Apokliros

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark portrait of displacement and perpetual hardship. The narrator is caught in a cycle of sorrow, running through city streets with fear as a constant companion and need as their driving force. This figure is described as "apokliros," an outcast, living a life without papers, suggesting a profound lack of belonging and legal identity. The central tension arises from the search for a better life, specifically seeking work in "dream cities," only to find that their current existence is left behind on the "opposite shore." The sea becomes a metaphor for the vast, uncertain space between their past and a future that remains elusive, with life itself depicted as a stowaway in the world's depths. The repetition of "ξένος" (stranger/foreigner) in both their homeland and in foreign lands underscores the profound alienation. The image of an "unfolded map in the new foreign land" captures the disorientation and the daunting task of navigating an unfamiliar existence. This sense of being lost is amplified by the description of their home as a "wound" within the city's body, a place of pain rather than solace. Ultimately, the lyrics convey a deep sense of inescapable fate and marginalization. The phrase "This punishment belongs to him" suggests a predetermined suffering. The outcast wanders, their existence defined by a legal crack, a flaw in the system that leaves them perpetually on the outside, their home a constant injury in the urban landscape.