Writing on the Walls

I chose the song ‘Writing on the Walls’ by Underoath for the emotion they portray in every song, video, and performance. Throughout the song and music video there are many examples of pathos or emotion. Underoath is a religious based group of guys trying to bring their ways and emotions through a different way, and that is through their music type and lyrics. ‘Writing on the Walls’ song describes a relationship between two young people that is interrupted by another older person that is abusing one and no one does anything until it is too late, however the presence of them is bringing hope.
The first paragraph talks about the two people wanting to spend more time together so they can talk. And while talking, they talked about the waste of time and no good the one is while the other is missing a beating again but will now only get the beating worse.
Continuing throughout the second paragraph they are still talking about finding comfort in this bad home or bad place that they are living in. they are trying to believe that they are in a different place and not in the conscious state of the bad place, but they are running out of time.
“How could you trust it
(these fate trashed walls)
To fit the shape of what they tell you
Come on, move on, move on
But mostly what they show you
(yeah, yeah)
Not this way
Not this way”
In the paragraph above, they are continuing to talk. The one is telling the other not to believe what their parents are telling them--they are lying. You have to move on and get out, get a better life, you deserve better. Your father pretends to show you he loves you and that he cares but then he beats you. This is not the way, this is not right.
Now the mood switches or changes a little bit in the next paragraph. The other person wants to take back all the things that (he) said and instead should have done something but didn’t know what to do, but he really wanted to save you.
From, there it goes into a part where it repeats ‘We walk alone, we walk alone’ and couple of times. This part means that they will forever walk together, and be together.
“Your almost gone and I’m ok (I still say you’re sorry)
To give you chance to be afraid
But never
I remember your presence”
The paragraph above is saying that the one person is gone--your father took you from me. But I’m still ok somehow, only because your not afraid.
“I hope to God you come down
I hope to God you feel this now
I hope to, God you come down
I hope,
(God)”
In this paragraph, the one person (he) is begging that the other is ok , that they are hurting and are in pain, and that they come back. And (he) knows that the other is looking down on him, watching over him.
And in the final sentence, “I know there must be some way out of here and all of them will be waiting there” means that you are my way out of here so please guide me there, I need you, and I’m sorry.
Now that may be a little confusing only because the reader or listener doesn’t know who the two people are let alone if they are a boy and a girl, two girls, etc., but watching the video it portrays the two people as a young boy and a young girl which helps make sense of the song a little more. The movie states place in a run down house or apartment building with a couple different people in, who each play a little role in the video. The band Underoath is playing in the basement. The video begins with the young boy and young girl sitting in a hallway talking to each other, then the boy leans over and kisses the girl on the cheek. Then a man, which I believe is her father takes her. The boy then goes to his room and works on the horse or his gymnastics moves, while the girl is above him doing dance/ ballet. Then you see the neighbor man come out of his room and punch the young girls dad. As this is going on the neighbor woman is calling down to the front desk man or the owner to come see what is going on. When he comes up stairs to see he finds the man dead in the, what appears to be the, attic. Then it goes back to the neighbor guys room where he is pacing around, hitting his head on things, basically going crazy for what just happened; and this will continue throughout the video until the end, when then he just lays on the ground. Then either the wife or girlfriend of the man (young girl’s father) goes up to see him, and she screams and starts to cry. She is crying so much that her tears are pouring down through the building, she is so upset. Then it goes back to the little girls room where she is just laying on the floor and the boy is looking up through the floor at her not really knowing what is going. So what happened was the little girl got beat by her father so bad that she died, the neighbor guy heard it, killed him, but I don’t think he meant to, he just wanted him to stop. The neighbor guy went crazy for what he did. And the wife/girlfriend was upset for the death of the man and I hope the girl also. The little boy is sad and mad because he couldn’t do anything but he also didn’t really know what was happening. The girl’s presence is still above the little boy however she is gone but now she is going to be watching over him.
And a little side note, Underoath was awarded a Grammy nomination for “Best short form music video” for this music video ‘Writing on the Walls‘.

YouTube Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRxbSLw-Ak0

Music Lyrics

Writing On The Walls

Maybe we, why don't we sit right here for half an hour?
We'll speak of what a waste I am, and how we missed your beat again!
I swear we need to find some comfort in this run down place
To bridge the gap of this conscious state that we live in
And I'm short of time
How could you trust it
(these fate trashed walls)
To fit the shape of what they tell you
Come on, move on, move on
But mostly what they show you
(Yeah, yeah)
Not this way
Not this way
I'm taking back all the things I said
Thinking back all the things I said
(keep me filled in, I swear I'll come)
We walk alone,
We walk alone,
We walk alone,
We walk alone,
We walk alone,
We walk alone, back home
My own back home
You're almost gone and I'm ok (I still say you're sorry) to give you chance to
be afraid
But never
I remember your presence
I hope to God you come down
I hope to God you feel this now
I hope to, god you come down
I hope to,
(God)
I know there must be some way out of here and all of them will be waiting there