Song of the Day Redux, Day 23: Cuts Marked in the March of Men (Original Acoustic Demo)

Cuts Marked in the March of Men - Original Acoustic Demo

The Content: Lo and behold, this song is pretty well formed as a demo. Apparently always slotted to be the second real song of the album, Cuts Marked in the March of Men is a solid piece of work that always seemed a little filler-ish just by sheer strength of the tracks surrounding it. I think it's a little bit easier to get at the heart of this song in this form somehow. Maybe just because it's acoustic, or maybe because of Claudio's multi-stacked vocals.

The Music: Seems Claudio already had Travis' main riff during the chorus. That's surprising, actually. I always saw that as a great example of Travis' lead riff writing. Oh well, can't win 'em all. Then again, Travis ditched the stuff Claudio did during the bridge, and wrote the lead-in riff to the chorus that does a lot of great stuff for the song.

The Differences:

• The first "The world is gonna end pretty soon" is "the world is gonna off itself"
• No "tonight we storm"
• "Deliver a favor to my love" is a much more chaotic series of lyrics, more like "deliv-deliv-deliv-deliv-delivery-[unintelligible]-deliver this way-deliver my child-deliv-deliv-"…etc. What are you saying, Claudio?

The Part: This demo actually sabotages my favorite parts of the studio song a little bit. The "tonight we storm" riff is awesome (and as a guitarist, a lot of fun to play!), but I loved hearing Claudio scream that. In the demo I'll settle for the "deliver" section, but I like the studio version of that part better too.

Listen to the world out on the outside pressing in
Are you ready on my mark
Fingers given names and with the last word they ascend
On the comfort of their well being in arms
Into something they can't stop but wish that they could kill
You're the answer to their prayers

In your last hour's stand
You'll notice the one that you had loved
In dreams is here among the others
Chase it's you I want

But if I can't have her
Then why should I spend any more
time in a world that's gonna off itself* / time when the world is gonna end pretty soon
Here, I need you now more than I ever did
I'll hand myself over for you
This comlink's lost its frequency
And I feel that we're coming home short
Here take me instead I'd rather not see her off alone

Scattered amongst the killing streets
The children slate defense, is God's work to have us fail?
Rivered blood streams out the dead as bodies foul the air
I'll make peace when this done, in arms we storm
Slowly the streets begin to fill with new flesh bound to bone
Armed and ready it begins again

Deliver, Deliver this way, [Deliver?] my child[???]

* First iteration of chorus only

Next up: The Crowing (Original Acoustic Demo)