"Mothers of Men"

Art by Nathan Spoor.

**"Mothers of Men"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the fourth track on their 2012 album *The Afterman: Ascension*. A demo version of the song was released on *The Afterman: Ascension (Big Beige Demos)* album.

## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

In this space where nothing will seem too right

Our voice unheard in this quiet fight

This march we lead will breed our song

To them we're nothing, to them we're pawns

Oh, a desperate play to feel like we belong

Now, as we take up into the streets, remember

I depend on you as much as you on me

Don't try to fake it, let's not pretend

We made you mothers, we made you men

We made you mothers, we made you men

**[Chorus]**

Oh, it's no surprise, nobody listens anymore

To what we're saying, to what was said

And in your absence we promised you

"We'll behave, oh, we'll behave"

So just keep running

Everything will look better once you look away

Cause what's the difference, oh, is there a difference we make?

**[Verse 2]**

*(Your day will come...)*

The rain starts dancing across our backs

These ardent words seize this heart attack

Belief still strong, we can make this change

The stage is set to occupy the brain

This stage is, we made this, we made this...

We made it!

**[Chorus]**

Oh, it's no surprise, nobody listens anymore

To what we're saying, to what was said (To what we're saying...)

And in your absence we promised you

"We'll behave, oh, we'll behave" (We misbehaved...)

So just keep running

Everything will look better once you look away

Cause what's the difference, oh, is there a difference we make?

**[Bridge]**

Between a dapper villain in a Sunday serial at the podium

Or another cog in the wheel

Just another cog in the wheel

They're both capable of making life hard

No bandage can mend all these parts

So why do I give?

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Between, between, between

Between, between, between

Between, between, between

**[Chorus]**

Oh, it's no surprise, nobody listens anymore

To what we're saying, to what was said (To what we're saying...)

And in your absence we promised you

"We'll behave, oh, we'll behave" (We misbehaved...)

So just keep running

Everything will look better once you look away

Cause what's the difference, oh, what's the difference

**[Outro]**

In making life hard?

No bandage can mend all these parts

So why do I live with this?

No difference...

**[Spoken]**

Dyer: "Good night."

## Story Context

The first line is Amory's view of the Keywork ("this space where nothing will seem too right"). The next few lines are the Entities of the Keywork's feelings: **our voice unheard** references their turmoil that no one can hear, **to them we're nothing, we're pawns** references their role in keeping the Keywork active, and subsequently Heaven's Fence together. This may also foreshadow Ryan's attempt at harvesting the Keywork's energy. Lines 6 and 7 tell us what the Entities want: to use their bodies to go back to their lives (**I depend on you**).

In the chorus, we hear get Sirius' first thoughts about what he thinks of the Keywork and how his struggle has led to this discovery. **Nobody listens anymore** refers to Sirius trying to get people on board with his ideas about the Keywork, but no matter **what he said**, or **what they were saying** they didn't come to an agreement. When Sirius made up his mind to go anyway, ("in your absence") people just humored him and let him go ("we'll behave") but Sirius **just kept running** knowing that he would get the glory if they dismissed his ideas anyway ("things will look better once you look away").

Verse 2 reinforces this idea with the subtle "Your day will come" in the background, while the rest of the lines go back to snippets of what the Entities think and feel. They are miserable ("rain dances across our backs," and "words seize this heart attack"). So they are more determined than ever to possess Sirius ("stage set to occupy the brain"). They also feel entitled to do so ("we made this").

In the bridge, Sirius describes more of the Entities' stories ("dapper villain in a Sunday serial at the podium," and "another cog in the wheel") and he doesn't know how to fix this ("no bandage can mend all these parts") so he's not sure how to proceed. The pre-chorus references the Keywork again ("between"), and it's at this moment Sirius discovers the second level in the Keywork, known as The Samaritaine, which seems to him to be full of color and wonder; a uptopia.

The last line is the beginning to the next song, and is spoken by a new character: Dyer Grinlock, who we will learn more about in that song.

## Background

Sanchez wrote that the main inspiration for this song was the Occupy movement which was a series of protests focused on social and economical inequality. He said that the song focused on "how people change. Their interests; their needs; their political stance; whatever they may be." You might have liked one thing when you were little but your interests evolve over time. He said, "there's something to be said about recognizing where you came from and the things that helped you grow into the adults you are now."

## Trivia

* The title is what many of the Entities in the Keywork consider themselves to be.
* Dyer's line, "Good night," is part of the song it introduces: "Goodnight, Fair Lady".

## References

1. ↑ Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *The Afterman: Ascension*, Everything Evil Records, 2012.
2. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-mothers-of-men-lyrics