CHIMAIRACROSTIC
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 10:30am by Axl Rosenberg
Today I want to talk about acrostics. For those of you who didn’t waste ridiculous amounts of money on a college English degree, an acrostic is when the first letter of each line of a text spell out a message. For example, below is an acrostic from lines 510-514 of book nine of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost:
Scipio the highth of Rome. With tract oblique
At first, as one who sought access, but feard
To interrupt, side-long he works his way.
As when a Ship by skilful Stearsman wrought
Nigh Rivers mouth or Foreland, where the Wind…
This is pretty neat, and, needless to say, it’s not a coincidence. Milton was a smart guy – he read himself blind, for crying out loud. And, of course, acrostics have been used in lots and lots of other pieces of literature.
The reason I bring this up is two-fold:
- Yesterday former The Panic Channel vocalist/MTV VJ Steve Isaacs tweeted about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto of a California legislative finance bill. It seems that the Governator used an acrostic to tell the California State Assembly “FUCK YOU.” Take a look for yourself here.
- I re-tweeted Isaacs’ tweet, which in turn lead to longtime reader Saul Hudson shooting me an e-mail pointing out an acrostic in the lyrics to the title track from Chimaira’s Resurrection (video above).
If you’re not familiar with Resurrection, here’s a little background you need for the acrostic to make sense: the album was the band’s first after their acrimonious (or at least semi-acrimonious) parting with Roadrunner Records, and the lyrics to said title track (example: “Free at least/Finally tasting happiness”) are generally accepted as being about the split.
With me so far? Okay. So here’s the acrostic from the song:
Final straw
Underlying ignorance
Consumed by greed and hate
Kept under the feet of tyrantsReality kicked in
Raced against time just to start all over
Pretty amazing. I wish I’d noticed that on my own.
Now, to be clear: I have not confirmed with vocalist Mark Hunter (who wrote the lyrics), or anyone else in the Chimaira camp, that this particular acrostic was deliberately placed in the song. It’s entirely possible that Saul Hudson and myself are just seeing what we want to see.
But if it is a coincidence, well… that’s a hell of a coincidence, isn’t it?
So. Anyone else know of any cool acrostics in metal lyrics?
-AR
damn… pretty clever from the band who’s closer is “i hate everything” lol
still a big fan, tho
The closer is “Pure Hatred”…just saying
Haha, that’s pretty funny.
fucking BATHORY man! check out the lyrics for The Golden Walls of Heaven and Hell and Dies Irae!
Dammit, you beat me
Exactly…thats what I was going to say. I believe its more than just the gold walls of heaven and dies irae ! That album (Blood Fire Death) has quite a few songs like that…don’t have my vinyl in front of me to reference though…but Im quite sure it’s more than just the two songs.
Probably just wasting our time though, as i HIGHLY doubt the people who run this joke of a site actually listen to old Bathory.
The Golden Walls of Heaven – Bathory
http://www.metal-archives.com/viewlyrics.php?id=7044
awesome
Just Saul Hudson, or THAT Saul Hudson?
I seriously doubt that Slash reads this website, if that’s what you’re asking.
Hey, he might read…
Yes. Slash loves MetalSucks and totally loves Chimaira.
If it was Heroin Sucks…
Pretty cool… ^^ i beleive that’s ” i hate everyone”… Just sayin. Lots of Roadrunner bashing lately in the metal world
fucking awsome. I am totally using this in emails to asshole customers and management.
‘For those of you who didn’t waste ridiculous amounts of money on a college English degree, an acrostic is when the first letter of each line of a text spell out a message.’
dude, I learned that when I was 12! thats my superior european education I suppose…
btw chimaira suck leprechaun balls
i got you beat. my US education taught me that when i was like 9.
Yeah I definitely remember doing acrostics in 2nd grade.
There’s no way that Chimaira lyric isn’t planned. Everyone knows how mad they were at RR.
Acrostics are cute literary codes while
Xylophones are percussion instruments that produce musical tones with mallets
Like some in-bred offspring of a piano mating with a roto-tom
I don’t know which is worse, though,
A metal website that attracts such idiotic readers who
Don’t get the joke, or
I Wrestled a Bear Once getting pub like they’re a
Credible source of music, when we all
Know their only fans are the inhabitants of the MS Mansion
AXL I A DICK? Are you trying to say “Axl is a dick,” or just telling us that you’re a dick using very poor grammar?
And last I checked, IWABO’s album had sold roughly 17k. I’m aware that this proves nothing about the quality of the band’s music, but there aren’t 17,000 people living in the MS Mansion. Nor do we have the money/inclination to buy that many copies of the record.
I expect more clever insults from you all of readers, Sammy.
Oh man, how about Sammy is a dumbass who needs to proof read his poor attempts at insults better?
As for IWABO, I presumed you had at least 17,000 monkeys, each with $2.50 necessary to buy their album in the bargain bin of some going out of business record store.
stop being an Idiot
Do you even know where you are, Sandy or Papo, or whoever you are? This site is all about idiocy. Sorry you’re too dense to get the joke.
So, in my weak
Attempt to insult
My good man Axl
I came off as a
Stupid Dufus who really needs
A lesson in
Readin’ and proofreading
Especially when
Trying to be clever
And when attempting to set the bar at a
Relatively high level of
Discourse
I love this thread.
Sammy is a genius.
” As for IWABO, I presumed you had at least 17,000 monkeys, each with $2.50 necessary to buy their album in the bargain bin of some going out of business record store”
Is that the highest level of discurse you wanna talk? pff
No Sandy. Or is it Papo? It’s not the highest level of disCURSE. Of course, I can actually spell disCOURSE. To be honest, I’ve done better work, but my “C” material is better than your “A” material.
Are you guys honestly debating which one’s English/poetry/spelling skills are better. Just shut up!
I subconsciously decided to read Arnold’s statement in his accent.
I immediately thought of him saying “fauck you, asshooal”
I lived in California for a little over a year, and it never got old turning on the TV and seeing Ahh-nuhld discussing some serious topic.
Those ones from Bathory. I know this has been mentioned already, but it’s awesome.
WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THAT ACROSTIC IN MY CREATION/FALL/FLOOD CLASS YESTERDAY!
can’t tell if you are serious or not…. sarcasm doesn’t carry well in text.
Your not REALLY a christian, are you ?? You believe in talking animals? Sky wizards?
jesus horses?
Are you drunk or just ignorant on what Christians believe? Honestly, research before you begin to harass the only God who is loving enough to die for you.
Loving enough to die for you?
Next thing you’re going to say that he really gave us free will…
Tyler- Im am FULLY versed on what Christians believe. Probably MUCH,MUCH more familiar with it than you. Are you actually going to deny that you believe in talking animals ? sticks turning into snakes? A guy WHO WAS HIS OWN FATHER , purposely gets himself killed (he is omnipotent and omniscient,right)….so he basicall commits suicide…. only to ask “Father, why have you forsaken me?” TO HIMSELF (he is his own father,right?) Then comes back to life as a zombie (and a whole TOWN full of zombies rises as well) only to fly up into his cloud kingdom and save you from the place of eternal torture that HE himself created, and allows to exist? WHY NOT JUST FORGIVE YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE??? why the whole impregnating virgins (ghost rape?) and 30 years of performing parlour tricks and the brutal suicide?? Isn’t that a bit ridiculous to you ?
You need to get your brain check, Tyler.
“Honestly, research before you begin to harass the only God who is loving enough to die for you.”
First of all, you’ve got some balls being a Christian and telling someone to be honest…since your ENTIRE life and foundation is built on believing that which has NO evidence, efectivly lying to yourself and other everyday of your life.
Secondly, what kind of a weak god do you worship that would be ‘harassed’ by me, a puny human ?
If he didn’t give us free will, what would have been the point of creating us? Either a) He was lonely, or b) Evolution is the process of the universe trying to “grow up” into God Jr. (And yes, I believe God created evolution. Suck on that, NeoCons. (If any (know how to) read this site.))
Point is, if we are God’s children, that Father/Child relationship wouldn’t work, wouldn’t be real, without our free will to accept or reject Him. At least that’s my theory. If the universe is really one big organism like I proposed, I’z just a molecule, son.
Sorry this comment wasn’t too metal, but I do try to be heavy.
(P.S.: I believe in God, but I’m not religious. You can call me just plain “Unorthodox”.)
“Point is, if we are God’s children, that Father/Child relationship wouldn’t work, wouldn’t be real, without our free will to accept or reject Him.”
Thats not a ‘theory’. in order for something to be a theory, you must have facts and evidence to support it. You have neither…just a naive pipe dream, no more credible than the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
“I believe in God, but I’m not religious. You can call me just plain “Unorthodox”
How can you POSSIBLY believe in the Christian god, but not be religious? You’ve gotten all your ideas about god/father/son/jesus/free will, etc FROM THE BIBLE. a RELIGIOUS text.
Also, how can we have free will if God is omniscient ??? If he knows EVERYTHING that has ever happend, and will ever happen…… how can we have free will ? under the Christian concept of an omnipotent/omniscient creator with a divine plan, all his creations are simply going through the motions….on a ‘track’, if you will. If he is omniscient, how can you POSSIBLY do something god didn’t already plan?
You’re right about the ‘theory’ thing. I should’ve used ‘belief’ or ‘opinion’. Sorry about that.
I also didn’t say I believed in a specific God. Just God. There’s so many different people around the world that the Christian mythos wouldn’t make sense to that it can’t just be one answer. So many different religions exist and so many people who are good at their core don’t believe in the Bible, and I just don’t think God would shit on ‘em for not being in the right club and not knowing the handshake.
Evil is real. The darkness exists. But so does its opposite. One creates, and the other destroys. We can choose to be as far into either camp as we want, because we have free will. I don’t buy the whole “Divine Plan” thing; existence doesn’t make sense to me if it’s all pre-determined.
And, in the end, none of us KNOW anything. We’re too small to see the big picture anyways. (Or do anything about it.) Life is about trying to make things not suck for ourselves and others. All the other ceremonial and iconographic trappings of religion just get in the way.
(P.S.: To anyone else reading this, I have read the Bible, and it took me 5 and a half years, because it’s not written very well. A lot of the Old Testament seems like it’s fallen victim to both Politically Motivated editing and the thousands of years old game of telephone that comes from a document that started as oral histories in languages that no longer exist. People should experience God for themselves anyway. Not just take someone’s word for it. Like falling in love. You think you know what that will be like, but until you really do it, you don’t know at all. Or any other experience, really.)
(P.P.S.: Sorry about the length. Kinda got carried away.)
Why does everyone on this site bitch and moan?
Hating on everything that isn’t “real metal”
I used to say that metal fans aren’t a bunch of retards, but
Shit, you people are doing your best to prove me wrong.
Keep behaving like self-righteous doucheknockers, or better yet,
End your own lives. Or at least stop whining. Whining is the least metal thing you could possibly do.
You’re all a bunch of overgrown 7th graders with beards.
I’m done with the negative shit now.
Sometimes I just get too stoned and certain comments piss me off.
The new album by
HORSE the Band is fucking infectious, I can’t stop listening to it.
Even when I need eat, sleep, or drop a deuce.
An old lady once approached me while I was wearing a Peace Sells shirt and said it was devil worship. In
New York City of all fucking places. I told her she should move to Utah.
She might have been from there in the first place, in which case, fuck her anyway for being ignorant.
Why do Christians get so easily offended? I’m an atheist, we don’t even believe in the devil.
Everyone knows that in order to truly believe in Satan you have to believe in God.
Rock and metal just appropriate the idea of Satan for the sake of badass imagery.
good one:)
Indeed.