Sang soulless loud
Herding step on flesh
And nothing else
To well
To drown & drown
Sleight of reason
How they come
Cain in number
Alone
The crowd
Spurning step by state
Blame something else
Thirsting
Within without
Sighted
Weeded
How they run
Slain in number

Shake my head
Turn my face to the floor
Dead to respect
To respect to be born
Lest we forget who lay


Lyrics submitted by Phrogex

After the Flood Lyrics as written by Timothy Alan Friese-greene Mark S. Hollis

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

After The Flood song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    I know this is a big cliche on this website, but I seriously can't believe no one has commented on this song. I mean, I understand it might be a little difficult to understand what he's singing about, but we could all at least take a crack at it.

    The chorus seems to be about reincarnation and respecting the dead. Maybe in the line "To respect to be born" he's talking about karma and the only way to be born again is to lead a good life in the previous one.

    I dunno. You guys give it a try.

    timothyrealon December 08, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It seems its about not having a reason to live, not knowing oneself. Drowning in life and looking down upon the way society works. Its a view from an outsider. "within without"-what a great fucking line.

    this is my favorite song..btw.

    bigdt87on December 24, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this refers mainly to the flood story in the Bible (a very common source for Mr Hollis,) with the first section describing a fallen civilization and their drowning. And the last lines are about us remembering this.

    Psimonon July 21, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    My Interpretation

    I see this as being applauded by the act of genocide which no matter who does it is a crime against mankind. The lyrics give me the feeling of a disregard for humanity from god. This rings true for me when he signs 'Shake my head Turn my face to the floor Dead to respect To respect to be born Lest we forget who lay' A person shakes their head and faces down when disgusted by an act of inhumanity such as the Holocaust. This song is referring to the story of Noah's ark which to me, is Hitler's dream realized by a sociopath.

    linkjoneson December 23, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think bigdt87 has got something quite right. The french symbolistic poet Arthur Rimbaud also wrote the poem "Après le déluge" that in english was entitled "After The Flood".. Arthur Rimbaud is also very known as an "outsider of society", and he did also write a lot of what bigdt87 also mentions: "not having a reason to live, not knowing oneself".

    LeFleurDuMalon September 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about Noah and the great flood.

    Cain in number. Cain (Cain & Able), a man who killed his own brother. Everyone has a piece of Cain within them, and God punishes them. The people are sighted and weeded by God in the flood. The people are slain (intentionally killed) in number. ... This is a very brief analysis. Can't be bothered typing anymore.

    Engeladam409on May 01, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is quite literally about rapture itself. He talks about the decadent society being wiped out by the flood (angels and the horsemen). The people are characterized as soulless, and bags of flesh that are idolaters who blame others for their mistakes. At the end the character is in disarray over what happens, and is a testament to what occurred. I believe at the end he is giving thanks to God for life, and to remember to follow his way of life he set for us.

    This entire album deals with the subject, and nature of God, as well as the bible.

    Shiggy2014on October 06, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Clearly the song is a prophetic piece. Both foreboding the redundancies at TalkTalk the communications company, along with the later but recent, flooding of some of its offices from torrential rain.

    And also a scathing commentary on the theft and flippant abandon affected on the fineries of human creativity. Such a poignant closing lyric, revering the paramount effort exacted by those tasked with the groundwork of much of humanities progress.

    "Lest we forget who lay"

    carphoneworker.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/drip-drip-redundancies-at-talk-talk-now-the-flood/

    ynCanumeddwlon October 06, 2014   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new. This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus. Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness". The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1. All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy. And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns) There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Album art
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.