When you cherry pick lines that support the view you’re pushing and intentionally ignore the ones that undercut it, and then present that as a refutation, that is a straw man. It’s intellectually dishonest and you know it.
This goes both ways. The lines I quoted undercut your interpretation. Both passages belong to the same song. They talk about the same thing. If their interpretations contradict each ther, there is a problem with the interpretation.
You haven’t offered any response on the lyric that is a glaringly obvious vampire reference.
I don't think it's a glaringly obvious vampire reference, but okay, here's the interpretation I had when I first heard the song and went through the lyrics. To me, it meant that a person who does not have a dark side to them is not a full human being. This is a theme often explored in media, and the first thing that came to mind when I read those lyrics back then was a
classic Star Trek episode. I don't know why you are so mad about the fact that I said I didn't ever think of vampires when listening to this song. The tone of the song does not match this topic in my opinion, and as I said, I had my interpretation confirmed by what Bruce said, so it never crossed my mind in later years. So yes, I was a bit bewildered by this interpretation. I never heard it before, and I thought it was a bit out there.
The lyrics in “Out Of The Shadows” that talk about a person being cooped up indoors, with life seeming all the same, questioning its purpose, and calling for the starlight to surround him — not hard to see the association with a long-lived vampire who can only have freedom at night, in the starlight.
I completely disagree with this interpretation. To me, the lyrics aren't about someone being cooped up indoors but about someone being released to the world and about what will face them there.
“Princes Of The Universe” is a phrase used by another rock band as a metaphor for immortal creatures who suck the life force out of others and are unable to have children. Hmm. “Who will be born today?” could well be referring to who will be turned and reborn as a vampire, thus being a “king for a day”, reveling in their newfound power until they realize its cost.
Highlander isn't about vampires or undead though, so I think that's a bit of a stretch. "Who will be born today" could refer to someone turned and reborn as a vampire - or it could simply ask who the person born today will be in their life. A newborn child is king for a day because on the day of their birth, everything revolves around them.
Vampires are undead. The only way to “live again” would be to cast off the curse, and other than a stake through the heart, the only way to do that would be through self-immolation. Ending his pointless immortal life by stepping out of the shadows and into the sun. Thinking of the past as he burns away the curse (“the old ways are done”). There is both beauty and pain in that crucible, but he must endure it to “live again”.
I don't quite follow you here. How do vampires "live again" after this? They are destroyed. If we follow the paradigms set here, according to the last line they don't have souls and therefore there is no potential for any life after this.
I'll offer you my take on the song for you to pluck apart now. Hopefully this way you see that I don't have any malicious intent.
Hold a halo round the world, golden is the day
Princes of the universe, your burden is the way
So there is no better time, who will be born today
A gypsy child at day break a king for a day
This verse speaks of the anticipation before birth for those around the newborn, and the child itself. It is a golden day - a new life is born, a prince of the universe in the sense that the whole world lies at the child's feet. The child is a vagabond at first, because nobody knows where their life is headed (and if we accept that reincarnation is a topic of the song, which soul is being reborn, but I don't think this is an essential interpretation), but the way is also a burden, because nobody can take away the hardships. The mission is to make life fulfilling and make the good outweigh the bad.
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it to live again
The child was a mystery before they were born and is now out in the sun for everyone to see. Everything that was before the child was born is old and in the past. To most parents, the birth of a child is an event that changes everything in their lives. What came before doesn't matter anymore, the old ways are done. I'd like to point out here that the imagery in this song is very close to that of
This is Your Life by Dio.
The mission of the child's life is stated once more, and by witnessing the child growing up and overcoming the difficulties to appreciate the beauties of life, the parents and family retrace their own steps and live again. Many parents have stated that they relive their own youth by watching their children grow up. Being a step-parent myself, I can confirm this.
Dusty dreams in fading daylight, flicker on the walls
Nothing new your life's adrift, what purpose to it all?
Eyes are closed and death is calling, reaching out its hand
Call upon the starlight to surround you
The moment you are born, you are marked for death. A life has to end at some point, and the question is, what is the purpose? What dreams did we fulfill and which ones are just dusty, old and unaccomplished at the end? We need to remember we're not here forever and ultimately, it's up to us what we do with our lives and what we choose to accomplish. When we die, we return to the night and the shadows, and we can hope that we live on in what we accomplished in our lives, our night thus being illuminated by the starlight we created ourselves during life.
A man who casts no shadow has no soul
As stated above, there is both light and shadow in our personal existence. We must embrace both to become a full person. If we deny the darkness in us, we deny our personality.
