God Forgive Us
Redeeming Shadows: Reflecting on Our Past in 'God Forgive Us'
Lyrics
Oh, dark history
Referring to a troubling or distressing past
I feel it in the air
Sensing or perceiving it in the atmosphere
It echoes through the trees
The past resonates in nature
It's no mystery
It's a known or undeniable fact
The blood stains on your river banks
Symbolic representation of violence or conflict
The bones beneath your streets
Symbolic representation of buried or ignored suffering
New world majesty
Reference to a powerful, new civilization
Open plains and fields of grain
Claiming resources without regard for others
We'll take 'em as we please
Asserting dominance over resources
Holy destiny
Anointed or ordained fate
We shot our guns and watched them run
Engagement in conflict and displacement
From sea to shining sea
Expansion across a nation
God forgive us
Plea for divine forgiveness
For the sins of our fathers
Request for absolution from ancestral wrongs
God forgive us
Seeking forgiveness for past maternal wrongs
For the sins of our mothers
Asking for harmony with female counterparts
God please give us
Request for peace among male counterparts
Peace with our sisters
Appeal for societal peace among genders
And peace with our brothers
-Oh, society
Reference to the structure of society
Built on the backs of our fellow man
Development achieved through exploitation
But no one wants to see
Willful ignorance towards societal injustice
This disparity
Recognition of the vast societal inequality
When the life we want will cost someone
Desire for personal gain at the expense of others
A nightmare for our dreams
The pursuit of personal dreams causing others suffering
Bind the wounds that tie us to our past mistakes
Request to rectify past errors and wounds
Heal the lines creating sides, dividing us in hate
Desire to heal societal divisions and animosity
Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the heartbreak
Asking for insight and empathy towards suffering
Cause hearts break, everyday
Acknowledgment of ongoing emotional pain
A heart breaks, every day
Recognition of the continual breaking of hearts
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