Linkin Park is not, nor has ever been a Christian band. In the album booklet for A Thousand Suns, they state, "the imagery personified herein is neither dogma nor political premeditation." All interpretations of this song are not exactly, to my knowledge, the same as the band's interpretations. They are mine as a professed Christian, as God has used this music to impact me. I sincerely hope and pray that the same will be true for you.
GOD CAN USE ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING FOR HIS GLORY.
A few years ago while younger in my Christian faith, I threw out all my secular CDs, feeling strongly that it was from God and that I had to get rid of every evil thing I owned. The music I listened to represented years of depression, sorrow and regret. Linkin Park, one of my favorite bands, was part of that music collection. However about two years ago, as my faith gained stability, I found myself led by the Holy Spirit to go back to listening to them again. Linkin Park's music used to aid me into welcoming thoughts of hopelessness, but lately I have found some of their songs literally bringing me to my knees.
The nice thing about Linkin Park's lyrical content in their music is that it is incredibly vague. They never use names, or describe specific situations, but purposefully make their lyrics as broad and general as possible. Anything specific is described using poetic imagery and symbolism, which allows any listener to interpret what they say for themselves.
In their song "The Catalyst", there is a lot of beautiful poetic imagery, which shows definite maturity for Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda (the band's singers). The song has simple lyrics, many of them sung repeatedly, like a chant.
God bless us everyone, we're a broken people living under loaded gun,
and it can't be outfought, it can't be outrun, it can't be outmatched, it can't be outrun.
NO!
The band took a very bold step in this song, using the words "God" and "sins". People today, even in churches, don't like saying the word "sin". The same goes with the word "God." They oftentimes instead use words like "Higher Power" or "force". Even some Christian artists nowadays won't use those words in their lyrics, but Linkin Park flat out calls them as they are!
The old world is only a memory, one in "cold decay". Every memory progressively loses more of its luster as its "transmissions echo away." This was probably just how Adam felt during the ticking days after he was excommunicated from Eden. Adam was alive 930 years (Genesis 5:5). That is a lot of reflection time! He had no more face to face interaction with God. No more peace, and no more harmony. He became just like God (Gen. 3:5), and I'm sure he completely regretted it.
This is the state of humanity today. Once freely able to seek and serve the God who loves us, now in bondage by the sin that consumed us.
GOD CAN USE ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING FOR HIS GLORY.
A few years ago while younger in my Christian faith, I threw out all my secular CDs, feeling strongly that it was from God and that I had to get rid of every evil thing I owned. The music I listened to represented years of depression, sorrow and regret. Linkin Park, one of my favorite bands, was part of that music collection. However about two years ago, as my faith gained stability, I found myself led by the Holy Spirit to go back to listening to them again. Linkin Park's music used to aid me into welcoming thoughts of hopelessness, but lately I have found some of their songs literally bringing me to my knees.
The nice thing about Linkin Park's lyrical content in their music is that it is incredibly vague. They never use names, or describe specific situations, but purposefully make their lyrics as broad and general as possible. Anything specific is described using poetic imagery and symbolism, which allows any listener to interpret what they say for themselves.
In their song "The Catalyst", there is a lot of beautiful poetic imagery, which shows definite maturity for Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda (the band's singers). The song has simple lyrics, many of them sung repeatedly, like a chant.
God bless us everyone, we're a broken people living under loaded gun,
and it can't be outfought, it can't be outrun, it can't be outmatched, it can't be outrun.
NO!
The band took a very bold step in this song, using the words "God" and "sins". People today, even in churches, don't like saying the word "sin". The same goes with the word "God." They oftentimes instead use words like "Higher Power" or "force". Even some Christian artists nowadays won't use those words in their lyrics, but Linkin Park flat out calls them as they are!
This verse emphasizes brokenness and hopelessness. In using "us", it shows that this is a whole group of people, probably society in general. This verse very accurately represents our world today. The words, "living under loaded gun" stress that these people are under the authority of evil and are being broken by it and are completely and utterly hopeless. They can't fight, they can't run, because they can't even match up to the incredible size of their oppressor. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned", and Jesus says, "Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34).
The words, "God bless us everyone", I don't think emphasize the fact that they are crying out to God, but I think they have more of a sarcastic tone to them. God has NOT blessed them. The people in this song are in pain. They don't feel blessed, they feel cursed! I think they do want blessing, and may even think that they have it or deserve it. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." A wage is something you earn. Sin blinds us, deceives us and ultimately kills us.
And when I close my eyes tonight to symphonies of blinding light,
(God bless us everyone, we're a broken people living under loaded gun)
Like memories in cold decay, transmissions echoing away,
Far from a world of you and I, where oceans bleed into the sky.
The words here stress a hope for something more. The speaker portrayed in this DREAMS of a world filled with light, bliss and harmony. The light is even blinding. In the Bible, when certain people saw God, they saw blinding light. Paul was literally blinded by it when God showed up to him. The speaker longs for something bigger than they are. However, when the speaker opens his eyes in the morning after dreaming, he is back in this dark world he is trapped in. Whether we're Christian or not, we've all felt this way before. That bigger thing is the God of the Universe.
The words, "God bless us everyone", I don't think emphasize the fact that they are crying out to God, but I think they have more of a sarcastic tone to them. God has NOT blessed them. The people in this song are in pain. They don't feel blessed, they feel cursed! I think they do want blessing, and may even think that they have it or deserve it. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." A wage is something you earn. Sin blinds us, deceives us and ultimately kills us.
And when I close my eyes tonight to symphonies of blinding light,
(God bless us everyone, we're a broken people living under loaded gun)
Like memories in cold decay, transmissions echoing away,
Far from a world of you and I, where oceans bleed into the sky.
The words here stress a hope for something more. The speaker portrayed in this DREAMS of a world filled with light, bliss and harmony. The light is even blinding. In the Bible, when certain people saw God, they saw blinding light. Paul was literally blinded by it when God showed up to him. The speaker longs for something bigger than they are. However, when the speaker opens his eyes in the morning after dreaming, he is back in this dark world he is trapped in. Whether we're Christian or not, we've all felt this way before. That bigger thing is the God of the Universe.
The old world is only a memory, one in "cold decay". Every memory progressively loses more of its luster as its "transmissions echo away." This was probably just how Adam felt during the ticking days after he was excommunicated from Eden. Adam was alive 930 years (Genesis 5:5). That is a lot of reflection time! He had no more face to face interaction with God. No more peace, and no more harmony. He became just like God (Gen. 3:5), and I'm sure he completely regretted it.
This is the state of humanity today. Once freely able to seek and serve the God who loves us, now in bondage by the sin that consumed us.
"The Catalyst" is written by Linkin Park, copyright 2010 Universal Music.
