Fair Choice

Song Meaning

The lyrics of "Fair Choice" plunge the listener into a harrowing moral dilemma. What begins as a rhetorical question quickly devolves into a scene of profound regret and inescapable consequence. The choice at hand is anything but fair; it's a devilish bind. The central tension arises from the speaker's past "vacillation," which has birthed two competing outcomes, described as "Twins, quick in their cradle, loud as alive." This vivid personification suggests that the options are now fully formed and demanding attention, making any resolution agonizing. The lyrics contrast a brutal, decisive past hypothetical—where one option might have been sacrificed to the "god-head of the other"—with the present, where such a clean, if barbaric, cut is no longer possible. Now, the speaker faces an unbearable choice: to "cold murder the one and force-feed / With your remorse the other." This visceral imagery underscores the emotional violence inherent in the decision, implying that even the chosen path will be tainted by guilt and haunted by the "vengeful voluble ghost" of what was lost. The language here is unflinching, painting a picture of psychological torment that will linger long after the choice is made. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest there's no escape from the pain. The alternative to cold murder is to "bend your dilemma-feebled spine" and attempt to nurture both, but even this path comes at a terrible cost: "The spilt blood be your own!" The final, crushing biblical allusion—seeing one twin as "An Abel to the other's bloody Cain"—crystallizes the tragic, fratricidal nature of the choice, ensuring that guilt and conflict will forever define the outcome, regardless of the path taken.