We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own

Song Meaning

These lyrics plunge the listener into a scene of urgent, collective destruction. Commands like "Bring your gun" and "Burn your broom" immediately establish a frantic, almost ritualistic call to action. There's a palpable sense of impending catastrophe, a purging of the old to make way for an unknown, terrifying future. The central tension here lies in the shift from active, violent commands to a resigned acceptance of fate. The line "Perish awful if he's right" introduces a conditional dread, suggesting a specific, unnamed judgment hangs over the collective. This initial agency, however, quickly gives way to the desperate, repeated cry of "We're doomed, we're doomed!", implying that the actions taken might be futile, or perhaps even the very cause of the inevitable end. The relentless repetition is a masterclass in building a sense of inescapable doom. The command "Take your cauldron and get down" is repeated ten times, creating a hypnotic, almost cult-like chant that draws the listener into the collective's desperate preparations. This, combined with the frantic "Fly, fly, the devil's in your eye, shoot, shoot," paints a picture of paranoia and a frantic, perhaps misguided, lashing out. Ultimately, these lyrics are effective because they tap into a primal fear of collective judgment and the terrifying power of groupthink. The stark, active language, coupled with the blend of domestic imagery ("broom," "cauldron") and apocalyptic pronouncements ("Kingdom come / All as one"), creates a visceral, unsettling experience. It's a chilling portrayal of a community caught in the throes of a desperate, perhaps self-destructive, final act.