"Subtraction"

Art by Nathan Spoor.

**"Subtraction"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the ninth and final 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]**

The hurt across your face

Your word against mine

The rhythm you repeat

The beat, a hair behind

Were you on my side?

You gave your all, but you gave it once

A lesson that you thought

You could teach it when you want

Subtract me from your heart

Little take away girl

**[Pre-Chorus]**

*(One step at a time)*

You made us angry

*(All your love could hide)*

But we knew you were afraid

**[Verse 2]**

We accept, we unaccept

We made up, we're breaking up

You thought you had enough

But maybe you didn't know

That this stage holds a show

**[Pre-Chorus]**

*(One step at a time)*

You made us angry

*(All your love could hide)*

But we knew you were afraid

**[Chorus]**

Misery, I digress

No recourse, no remorse

Let it be, I confess

To every song that brought you back

Misery, I digress

No recourse, no remorse

Let it be, I confess

To every song that brought you back

## Story Context

Through Evagria, Sirius now understands that souls can only enter The Samaritaine by letting go of the qualifiers that define them as an individual, in life and here in death. He reflects on his own life in this song.

In the first verse, he comes to the realization that what he is doing is for his own personal fulfillment and that he has abandoned his true love. And when he thinks about it, he realizes while Meri claimed to support him in his endeavors, in her heart she didn’t want him to go, so she was merely repeating his own words ("The rhythm you repeat") and her words and actions weren't in unison; she always hesitated ("The beat, a hair behind"). He understands that she hadn't really been completely honest about where she stood. Continuing, he sees that she always cheered him on and backed him, but only at first, and afterward wouldn't give more ("You gave your all, but you gave it once"). He ultimately thinks that Meri should remove all thoughts and memories of him from her heart, so that she can be happy ("Subtract me from your heart / Little take away girl").

In the pre-chorus, we hear what some of the Entities think of Sirius' choices. "You showed us angry" noting how when he first entered the Keywork, Sirius was resentful of how things were left with Meri, and how his colleagues didn't respect him. But then we get "But we knew you were afraid" revealing that though Sirius may have felt these things on the surface, he was really afraid: Afraid to lose Meri with nothing to show for all his research, afraid to lose relevance in his field, and afraid to face the possibility everything had been for nothing.

In the second verse, he recognizes that throughout their relationship, Sirius and Meri have always gone through ups and downs, and even if Meri thinks it was over, if he comes back to her, he may be able to repair things by making a show of it.

In the chorus though, Sirius can't think of a way out; a cure for what ails him. He doesn't regret coming here and discovering what he has, only that he couldn't make it back. He confesses that he often made a show of things to win her back when things got dicey. But he won't be able to do any of that this time.

## Background

Sanchez specifically wrote this song for the band's family, that they each have to leave when the band goes on the road. He also thought it may be relatable for military families. "This song is written for the people we leave behind and the things they endure creating a life with an absentee person playing a lead role," he said.

## Trivia

* Eppard played the Keyboard for this track, Sanchez played the Electric Piano, & John Medeski played the Synthesizers.

## References

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