Lyrics
Victory
The velveteen and oaken fixtures soothed the lonely child,
The parents watched the escort take him while they stood outside.
The priest was kind and gentle as he positioned his head,
The pain was like brimstone, but the kid hardly bled.
Victory, instinct over intellect.
Victory, it erupts from deep inside.
History, history is laughing at us,
Plotting its discovery.
Victory, victory,
Blame it on the victory.
Among the parade crowd there stands a decorated man
Remembering how he helped to save this sacred land.
His helpless enemy was wounded, both hands raised with hope.
He killed him without second thought with brute force and a rope.
Victory, instinct over intellect.
Victory, it erupts from deep inside.
History, history is laughing at us,
Plotting its discovery.
Victory, victory,
Blame it on the victory.
So many times, so many lives test the other side
Waiting to see what the maker has in mind.
The unsuspecting commoners hum diligent each day,
They wallow in their father's sins, as time passes away.
The crimes are without motive but they ignore all restraint,
The evil sits inside them torpid timing its escape.
Victory, instinct over intellect.
Victory, it erupts from deep inside.
History, history is laughing at us,
Plotting its discovery.
Victory, victory,
Blame it on the victory.
Versions & recordings
Grouped by recording
First released on The Gray Race · 1996
Song Interpretations
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This is a song about how war is the worst experience for a human being... it's about how evil sits inside you ready to come to surface...like a dormant vulcan ready to erupt...or like a fire under the ashes...a little wind can rivitalize it! also, it's a song about a decorated man who exchanged a medal for human dignity and respect...he got decorated...and for what?? for killing his enemy without a second thought..."…
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it's about how evil sits inside you ready to come to surface...like a dormant vulcan ready to erupt...or like a fire under the ashes...a little wind can rivitalize it! also, it's a song about a decorated man who exchanged a medal for human dignity and respect...he got decorated...and for what?? for killing his enemy without a second thought..."Victory !instinct over intellect"...although History should bring human kind to reason it's just the opposite...who's to blame for this?? VICTORY! an instinct you can't control that overcomes the intellect (the reason)...back to the fire-metaphor...man should know (from experiencing it himself) that flames burn...but the instinct of getting closer to fire is stronger than the possibility to get burnt himself! that's why INSTINCT OVER INTELLECT...and History keeps laughing at us all, plotting its discovery...we never learn from our past...from our history...do you like my metaphor?? contact me if you agree or not with those lines...
Definitely my favorite song in 'The Gray Race,' this song shows Graffin dislike toward the military, wars, and arms. In the chorus, he says that violence is something natural to humans and that's why there's still wars--we're naturally aggressive. He then says that we've never quite learned our lesson about war and its consequences and that's why 'history is laughing at us.' Then, Graffin takes a blow at the…
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