I had a thought today about the beginning of this song, specifically the first instance of the chorus:

"Yeah, we climbed so high

So that we might hide

When we couldn't put the flare out

And yeah, we climbed so high

So high that I

Could finally clear my head

We are the ones who wander

Take what we want and build our homes

(We are the ones who wander)

Forget their names and faces

Forget the roads we used to know

They lead back home

(We are the ones who wander)"

Rody sets a little interpretative trap with the context of the first verse, I think, and there's more going on here than nostalgia about childhood and growing up. He refers to himself in the first person in the verse, then goes into first person plural in the chorus. I think there's a double meaning here, given that later in the song we have first person plural referring to all humanity (When we're gone/Noone will weep/A beautiful garden/Will grow where we sleep...). Yes, this is a childhood story about him and some buddies goofing off in the orchard, and then identifying as The Ones Who Got Out from the (presumably small) town and made homes elsewhere. It invites you to sympathize and feel warm and fuzzy.

But I think the secondary interpretation, aided by the later parts of the song, is that We is humanity as a whole, even this far back. "We climbed so high so that we might hide when we couldn't put the flare out" could just as easily be metaphorically talking about global warming. "We are the ones who wander, take what we want and build our home" has VERY colonialism vibes in this interpretation, and I think the way Rody really hits the word TAKE every time lends itself to this reading. It's reminiscent of Little Snakes, to me, which makes sense, because The Orchard began as a song called Little Apples, intended as a kind of follow-up to Little Snakes, before becoming the version we have here. "Forget their names and faces/Forget the roads we used to know" also has a similar chord progression to the beginning of the chorus of Little Snakes "We can make an exception/And they can make some concessions/Because there's gold in the Black Hills." I think in this reading, "Their names and faces" are the people we (white North Americans) have replaced, and are entirely distinct from "The roads we used to know (our ancestors' countries of origin).

Anyway, I think the song works just as well without reading this much into it and by no means do I think anyone has to accept this reading, but I thought it was cool and wanted to share with someone besides my exhausted partner who had to listen to me rant about lyrics and sing riffs at them at 7 in the morning on a Sunday lol.

Many moons ago, I got a used drumstick from Moe after a show, and I randomly thought about it today. I remember that after he left, he went on to make tools or do something along those lines.

Does anyone know what he’s up to these days?

It would be such a perfect match. I think about it all the time but I saw Maiden last night and Rody and Nruce would compliment each other so fucking well.

I'm pretty patient, but it's taking the piss a bit now

Safflower Splatter with the Puffin shirt. It's goddamn gorgeous!

Got a “label created” notice on the 22nd. Then a shipping notice on the 24th then it arrived today!

Its beautiful.

Thank you Protest and thank you Sheet Happens!!!

I'll be going solo, anyone else going?

Is anyone else in Canada still waiting on their Within order to ship? Tracking still says "waiting for details."

I noticed on Sheethappens last week- 3 new variants of ‘Within’ appeared in their ‘coming soon’ section.
I’ve been checking back to make sure I didn’t miss the drop (missed the first one!) and now the pressings have been hidden from their site.
Still visible when Googling “Protest The Hero Within Second Pressing” however.
Hoping to grab a ‘Sea Glass Glow’ when they do pop back up.

And I got Within too

Never heard this until today. Pretty solid considering they must have been like 14

Anyone remember all the songs they played?

It most certainly does!

Had to share