we are alone and yet we are only drawn into a world unlike our own. The melodious silence is broken when a gravelly voice comes through what sounds like a walkie-talkie and says "All Mother, are you awake?". The peaceful music continues to harmonize and soothe us as a woman's voice mixed with the technological tones of a computer voice replies "I am always awake." We are pulled into the story, and suddenly a single question emerges from the lips of the man. "You'll stay with me won't you?". Sorrow fills our hearts, the adult man is afraid. He is stepping over a boundary and is probably begging inside for the arms of those he loves, and all he has is a computer. But she knows how to reply; "I'll be there every step of the way." We are touched by All Mother's compassion and affection for Sirius and as the piano slowly begins to slow down and fade out, a single key is pressed to finalise the song. After a short silence, there is a scraping electrical hum, creeping from the darkness.
The Hollow is one of Coheed and Cambria's many intro tracks, and it does an amazing job at setting the mood for the story. The reason I put the lyrics as "Character's Thoughts" is simply because it doesn't happen in corresponding chapter, or indeed anywhere in The Afterman book. In the book, Claudio states in his introduction "With each note, The Hollow is meant to express the anxiety of not wanting to head out into a great new world alone." a theme which has spanned across all of Claudio's works. The interchange between Sirius and the All-Mother takes place just before Sirius "walks determinedly across the bridge of his space craft". On a journey to defy all current scientific and spiritual knowledge about the Keywork, a journey which he is both excited and fearful of. The Hollow refers to the bottom portion of Sirius' ship the Meriwell, where a fog gathers.
2. Key Entity Extraction I: Domino The Destitute.
Lyrics:
La la la, la la la la x 4
If you had the courage to stop me from turning,
Into what would be.
The worst in everybody's eyes.
Hey I'm no angel nor the devil of your conscience,
To tell you who to be.
Good, bad, ugly or otherwise.
If you had good common sense,
Your choices would be,
Gleaming, flawless.
I want no part of this self-deprecating,
Worthless chemistry.
Chorus
We've made our beds.
To lie in them proud, proud of our great mistakes.
This warring knife,
The flash of it's blade, turn about face
I implore you, brother.
Don't walk away,
Don't walk away from me.
'Cuz this is our war.
Oh, you think they had it all.
While you were left with nothing.
Oh, oh, you've taken the fall,
for them to walk all over.
You've made your bed,
So soft and comforting.
These dreams await,
The great good morning.
Chorus
Oh, we've got you,
By the throat ha ha ha oh!
You, wannabe!
Welcome all,
To the everlasting all-time low,
Please put your hands together,
For the ever-failing one-man show.
Domino!
Ladies.
And broken gentlemen.
The undisputed champ,
Of misery.
Oh and in this corner,
We find his challenger,
The pride of utopia,
The greatest thing,
Ever.
Oh, oh, oh woah.
Oh, oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, hahaha x 2
If you could recall,
One moment of your past,
That defined you to be, to make you the man.
We've come to love.
All of the above.
This disaster binds, us absolute.
A thousand lies, you tell yourself.
That no-one ever loved you right (ooh)
But I would do anything for you.
The question fits the question mark.
Your signal's crossed, your message lost.
haha!
(Announcer)
Well this has been an extraordinary change of events
As two great champions at the fight to the finish
find themselves in their last and final round
The fight now being deemed around the world as the upset of the century
Let's get back to the brawl and in the fray!
The fighters meet in the center of the ring,
the challenger swings to the right, quick with a left,
hooks across Domino's jaw
Followed by a crushing strike to the body
OH! He might have took another left...
His hook sends Domino into the ropes!
The Challenger lands a devastating combo followed by a driving
hook that sends Domino to the floor
The crowd's on their feet
The ref calls the fight
He's out, he's out...
La la la, la la la la x 2
This wall won't hold forever.
Your time has come it's,
Now or never.
Chorus.
One by one,
We are together, we fall together.
One by one,
We are together, we fall together (my)
Brother, don't be afraid.
We are together, we are together.
Brother!
We are together, we fall together!
I know I said one post a week, but I'm really enjoying doing this, The Afterman: Ascension has so many resources at it's disposal that it's really easily analysed and I'm eager to get to the nitty gritty of Year of the Black Rainbow, so let's have two posts this week and continue with the next song, Key Entity Extraction 1: Domino the Destitute.
A guitar scrapes and bends it's way into a slow solo, singing to us a sad and scary tune. We are drawn further into a repetition of the solo by soft bursts of rythm, and then a stacatto riff, accompanied by Claudio's voice, whispering a predatory, growling la la la, la la la la. The guitar is slammed on after the intro, we are taken on a journey that was violent from the beginning and violent in the end. Through the guitar and drumwork of Coheed and Cambria, the quartet abuse our ears as every note is punched out just as hard as a strike from Domino himself. Claudio's lyrics sing the inner monologues and conversations of Domino and his brother Chess, as well as the violent machinations of Krip Noncruss and the chanting of the masses ignorant of the hell Domino is putting himself through in a misguided quest for greatness and stardom. As Claudio's vocals intensify into the final line "We fall together" and the guitar's final bursts of sound end, we are given a heavy, echoing drop, that signals the end of the song, and of Domino's life.
The line "La la la, la la la la" in this song, serves as a bridge to Domino from The Hollow. As Sirius first floats into the Keywork, he hears something singing this way, and soon realises that the Keywork is made up of souls of the dead. These "la's" are a direct quote from the souls of the Keywork.
The song recounts Sirius' experience with the spirit of Domino. In the Keywork, Domino possesses Sirius and the result is that Sirius lives out in a kind of spiritual maze, Domino's memoires. The majority of the song is made up of Domino and his brother Chess fighting. The pattern is first evident when Domino opens the song saying "If you (meaning Chess) had the courage to stop me from turning into what would be the worst in everybody's eyes.", Chess cuts him off saying "I'm not the angel or the devil of your conscience to tell you who to be." These words show us that Domino is attempting to shift the blame for his actions onto his brother, who refuses to take responsibility for Domino's addiction and self-harming behaviour.
Continuing from Chess' perspective, Domino is told "If you had good common sense your choices would be gleaming, flawless. I want no part of this self deprecating, worthless chemistry." Which is essentially Chess berating Domino for being so irresponsible, and Chess officially seperates himself from his brother in order to establish security for himself.
The chorus is slightly more tricky to work out, as is Claudio's wont he uses metaphor and symbolism a lot when writing his songs, and there is no literal definition of "this warring knife" or even from reading the story. The "warring knife" the song refers to could be a symbol for Domino himself, fighting against his brother that loves him more than anything, as well as fighting against his better judgement. The line "turn about face" is significant, as in the military the command "about face", means to face the opposite direction that one is currently facing. In this context, Chess reaches out to Domino to reverse his self-destructive behaviour. The matter of "I implore you brother don't walk away from me" can go two ways. It can be Domino begging Chess not to leave, as he believes he is on the right path, or it can be Chess begging Domino not to leave, as he knows his brother is slowly killing himself. The line "This is our war" can also be seen as coming from either brother. Domino speaking from ignorance beliving his path to be correct, and Chess speaking truthfully, knowing that Domino is a good man and begs him to come back to true and honest training. The "war" they both refer to could be the rise to fame. However, this still offers no explanation for "This warring knife, The flash of its blade", and no explanation is given in the story, and no where else that I can find.
The song goes on to say "Oh, you think they had it all, while you were left with nothing." Once again, Chess berates his brother for acting selfishly, for believing he is hard-done by while others reap A glory he believes is his by rights. The next line "Oh, oh, you've taken the fall, for them to walk all over, You made your bed, so soft and comforting. These dreams awake, the great good morning." Here we see some word play which features prominently in a few Coheed and Cambria songs, where one word serves as an anchor between two sentences. The first half of the line "Oh oh, you've taken the fall, for them to walk all over" actually ends with the next word "you", which is also the beginning of the second line "Oh oh, you've
taken the fall, for them to walk all over" actually ends with the next word "you", which is also the beginning of the second line "You made your bed, so soft and comforting." The first two lines in this phrase are from Chess, who tries to point out to Domino what Kripp is actually doing to him. The second two (you made your bed etc) is from Krip, who continues to tempt the weakened Domino. The next phrase after the chorus "Oh we've got you by the throat ha ha ha, oh you wannabe" is Krip taunting Domino about his weakness, and how through addiction and promises of glory, Kripp essentially "ownes" Domino now.
The next two verses of the song is simply bringing the reality of the story into our world. They speak from the point of view of an announcer, generating hype for the battle between Domino (the undisputed champ of misery) and Saul "The Ghostmaker" Maven (the pride of utopia).
After the vocal solo, the next verse continues on from Chess' perspective. He re-iterates to Domino that he loves Domino, because they are brothers, no matter Domino's transgressions, Chess will always be there for him. The starting lines of the next verse (This disaster binds, us absolute) strengthens this statement, saying that even in the most disastrous of times Chess and his brother are still bound to one another. Chess shows Domino that he is fooling himself (a thousand lies, you tell yourself) once again, utilising a word or phrase as an anchor to join two sentences. "A thousand lies you tell yourself" and "You tell yourself, that no-one ever loved you right". The next phrase (Ooh, but I would do anything for you) attempts to show Domino that the love and praise he seeks so desperately is right in front of him in his brother. I can't find any meaning for the final lines of this verse.
The announcer's section of the song brings the audience back into the reality of the story, where we (through the announcer's commentary) witness Domino's major fight against Saul. A fight which Domino loses, and ultimately causes his downfall.
The line "This wall won't hold forever" can be seen as being said by Krip. After Domino is defeated, Krip offers Domino a chance at redemption through robbing an armoured car. The "wall" Krip refers to could be the walls covering the armoured car, this is further backed up by "Your time has come it's now or never." which can be seen as Krip encouraging Domino to accept his offer.
The event referenced by the phrase "We are together, we fall togehter" is the robbery itself, where Domino has convinced his younger brother Chess to assist him in the robbery, which ends badly when Chess is shot by police and killed. Domino attempts to comfort his brother, either during the robbery or while Chess succumbs to his wound saying "Brother don't be afraid". Chess dies and Domino cries out "Brother!". Wracked with guilt and not wanting to leave his brother behind, Domino puts a gun in his mouth
and kills himself "We are together, we fall together."
The real-life event that caused Domino the Destitute to be written was Michael Todd's addiction to drugs. Claudio expresses great sadness through this story of a man who is desperate for stardom, going to any means he deems necessary, no matter how much support and love surrounds him.
3. The Afterman
Lyrics:
She gave her heart to a falling star
When news filtered through of his tragedy all the walls went up
Around a world she declines
As the tears from her eyes fall
No one understands, and no one will
All she has lost
If he's not here, then where?
If he's not here, then where?
If he's not here then where?
If he's not here then where?
When she found it there in the cold, blue glare
The words distressed and unfamiliar where the feelings seared
An emptiness had hung, and in her chest, she clenched
Reality settled as the memories raced while on the screen he lived
She teared; "Your selfishness has robbed you of the man you could've been
I wouldn't change a thing about you. I love you dearly, my friend"
If he's not here then where?
If he's not here then where?
My love, Been searching for my Afterman
If he's not here then where?
If he's not here then where?
My love, Been searching for my Afterman
I know, I know. One day and I'm already a third of the way through the album. Don't you judge me! I'm loving this!
Small electronic pips dance gracefully in our ears. The bass, rhythm and drums follow softly behind. Claudio's voice sings to us in a soft, almost ethereal whisper. The pips continue in a graceful pattern behind his words. The song is one of confusion, and sorrow so deep it causes one to become so completely still. A deft layor of violins is added briefly during the line "If he's not here then where?". The song continues, synthetic strings whine softly in the background, but the pips remain. The song ends in a strange amalgamation of soft electronic sounds, and loud aggressive guitar bursts. It sounds cacophanous, but we understand. We understand that, in this song is
encompassed the sorrow, hurt and anger that we might feel, should we lose the person we love most. As the song fades out, we are left to contemplate that very real possibility.
The album's titular song speaks heavily from Claudio's position as the all-knowing writer. The Afterman is about Sirius Amory's wife Meri. During the story of Domino the Destitute, Sirius becomes possessed by the spirit of Domino. As Sirius is forced to re-live Domino's memories, he forces the entity out of his body, but Domino's otherworldly screams resonate back to Sirius' ship the "Meriwell" and cause it to explode. Meri hears of the incident, learning that he is presumed dead with little evidence to suggest otherwise. She reflects on their life and how much of it there was left to be lived.
Claudio speaks for Meri, saying "She gave her heart to a falling star", meaning Sirius. In the following chapters, Meri withdraws from the world and Claudio puts this forward saying "when news filtered through of his tragedy (referring to the event where Meri discovers of Sirius' supposed "death" on the internet) all the walls went up". This message is carried on in the rest of the verse, showing the audience just how alone Meri feels without Sirius.
The phrase "If he's not here then where?" is a reflection of Meri being lost without Sirius. It is so abnormal for Meri to consider her life existing without Sirius, that she cannot fathom the fact that he simply, isn't there.
Where it's impressed me most however is in its blending of reality and story. The Afterman was inspired by Claudio's real life experience with his wife Chondra. When they got back from a holiday with no mobile reception, Chondra opened her facebook to see that a very close friend of hers had passed away. Claudio says:
The lyrics "When she found it there, in the cold blue glare, The words distressed and unfamiliar where the feelings seared." refer to this event, and show how directly inspired from real-world events. The following verse "An emptiness had hung, and in her chest, she clenched, Reality settled as memories raced while on the screen he lived." bridges the reality of the story and the real-world event that inspired it. It relays the feelings of emptiness after losing a loved one, and of Meri (and Chondra) having to deal with the new reality without the person they love, while seeing evidence of that person on their respective screens (Meri on her computer, Chondra on her facebook account).
Meri is an amazing woman, she has put her own dreams and desires on hold for Sirius many times, some day expecting that he will return the favor and they will start a family. After discovering that Sirius has apparently died, she can't help but feel a little bitterness towards the man she loves for taking her dreams with her; "Your selfishness has robbed you of the man you could have been." But, she still loves him dearly; "I wouldn't change a thing about you. I love you dearly, my friend."
The "If he's not here then where?" statements are the same as above, and coupled with the "My love, Been searching for my Afterman" is a reference to Meri looking for any evidence that Sirius (The Afterman) might still be alive. Sirius gains the title "The Afterman" from the souls in the Keywork later in the story. This is because the Keywork is an afterlife, and is often referred to as "The After". As the only living man within the Keywork, he becomes known as "The Afterman".
4. Mothers of Men
Lyrics:
In this space where nothing will seem too right
Our voice unheard in this quiet fight
This march we lead will breed our song
To them we're nothing, to them we're pawns
Oh, a desperate play to feel like we belong
Now as we take up into these streets
Remember, I depend on you as much as you on me
Don't try to fake it, let's not pretend
We made you mothers, we made you men
We made you mothers, we made you men
Chorus
Oh, it's no surprise nobody listens anymore
To what we're saying, to what was said
And in your absence we promised you
Oh, we'll behave, oh, we'll behave
So just keep running, everything will look better once you look away
Oh, I agree, cause' what's the difference?
Oh, is there a difference we make?
Your day will come
The rain starts dancing across our backs
These ardent words seize this heart attack
Belief still strong, we can make this change
The stage is set to occupy the brain
The stage is, we made this, we made this, we made it.
Chorus
Between the dapper villain in a Sunday serial at the podium,
Or another cog in the wheel, just another cog in the wheel
They're both capable of making life hard,
But no bandage can mend all these parts
So why do I give?
Between, between, between
Between, between, between
Between the dream, the dream
Chorus
Of making life hard,
But no bandage can mend all these parts
So why do I live with this?
No difference...
Goodnight...
Haha! Finally a cryptic song that took SOME detective work...admittedly not much. I read the chapter a couple of times, I listened to the song, read the lyrics, and I was stumped. THEN I watched the "Inside the Concept" video that was released for this song, and it just completed the puzzle for me. Thank you Claudio.
The guitar opens with a deep, distorted riff that jumps everywhere. We are carried along the angry tune with two bursts of the drum. The riff continues and is carried into an elongated bend that takes us into the full song. Claudio's voice is gentle, but sharp, and is at a much lower volume than the aggressive guitar and bass, making it difficult to hear the words he says. He runs words in together with no clear definition, and we feel something close to the fear that the Sirius must be feeling while traversing the Keywork. Claudio's voice explodes into a bold chorus, and there is an anger and dramaticism in his voice that is confusing, aren't we meant to be following Sirius in this song? The next verse continues much the same as the first verse did before it. The bridge feels calmer, but no less angry as the guitar is continually belted out on, and Claudio's voice carries us to the end of the song. The guitar finally ends, and a glass is softly tapped on. An electronic hum crescendos slowly, the voices of a crowd murmer through. Electronic bubbles dance around in our ears and as everything stops a man says "Goodnight".
The song is, as Claudio puts it, about the "protest" of the souls of the Keywork. The "this space" mentioned in the song refers to the Keywork, and the "Our" refers to the souls. The "Mothers of Men" chapter reads:
The first verse sets the theme of protest for the song. The "this space" mentioned is the Keywork itself. The "Our" in the second line refers to the souls of the Keywork's purgatory. The souls acknowledge how unknown they've become to the worlds they were once a part of (our song unheard in this quiet fight). They protest against how they have become a singular entity, completely ignorant of the fact that it is these selfish, individualisticly proud feelings that they must abandon if they wish to transcend into the Samaritaine (if the Keywork is purgatory, the Samaritaine is heaven). They talk about their protest (This march we lead will breed our song) while surmising their role as energy for the Keywork, They refer to the population of Heaven's Fence as "them" and rreconize that they have become so invisible it's as though they are "nothing" except an energy source (to them we're pawns) and they recognize the futility of their protest (A desperate play to feel like we belong).
Now before I continue onto the second verse, I'd like to present a theory. The line "Our song unheard in this quiet fight" tells me that the souls of the Keywork speak in song. If you go back to the Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute chapter, you sill see that Sirius' first encounter with a Keywork soul was it singing "La la la, la la la la.". This line is also the first singing done in the corresponding song, as well as on the entire album. Also, Claudio has stated numerous times that he uses music to get out emotions that he can't bottle up, or that he can't express any other way. In this way, Coheed and Cambria's music can be thought of as the song of Claudio's soul. This would tie into the story as a whole, creating Heaven's Fence and the Keywork as the place where Claudio tells us about events/memories of his life. This would explain why Sirius has no verbal communication with any of the billions of souls in the Keywork, until he is possessed by one of the "Key" Entities, and even then he can only understand that particular entity at that particular time while that entity shares his mind.
The second verse references the real-life act of protest saying "Now as we take up into these streets". In the context/setting of the Keywork this sentence doesn't fit well at all, however if we apply a real-world reference context to it, it suddenly becomes a simple reference to the comaraderie of protest. This is backed up by the next line "Remember, I depend on you as much as you on me", which also serves to present the bitteness of the Keywork's souls at their dualistic relationship with Heaven's Fence. The Keywork souls need Heaven's Fence for some kind of purpose, and Heaven's Fence needs the Keywork for...you know...survival...breathing, that whole thing. The line "Don't try to fake it let's not pretend, we made you mothers we made you men" is the souls of the Keywork basically accusing Heaven's Fence of just pretending everything is okay, and portrays just how much of their memory has been lost of life on Heaven's Fence. (Remember, in life, Heaven's Fence's people aren't much different from us, there's a scientific community and a spiritual community. The scientific believe there's nothing after death and the spiritual believe in Heaven and Hell. The souls of the Keywork are so bitter and twisted, they've forgotten that they were once one or the other in these respective communities.
The chorus is a passionate cry from the souls of the Keywork. The lament their position of being completely looked over and having no influence on the lives which they supply life to (it's not surprise nobody listens anymore, to what we're saying, to what was said). The line "And in your abscence we promised you, oh we'll behave, oh we'll behave" is difficult for me to say for sure. At first glance I want to say that it's the souls of the Keywork protesting against their subjugation by Heaven's Fence. However the phrase "In your abscence" throws me a bit becuase if this IS from the souls' perspective, it doesn't fit because no one has left the souls, the souls left their loved ones through death. However, looking at "absence" on dictionary.com, one of the definitions is "inattentiveness; preoccupation, absent-mindedness". In this context, the souls are actually berating the people on Heaven's Fence for their ignorance of exactly how much the souls provide for them. This beration continues in the line "Just keep running, everything will look better once you look away" where the souls continue to hound the people of Heaven's Fence about their misperception of the Keywork as only energy, rather than a stream of the souls of their loved ones. However ultimately the souls realize their protest is futile, and despite having a shared experience (Oh I aggree) they recognise that they aren't impacting anything through their perpetual protest (what's the difference? Oh is there a difference we make?), and the chorus is broken off with the macabre prediction "Your day will come".
The line "This rain starts dancing across our backs" has thrown me a bit, as there's no mention of rain anywhere in The Afterman: Ascension and weather doesn't exist in the Keywork. So it can only be assumed that "rain" is not meant to be taken literally, but even then I cannot distinguish what it might mean. "These ardent words seize this heart-attack" refers to how the sould in the Keywork are hurting themselves through their protest, only once they let go of the notion that it's all about them, they can transend into the Samaritaine. The final three lines is the souls simply stating their commitment to their protesting.
The bridge of the song represents the way the Keywork takes both negative and positive energy and uses it for the better, the "dapper villain" and the "cog in the wheel" refer to two different kinds of personalities within the Keywork, a villain and an honest person making their way in the world. The next line "They're both capable of making life hard" references their use within the Keywork (they're both capable of making life) and foreshadow the events of the Amory wars due to their power (they're both capable of making life hard). Finally the souls finish off the bridge by lamenting their own deaths, viewing themselves as un-whole, or as "parts" of something else, therefore the line "No bandage can mend all these parts" refers to the broken souls of the Keywork. The line "So why do I give?" is the souls simply questioning why they have to give their energy for a galaxy that knows nothing about their existance.
The line "Between the dream" refers to Sirius' place in the Keywork. If we imagine the Keywork to be something like a dream, then Sirius who is among the dead yet not passed on, it can be assumed safely that Sirius is "between" worlds. He is between his physical "reality" and the Keywork's metaphysical "dream"scape.
5. Goodnight, Fair Lady
Lyrics:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
I have a story to tell you, of one's slow decline
When a girl yanked on the strings to break this man's heart
Oh lord I think I deserve a little better than this
I think I've earned it
So I'll just keep humming this song and hope you follow
Chorus
Turn me over, roll me 'round
To find the truth that I don't want found
Oh, don't believe everything you hear
I'm the snake waiting for you, dear
And eventually you'll come to me
I know you will
Oh, I know you will
You're lipstick crazy, I'll make my pass
The drink turns over, the glass smashed
And with a kindness and my smarts I replaced your pleasure
With a friend at the bottom
Chorus
Oh, it's my fate to be your biggest mistake
Oh, I tell you all you want to hear until you sleep
I know you will
Oh, goodnight
Oh, goodnight, fair lady
Chorus
Oh, we can agree to disagree
Well maybe that was you, then, and now this is me
Eventually you'll come to me, baby
I know you will
Caution, second entity identified...
As is The Afterman's wont, The lyrics for this song aren't very cryptic. They are obscure, but that is because this song was born of the thoughts of a deranged man within the story, but once you understand the song's premise, the lyrics are easy to comprehend.
Two beats from the drum introduces this song's jumpy energetic riff. It's entertaining and showy to listen to, and Claudio's vocals enhance the experience. It appears to be quite a fun song, which has made a nice change from the depth and anger of the previous Afterman songs. The change is welcome and it's really quite a nice peice to just listen to and enjoy.
The chapter of The Afterman:Ascension book that corresponds with this song returns to Meri Amory's perspective. 6 months after the "death" of Sirius, she is tired of her friends and family pushing her to "stop acting like she's the one who'se dead", and is anxious to be seen as someone other than a "widow". So, she goes to a bar with no real intentions, just to get out of the house. The bar is called "The Fair Lady". A bar-fly and well known lowlife
named Dyer Grinlock approaches her and strikes up a conversation, attempting to win Meri over. He "accidentally" knocks over her glass which smashes between them. He buys her a new drink but slips in a "friend in the bottom" which is basically rohypnol. Just as Meri is about to drink the spiked beverage, an under-cover policeman named Colton Graves stops her and takes Dyer under arrest. It is made clear Meri will soon fall in love with Colton.
The meaning behind the song is made obvious once you read the introductory chapter. Claudio says :
The song is a reflection of that. Punchy and energetic tunes with theatrically phrased and toned lyrics. The song starts off "Good Evening ladies and gentlemen, I have a story to tell you, of one's slow decline. When a girl yanked on the strings of this man's heart." Reading from the perspective of a date-raper performing his evil intentions, it's easy to see how the character of Dyer is singing to us using the "she was begging for it" excuse in an attempt to justify his horrible crime to the audience. The second verse follows the same pattern, where Dyer believes he is in the right and that somehow date-raping Meri will give him what he "deserves" (Sex, a woman, God knows what), and so he'll "just keep humming this song and hope you follow". Remember, this is supposed to be a broadway performance, so there's a little more audience interaction than normal.
The chorus reads almost like a challenge to the audience, highlighting Dyer's arrogance. He says "Turn me over, roll me 'round. To find the truth I don't want found". It's almost as though he's so confident that he'll get away with his crimes that he's challenging the audience to investigate him. This relates back to the use of the friend in the bottom, a tasteless, colourless sedative. The next line "Oh don't believe everything you hear" is directed at Meri, encouraging her to let her defences down and not believe the stories about bad people hanging out in bad bars like the Fair Lady. He goes on to express his predatory intentions in the line "I'm the snake waiting for you dear and eventually you'll ccome to me, I know you will."
The next verse starts with the sentence "You're lipstick crazy, I'll make my pass." I can't say for sure what "lipstick crazy" might mean, but I think it could be in reference to the forced conversation between Dyer and Meri as he attempts to seduce (or rather distract) her from his predatory intent, with "lipstick crazy" possibly referring to an unmentioned break in the conversation while Meri put on lipstick? But she doesn't strike me as someone stupid enough to start dolling up while talking to someone she doesn't know and obviously has something sinister on their mind. The second line refers to Dyer's "pass" at Meri, when he sneakily knocks over her drink and orders her another one with a "friend at the bottom".
Following the broadway story-telling theme of the song the bridge is Dyer admitting to his evil intent (It's my fate to be your biggest mistake) and even comments on the effect of the drug he spiked Meri's drink with (I'll tell you all you want to hear until you sleep).
The first two lines of the last verse confuse me a little bit. The "Oh we'll agree to disagree, Well maybe that was you then, and now this is me" seems to make no sense. Maybe it's Dyer defending his actions, brushing it off as a simple disagreement that we think his actions are hideous and he believes he's entirely justified. It seems throughout the whole song the Dyer is trying to get us on his side. The last two lines merely reprise the predatory content of the song.
The final line in the song takes us back to Sirius in the Keywork, where All Mother alerts him to the presences of another Key Entity.
6. Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood The Cracked
Lyrics:
Pick a number, wait in line
There's no medicine to fix that mind
Chorus
Holly Wood, Holly Wood
Watch out here she comes
Holly Wood, Holly Wood
Fucking a loaded gun
Message panicked, naked waste
There's no help to give this one to keep her sane
Chorus
Look out boy!
Shes a few cards short of a full deck, a joker in the game
Oh, shes got a bullet with your name on it
No doubt shes a mental case
Better keep that girl away!
Oh, Poor Holly Wood
She is cracked goods
Poor Holly Wood
This may be the last time I say
This may be the last time I say
Oh, poor Holly Wood
She is cracked goods
Poor Holly Wood
Oh, she's cracked, she's cracked
And where she's gone, there's no coming back
Ah, watch her finger, she's gonna pull the trigger
Then the party's over
Chorus
I think this song is very important. It's not beautiful, it's not easy to listen to, but for it's concept and it's warning it is an extremely important song, especially for Children of the Fence. Even though I love them, I have noticed that many CotF tend to have something bordering on an obsession with Coheed and Cambria, buying merchandise they can't afford and holding Claudio in a "God" like position. Although I can understand the admiration, a band should never be anyone's be-all and end-all. That is how people like Holly Wood the Cracked are made.
The song opens with distorted hammer-ons and pull-ofs. It is a scary introduction and it isn't exactly pleasent to listen to. If anything it's unsettling. The drums and lead guitars ad to this, putting on layers of what sounds like psychosis and danger. That's it, this song screams "danger" with flashing red and blue lights. Claudio's long, drawn out vocals in this song sound sickening and threatening, like a person whose mind is unhinged. The song ends as abruptly as it begins, but just to chill us further to the core, it continues in a series of booms and threatening whispers.
In this chapter of The Afterman: Ascension Sirius is taken over by the soul of Holly Wood, whose memories reveal that she was obsessed with fame in life and dangerously fixated on multiple celebrities, but her number one love in life was Madame Crisis Moroe (MCM). Claudio states in The Afterman: Ascension:
Later, Holly shoots MCM dead at a public appearance, and is subsequently shot by MCM's security team. Before the final parts of the Holly Wood story can play out, Holly is forcibly evicted from Sirius' body by Vic the Butcher.
The majority of the song come from the perspective of Claudio as the writer of the story, where he warns/comments on characters in the story. The first line of the first verse "Pick a number, wait in line" refers to Holly waiting at the public appearance of MCM. The second line "There's no medicine, to fix that mind." is a direct reference to Holly's "fragile" state of mind (by which I mean she is bat-s#!* crazy!)
The chorus's first line "Holly Wood, Holly Wood, Watch out here she comes." Is a warning to MCM about the grim approach of her dangerously obsessed fan. The second half of the chorus "Holly Wood, Holly Wood, Fucking a loaded gun." is a metaphoric sentence which represents:
1) The dangerous state of mind that Holly Wood is currently in (I mean it's pretty dangerous to use a loaded gun as a dilly).
2) The danger that Holly presents to herself (through the above mentioned means) and others.
3) The event of actually shooting MCM at the public appearance.
The line of the second verse "Message panicked, naked waste" refers to Sirius' feelings of panic just before Holly possessed him. The "naked waste" I believe refers to Holly's intentions with Sirius. At this point in the story, Sirius has become somewhat of a celebrity within the Keywork, becoming known among the souls as the "Afterman" (namesake bitches!). As a celebrity, Holly has become obssessed with him, and possess him in order to keep him within the Keywork, leaving his life a "naked waste". The second line "There's no help to give this one to keep her sane." is again a reference to the insanity of Holly, recognising that she's just too far gone.
"Look out boy" is probably a reference to Sirius, with Claudio warning him to "look out" for Holly...bit late there Claud.
The next verse is literally just references to insanity and to the shooting of MCM. "She's a few cards short of a full deck", she's missing some parts of her whole self (namely her mind). "A joker in the game" (the outcast "wierd" card in a world of normalcy with rules that don't apply to her) "Oh she's got a bullet with your name on it" (Bullet. Guns. Shooting. MCM. Blah blah blah) "No don't she's a mental case" (she is a mental case...beyond all...well...doubt...)
"Better keep that girl away." A two pronged reference! Firstly it is a warning to MCM at her public appearance to keep Holly Wood away, as well as a reference to the restraining order MCM filed against Holly after the latter attempted to break into MCM's mansion.
I really like the next verse "Oh Poor Holly Wood, She's cracked goods, Poor Holly Wood.", as it displays Claudio as having a certain level of sympathy for Holly, which is understandable. I mean, someone doesn't become that obssessed with something if their life is fulfilled and has meaning. I believe this quote serves as a reminder to the audience that Holly is essentially a flawed human being who has probably missed out on a lot of love and support in her life.
"This may be the last time I say" I believe, takes the song to Sirius' perspective, as he starts to consider the fact that he may die in the Keywork. I think it is an unfinished sentence and the end of it may have been "I love you", referring to Meri. It would make sense as earlier in the chapter, Sirius is considering what Meri told him before he left and is for the first time taking seriously the possibility that he could die in the Keywork.
The lines in the final verse "And where she's gone there's no coming back" is a dual reference, both to the Keywork, and to her state of insanity. The lines "Ah watch her finger she's gonna pull the trigger" is a reference to Sirius literally watching the event of MCM's shooting at the hands of Holly.
7. Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher
Lyrics:
You made this harder than it had to be
The absolute martyr, etching into me
You flashed your colors at me way prematurely
And now I know what you're up to, and it feels so good
It's right
Chorus
We've got your number written
Reset the system screaming
Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now
Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now
These sitting ducks in season
The march of little children
Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now
Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now
The truth will cut you down to pieces
One-eighty-four, let's burn it down
And if I can't keep from living with this regret
I'll need to change the way I think about us
I listened to them chuckle as they eat
Their judgment hiding behind eyes and dirty teeth
You think I care for all these phony pleasantries
When I want nothing to do with, I want nothing to do with your life
Chorus
The truth will cut you down to pieces
One-eighty-four, let's burn it down
And if I can't keep from living with this regret
I'll need to change the way I think about us
Bye, bye, bye
Baby I'm bad company,
And you don't have a mark
You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen
Come with me, I want to make you dirty
One-eighty-four, let's burn it down
I'll need to change the way I think
Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now x 9
Heart rate: 119 bpm
Blood pressure: 85 systolic 50 diastolic
Respirations: 10 per minute
Pulse Oximetry of 83% indicates severe hypoxia and neurovascular compromise
Sirius, you are not well...
Caution, unidentified entity approaching...
The next Key Entity Extraction takes place immediately after the events of Holly Wood the Cracked. As she re-lives her death, the entire scene freezes and begins to break away, as the violent entity Vic the Butcher enters Sirius' body, forcing Holly out and claiming the Afterman as his own.
Artillery blasts echo in the background as a guitar riff dances in our ears. Couples with the drum bursts, we are in a battlefield of instruments. The words are delivered strongly and with conviction. The music is violent, the song has no breathing room. There is so much that is threatening about this song, it's like being trapped in a war. Claudio frequently screams words, keeping the listener on edge. The song is dramatic, frightening, it doesn't give an inch anywhere. The guitar fades out with the chanting of "Hang your secrets, hang 'em up, hang 'em up now", and slowly All Mother gives us a run down on Sirius' physical condition...it isn't good.
Vic was a horrible man in life, and is a horrible entity in death. Vic was a decorated military commander, but acheived his success through brutality and immoral military practices including killing innocents. Claudio says this about Vic's character:
Vic was ultimately brought down by a sergeant named "Sentry" (sound familiar?) who stands against Vic's crimes. Sentry's reward is being hung from a tree by Vic and a few men. However, later in life
a former subordinate of Vic's confesses to the murder of Sentry. Vic is posthumously put on trial, but rather than face his crimes Vic burns down the building he and his wife are living in, taking down a nursery of children under the building with him.
The first verse comes from the perspective of Vic. The "You" in the first line, refers to Sentry refusing to bomb a building containing innocents. However, Sentry also threatens to tell higher-ups about Vic's brutatlity. These events are covered in the first verse. "You made it harder, then it had to be." Refers to Sentry's refusal to bomb the building with innocents as well as targets. "The absolute martyr, etching into me" is once again a reference to Sentry, with Vic viewing him as a martyr, but still an annoyance. The line "Your flashed your colours at me way prematurely, Now I know what you're up to, and it feels so good, It's right." Is Vic gloating that Sentry should never have told Vic of his intentions to report his barbaric behaviour. Vic sadistically enjoys the power he holds over Sentry, he loves that Sentry has given Vic a reason to kill him.
The chorus is interesting. As a comic-book writer, Claudio has stated that he is influenced by Alan Moore, citing Watchmen as one of his favorite comics. The first line of the chorus "We've got your number written." seems to take the same tone as a threat made by the Comedian in Chapter 2 of Watchmen, after Hooded Justice catches The Comedian attempting to rape the first Silk Spectre:
In this context the line "We've got your number written", takes on the form of a "We're coming for you" kind of threat. The line "Reset the system screaming" makes use of the word "system" to mean "any formulated, regular or special method or plan of procedure" (from dictionary.com) in order to refer to Vic's murder of Sentry, who rebelled against Vic's order to bomb a building containing insurgents and hostages. To "reset" the system that Sentry lives by, in order to acheive his brutal goals. The word "screaming" at theend of this lines, carries over into the next line which say "Hang your secrets hang 'em up, hang 'em up now." which refers to Vic's merciless murder of Sentry. The line "These sitting ducks in season" refers to how Vic sees his casualties, as prey to be hunted. "The march of little children" relates to Vic burning down the nursery beneath his home, however Vic just views the children like he views the soldiers he has maimed in the past.
The next section of the song opens from the position of Sentry, (The truth will, cut you down to peices) threatening Vic with the one thing that has any power over him, the truth of his brutal activities. The second line "184, let's burn it down" comes from the perspective of Vic, and refers to his burning down of his home. The final two lines are references to the real-world situation that inspired Vic the Butcher, where Claudio went for a night out with his wife and a few friends. However he ended up getting into an altercation with one of his friends and left to cool off. However Chondra was understandably upset about this and it caused friction between them. Claudio says the Vic the Butcher song and story is a reflection of the realisation that he could
have lost everything because of a volatile temper. (If I can't keep from living with this regret, I'll have to change the way I think, about us.)
The second verse in the song begins with "I listened to them, chuckle as they eat." This verse takes the perspective of Vic, who seems to be looking down on those judging him after his treachery has been uncovered (Their judgement hiding behind eyes and dirty teeth). He seems to hold himself in a high regard simply because he doesn't care for "these phony pleasentries". He alludes to his suicide by saying "When I want nothing to do, I want nothing to do with your life." He sees his death as a final victory over the people trying to prosecute him for his wrong doings.
The bridge at the end of the song refers to Vic's suicide. Several years after the events with Sentry, Vic is married and living domestically having retired from the military. He acknowledges that he is evil (Baby I'm bad company) and that his wife is inherently good (And you don't have a mark). The third line "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen, Come with me, I want to make you dirty" refers to Vic burning down his home, taking his wife with him, making her a part of his crimes.
8. Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful
Lyrics:
This sinking warmth through obscurity,
Beyond the sweet in between where and what you're doing,
There is a view of an uncharted place,
Where you're the brunt of a joke and everyone's laughing,
I am not who I seem, who you thought I could be,
The support you could lean up against when you need,
I'm the dark when you want, the lights out at all costs,
This is mine, that is yours, I'm the bricks in your wall.
Chorus
Goodbye forever, my darling, whether
I was everything you thought I'd be or not,
I was a bad man, oh, to stop you girl from loving me.
Goodbye forever, my darling, whether
I was everything you thought I'd be or not,
I was a bad man, oh, to stop you girl from loving me.
A yearning loss to silence me,
The struggle breaks the black and white, calling, transmitting,
The echo breaks, electric air,
Her pulse it stretches from never to everywhere.
And from the other side she'll save me,
Her courage, strength and heart beyond,
I wish she'd stay mine
But her place is in some other time.
Chorus
Body separating, ascend and release,
This tragedy is all my fault,
Reaching, desperately to salvage any piece,
This tragedy is all my fault.
And from the other side she'll save me,
Her courage, strength and heart beyond,
I wish she'd stay mine
But her place is in some other time.
Chorus
Goodbye forever, goodbye forever (You won't be forgotten)x4
Evagria the Faithful is a beautiful song, and one of my favorites from The Afterman: Ascension album. It has a great tonal quality and a good message within it's lyrics. I feel it is one of the most heartfelt songs on the album.
The song starts with silence, until slowly in fades a picked guitar riff with a kind of electronic drone that hums between tones. When Claudio starts singing there is an element of mystery and desperation to his voice. The drums bang in as Claudio's voice starts to become more heavy and dramatic. The chorus rings in with passion and melody. By this stage we start to feel the regrets Sirius would be feeling as he believes he will die at the hands of Vic the Butcher. The bridge pulls back on the electronics and leaves us with a gentle guitar solo, and Claudio's voice becomes more psychodelic There is clear hurt in this song.
At this point in the story, Sirius is weak and lost from being continually possessed by spirits, especially the violent and maddening experience of Vic's life, where when Sirius was met with the opportunity to free himself from Vic's grasp by living out Vic's memory of burning down a nursery, Sirius' moral compass wouldn't allow him to go through with it, and Sirius accepted
9. Subtraction
possession rather than killing innocents. However all is not lost:
This warm light is the Keywork Entity, Evagria. Evagria envelopes Sirius in healing light that restores control to Sirius and sustains his injured form. While savouring this brief moment of peace, Sirius realises the mistake he made heading for the Keywork.
The first lines in the song refers to this event. "This sinking warmth" refers directly to the energy of Evagria, while "through obscurity, Beyong the sweet in between where and what you're doing." Refers to the Keywork. "Obscurity" is often used by Claudio to refer to the Keywork and Heaven's Fence. This concept will be explained further in the The Broken post from the Year of the Black Rainbow album. The line "There is a view of an uncharted place" refers to the "heaven" of the Keywork. Claudio explained in The Afterman:Ascension book, that the Keywork is actually more of a "Purgatory" stage called the "Mono", where spirits go to learn to let go of their earthly grudges and attitudes. Once this occurs they can reach "Heaven" or "The Samaritaine". As Evagria saves him, Sirius is able to briefly glimpse into The Samaritaine, which is the "uncharted place" that is referred to in the song. It is followed by the line "where you're the brunt of a joke and everyone's laughing" I believe this to be Claudio speaking as the writer, and is commenting on the fact that the souls int he Mono can't move on to the Samaritaine because they are unwilling to let go. The "joke" is that the Samaritaine is so close to them and they can't reach it because they are simply too selfish. The next two lines are from Sirius' point of view addressing Meri, reflecting on the life they had together and how little he was actually there for her. The final two lines refer to Sirius' abscence during their relationship, and reflects on his selfishness during their marriage.
The chorus is a lament from Sirius. He says "Goodbye forever my darling", expecting to die within the Keywork. He says "whether, I was everything you thought I'd be, or not." reflecting that now he acknowledges his selfish conduct during their marriage, and the final line "I was a bad man, to stop you girl from loving me." reflects how he regrets how much love his concern with his career caused him to miss out on.
The next line "A yearning loss to silence me" refers to Sirius within the Keywork, as at this moment he believes he is going to die, the "yearning loss" meaning Meri's loss of Sirius and "silence me" refering to Sirius' supposed imminent death. The line "The struggle breaks the black and white, calling, transmitting" is about Evagria's intervention against Vic's possession. When Evagria save Sirius, she breaks through the wall of the Samaraitaine (a place of colour and beauty) into the Mono (a black and white purgatory), which is reflecting in "The struggle breaks the black and white" with "black and white" referring to the Mono. The last two lines reference the shield that Evagria places around Sirius.
The next verse references both Evagria's rescue of Sirius, and Sirius' marriage to Meri. In reference to Evagria, the first line "And from the other side she'll save me." reflect Evagria breaking through the Samaritaine to rescue Sirius, with the next line listing the qualities he witnesses in Evagria through viewing her memories. The lines "I wish she'd stay mine, But her place is in some other time." expresses Sirius' desire to remain within the protection of Evagria, while acknowledging the fact that she has to leave eventually. In reference to Meri, the first line refers to Sirius and Meri's marriage. Sirius reflects on his life with her and the fact that he always kept Meri at arm's length (the other side). Like Evagria, Sirius lists the qualities he views in his wife. The last two lines foreshadow events in The Afterman:Descension, where Sirius wants to return to his planet after his adventure in the Keywork, but All-Mother informs him he has been gone for 547 days (I wish she'd stay mine, but her place is in some other time).
Lyrics:
The hurt across your face, your word against mine,
The rhythm you repeat, the beat a hair behind,
Were you on my side?
You gave your all, but you gave it once, a lesson that you thought,
You could teach it when you want, subtract me from your heart,
Little take away girl.
Chorus
One step at a time,
You made us angry,
All your love could hide,
But we knew you were afraid.
We accept, we unaccept, we made up, we're breaking up,
You've thought you had enough, but maybe you didn't know,
That this stage holds a show.
Chorus
One step at a time,
You showed us angry,
All your love could hide,
But we knew you were afraid.
Misery, I digress,
No recourse, no remorse,
Let it be, I confess
To every song that brought you back. x2
And so, we come to the end of The Afterman: Ascension. The final song, Subtraction, is like Holly Wood the Cracked, a very important song. And those who lead lives away from the ones they love, and the families they leave behind, would do well to remember it's cautionary and comforting message.
The song fades up with a very "folktronic" beat and rhythm. Claudio is singing with a strangely deeper, weightier voice. It is beautiful, harmonising. The song is not sad, not happy. It is solmn in thought,
reflecting the mindset of Sirius Amory at this point in the story. Claudio's voice rises again for the chorus which but is still very peaceful, like a dreamland. The bridge is the most energetic part of the song, but even so it doesn't bring us out of the contemplative air that the song leaves listeners with.
The song comes at possibly the most dire time in the book. Sirius, in the arms of Evagria, knows he doesn't have long. He reflects on his life with the new perspective gained from his knowledge of the Keywork. He realizes that there were plenty of times Meri could have (and probably should have) left him, but that he always managed to keep her close. He weighs his own insecurity against the love he has for his wife, and the fear that he will never come back for her.
The song takes a double perspective. Both that of Sirius Amory and Meri Amory. The first verse comes from Sirius, reflecting on the nature of their relationship. Being a research scientist, Sirius was away from home a lot which understandably caused friction in the relationship. The first line "The hurt across your face, your word against mine." reflects arguments caused in their relationship as a result of this friction. The last two lines expand on this concept, reflecting the common subject matter of these arguments (Sirius' abscence).
The second verse takes place from Meri's point of view. She says "You gave your all, but you gave it once" referring to the one time Sirius showed Meri any appropriate attention, during their courtship. She continues "A lesson that you thought, You could teach it when you want, subtract me from your heart." reflecting the one-sidedness of their relationship. With this line she expresses her bitterness at how selfish Sirius was, and that whenever he felt like it she was "subtracted fromb [your] heart". She refers to herself as a "Litte take-away girl", a convenient, comforting past-time for Sirius when he comes home from God-knows where.
The choruses in the song both reflect the attitudes of the characters of Meri and Sirius simultaneously. "One step at a time" can be seen as Sirius telling Meri to be patient. "You made us angry" read from Meri's perspective can be seen as Meri blaming Sirius for causing conflict within their relationship. "All your love could hide" signifies Sirius' acknowledgement of Meri having the freedom to live. It's kind of like "You could have hidden your love for me and left, but you stayed instead." to which Meri replies "We knew you were afraid" meaning she cared and knew he was scared of being alone and she didn't want that for him.
The third verse takes the perspective of both Sirius and Meri in the first line "We accept, we unaccept, we made up, we're breaking up." which relfects the nature of their marriage. Hectic, unsure and full of conflict. The second and third line "You've thought you had enough, but maybe you didn't know, That this stage holds a show." This line signifies the impact that Sirius' voyage into the Keywork, which was meant to be his big final expedition (You've thought...didn't know), has had on the relationship. It has meant that with Sirius' "death" Meri's life went on, and she's found a new life with Colton (This stage holds a show)
The bridge which takes the song into it's outro reflects the sadness and confusion at being constantly left alone by those you love, and the joy felt when they come back.
In the book, Claudio dedicated this song to the families of those with members whose careers mean they are often away from their loved ones:
This short introduction, really brings home the message of The Afterman:Ascension.
Thank you.
Having now completed the first album on this website, I'd like to take a short moment to thank some people. I'd like to thank fellow Child of the Fence Christy, if you didn't lend me Year of the Black Rainbow this website wouldn't have been possible, and to my friend Inferno for being the first dude to share this webpage on his personal facebook profile. I'd like to thank Coheed and Cambria for making such rich, deep music which resonates within every Child of the Fence's heart. I'd like to thank my dear Cambria for, even though not a big fan of the music, for giving them a listen and letting me rant my head off in praise to the band. I'd like to thank my family for always encouraging me in creative ventures such as this, and for always teaching me both academically and emotionally, I love you all.
WE ARE ONE AMONG THE FENCE!
