So many people are tired of life, but they are more afraid of the end of life, so they just do whatever they can to get by. I know that we Christians think we have the answer to this, though I am not sure we always do a good job expressing it (or living it ourselves).
Here is a song a I heard recently on the radio which captures the feelings that most people around us have. The song is “Waiting for the End” by Linkin Park. (I don’t quite understand the video…anybody want to take a shot explaining it to me?)
As you listen to the song, you can follow the lyrics below. Notice especially the parts I have put in bold.
Lyrics:
This is not the end
This is not the beginning,
Just a voice like a riot
Rocking every revision
But you listen to the tone
And the violent rhythm
Though the words sound steady
Something empty’s within ’em
We say Yeah!
With fists flying up in the air
Like we’re holding onto something
That’s invisible there,
‘Cause we’re living at the mercy of
The pain and the fear
Until we dead it, Forget it,
Let it all disappear.
Waiting for the end to come
Wishing I had strength to stand
This is not what I had planned
It’s out of my control….
Flying at the speed of light
Thoughts were spinning in my head
So many things were left unsaid
It’s hard to let you go…
(Oh!) I know what it takes to move on,
I know how it feels to lie,
All I wanna do
Is trade this life for something new
Holding on to what I haven’t got
Sitting in an empty room
Trying to forget the past
This was never meant to last,
I wish it wasn’t so…
(Oh!) I know what it takes to move on,
I know how it feels to lie,
All I wanna do
Is trade this life for something new
Holding on to what I haven’t got
What was left when that fire was gone?
I thought it felt right but that right was wrong
All caught up in the eye of the storm
And trying to figure out what it’s like moving on
And I don’t even know what kind of things I’ve said
My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead
So, picking up the pieces, now where to begin?
The hardest part of ending is starting again!!
All I wanna do
Is trade this life for something new
Holding on to what I haven’t got…
This is not the end
This is not the beginning,
Just a voice like a riot
Rocking every revision
But you listen to the tone
And the violent rhythm
Though the words sound steady
Something’s empty within ’em
(Holding on to what I haven’t got)
We say Yeah!
With fists flying up in the air
Like we’re holding onto something
That’s invisible there,
‘Cause we’re living at the mercy of
The pain and the fear
Until we dead it, Forget it,
Let it all disappear
(Holding on to what I haven’t got!)
Hi Jeremy,
As someone who has made music videos, I can tell you that looking for meaning is often a wild goose chase. The first rule is: look cool; give people something interesting to watch. I think there is definitely some thought that has gone into this video.
This is video has two elements that stand out. The first set of images – skulls, anatomy, the zombie face, etc. – are clearly pointing to death. “Waiting for the end to come.” Reminiscent of the paintings Francis Bacon, it suggests that death and decay is a part of us while we live.
The second even more prominent element is what seems to be star charts that overlay the artists. This is really interesting because it suggests (to me, anyway) at least two possible counterpoints to the despair in the song. One is that the stars suggest the transcendent and the eternal. Another is that the charts don’t just show stars, they show constellations, which is how we make order out of the apparent randomness of their arrangement. “Like we’re holding onto something
That’s invisible there.” If there is order, maybe this is not as scary: “It’s out of my control…” There could also be a note of fatalism implied, but that could be going a bit far afield. There’s your two-penny review!
Steve, I like the analysis. I believe you are on the right track.
I didn’t know you used to make videos. Cool. Any of them on YouTube?
Just one, from 1999. I wasn’t a “pro.” But I was serious about it; I would’ve loved to have been able to make living at it. This one owed a lot to the producer who asked me to direct it.
It’s a T-Rex song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrXCJKDkhCU
Nice video. I actually have never heard of T-Rex. Sorry…
Thanks. T.Rex’s most famous song was “Bang a Gong.”
http://allmusic.com/artist/t-rex-p5587