Heaven Is Falling     Brett Gurewitz's Interpretation

 

"This song was added to the Generator album last minute in response to America's declaration of war on Iraq.  King George is president George Bush his rainbow cabinet is the united nations.  This line tries to show how much pull the U.S. have over the U.N.   The song takes the American soldiers point of view -  dealing with having to fight in  a war that he may not agree with."

   -Captain

 

"'Heaven Is Falling' was written during the Gulf War, so it reflects a lot of anti-war sentiment. The whole song is written from the point of view of a soldier. This is how I interpret this song. 'As I walk beneath the valley I shall fear no evil' -this line is about a soldier going into battle. 'For thanks to King George and his rainbow cabinet today murder is legal' -this line refers to the president at the time, George Bush, and his rainbow cabinet. 'God I know that it's wrong to kill my brother for what he hasn't done' -this line has a lot to do with any type of war. When a soldier fights in battle he is killing his brother for something neither of them had anything to do with. During war people kill each other for something that the leaders of their countries started, not them. 'And as the planes blacken the sky It sounds like heaven is falling It sounds like heaven is falling You promised me a new day was dawning' -Graffin paints a very vivid portrayal of a place being bombed. It's scary just to think about. Planes blackening the sky; heaven falling. Graffin makes a point just how horrible it is when any place is bombed. also in the line 'You promised me a new day was dawning,' Graffin is trying to say that leaders are talking about peace and a better way to solve things, and then they go off and something like the Gulf War happens. 'I've seen a thousand points of light Like so many points of hatred, shame, and horror' This line basically says how war brings about hatred, shame, and horror. 'God I wanna be a man But I don't wanna die with a rifle in my hand' -this is probably my favorite line of this song. A lot of the time when a man doesn't want to go to war, or is against war, he is thought of as a coward, and not a man. From the point of view of this soldier, he wants to be a man, but he doesn't want to have to prove it by dying. 'Well nothing here looks new to me but score of mother's sons caught between the devil and the deep blue sea' -this line has to do with how this war is nothing new, and that it has happened all to many times. This is what I think Graffin meant when he wrote this song. I could be wrong on a few things, though."

   -Halushka

 

"To Halushka: The lyrics were written by Brett Gurewitz not Greg Graffin."

   -SigB

 

"I have always loved this song, not only for it's message, but for the musical momentum behind it.  the band LDfifty, in one off its few covers, play it out passionately as a commentary on the happenings of today starting with and stemming from the September 11th terrorist attacks.  I know that this was not the message intended by Bad Religion at the time, but HOW PROPHETIC!!!  Here we are ten years later and, again, we have 'King George (Bush) and his rainbow cabinet (the U.N.)' stating 'today murder is legal (the hunt to find and assassinate Osama bin Laden).'  While not completely, the song, eerily, almost applies MORE today then back in 1991.  With the attacks being addressed this time taking place on American soil, the messages definitely strikes a more vivid chord with all American fans.  With the obvious imagery of the WTC that morning and with religious disagreements being the core issue behind all of these happenings, it is hard not to appreciate the repeated bridge, 'as the planes blacken the sky, it sounds like heaven is falling'. It gives me chills. Comments?  What do you think?  Write me at rye06224@aol.com"

   -Festy

 

"When Festy says this song was disturbingly prophetic he was exactly right.  The opening line states 'As I walk beneath the valley, I shall fear no evil' -- a quotation from the bible that King George II used in his address to the nation following Sept. 11."

    -Robopope