Annotations for Aftermath

Lyric: Now and forever
Annotation:
The strength and longevity of meaningful connections contrasts with the uncertainty and rapidly changing dynamics of war. The appeal works to shift the focus and desire from hate-driven and violent initiatives to a relationship-orientated outlook.

Lyric: We’ve gone against the tide
Annotation:
Reference to the previous track  “Revolt” where they decided to fight against their oppressor, even if it seemed the hardest thing to do.

Lyric: From this moment, from this moment
 You will never be alone
 We’re bound together, now and forever
 The loneliness has gone
Annotation:
An anthem of hope, the protagonist is stating that the struggles he and his loved ones have been through are not weaknesses, but a bond that has tied them together and strengthened them. He is attesting that the loneliness is over because of this bond, though it is clearly yet to be seen. It is possible for people to be strengthened by hardship, but there are many variables. The protagonist is hopeful and encouraging both to himself and to his external audience.

Lyric: It’s no place for the faint-hearted
 But my heart is strong ’cause now I know where I belong
 It’s you and I against the world, and we are free
Annotation:
The protagonist has found his purpose. Not ruled by others anymore, he finds his strength not in soluble states or arbitrary borders, but in his connection with another human being. He is realizing that there is no immutable reason to adhere to these crumbling ideals and that he and his loved ones are free as long as they are willing to stand for their own freedoms, ideally together.

Lyric: States are crumbling, and walls are rising high again
Annotation:
The States are the organized government of people, and are failing in the wake of war. While the walls, which may be the forces of repression and violence, are rising and creating a divide in humanity. The Berlin Wall in Germany was an example of a literal wall making a divide between people. Officially referred to as the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart” by the East German authorities(GDR), the Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany from each other from 1961 until 1989. https://genius.com/The-united-states-and-the-soviet-union-exchange-of-notes-concerning-the-berlin-wall-annotated

Lyric: War is all around, I’m growing tired of fighting
Annotation:
The protagonist is longing for home. She went to war and was on board with her mission, but at this point she is unable to lie to herself to put her heart into the fight. In the song she regains a sense of purpose and humanity through love, after having been turned into a ‘ human drone’, a metaphor for controlled and emotionless, robotic-like and meaningless.

