Of Dust and Nations

Of Dust and Nations 

the towers that shoulder your pride

the words you’ve written in stone

sand will cover them, sand will cover you

the streets that suffer your name

your very flesh and your bones

sand will cover them, sand will cover you 

so put your faith in more than steel

don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust

where thieves break in and steal

pull the fangs from out your heel

we live in but a shadow of the real 

step out from time, see the dust of nations

step out from time, hear the stars ovation 

saturn will not sleep, until the sand has made us clean

still we stack our stones and bury what we can

but it all will be undone, and nothing built under the sun

will ever stand before the endless march of sand 

Guess I’ll start off saying that there are many songs that have huge emotional ties to my love of Thrice and especially Dustin; however, this one in particular has true staying power, and as such I wanted to share it and it's message with you today. 

Dustin starts the song out by talking about achievements of men (towers built; statues and monuments erected), and is quick to relay the message of the song: These things will fail.  There is no if, ands or buts about it, eventually nothing upon which man can create in and of himself will stand the test of eternity. As such, it is our call to look for something more.  Insert the imagery that only Dustin can weave into a song. 

First image is that of the sand literally and physically bearing not only the achievements of men, but us as well.  Sand, in this instance, is not only the earth that will eventually bury all of us, but also representative of time.  Think not only of the image of sand running through an hourglass, but also a fistful of sand.  It is very difficult to hold onto as it slips and spills out despite your best efforts.  In fact, the harder you try to hold onto it the faster it seems to manage to escape your grasp.  Everything the world can offer you, “towers to shoulder your pride,” will do nothing to satisfy the inner desire for peace; to have the knowledge of knowing we’re a part of something more.

To expand that thought even further, Dustin brings us the first line in the chorus, “So put your faith in more than steel.”  Again, an innocent enough line that when viewed literally conveys the message Dustin wishes you to take; there is more to life than materialistic things.  However, what sets Dustin far above his peers in music is his ability to disguise and hide messages for the soul that chooses to seek it.  Here, I find it extremely telling and powerful that he uses the word “steel”.  Steel is something that man not only uses to build things, but more importantly it represents security.  When we want to build something of strength, long-lasting and even quasi-indestructible we usually think of something having been fabricated out of steel; this serves to drive Dustin’s message home even greater.  Again, there is no true “safety” in the flesh of men; “Sand will cover them, and sand will cover you.”  Dustin’s ability to layer images to deepen the meaning of his message is to me his greatest asset, and this might just be his best effort ever.  Let me explain because yes it does get even better. 

The next lines in the chorus are direct from the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount; Matthew 6:19-20 reads: 

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal 

Now, just as before, the literal lyrics are powerful; however, once again if we look a little deeper an even greater message lies in wait. Musically speaking, Thrice have few other songs (if any at all) that have an ending like this one; it is almost as if Dustin wants you to ponder on the message, and try to unlock the mysteries that lie in wait for one who alleviates himself from the rat race that plague so many.  Like a city dweller who can no longer see the stars in the sky at night, too many no longer realize what they give up in order to race out and have the latest gadget, car, house, clothes, etc.  So, if we take that philosophy into reading that passage in the bible, and cast our eyes but a few verses further we see the overwhelming truth that Dustin is literally preaching to the masses with most of his listeners left none the wiser.  Verses 21 and 24 read: 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Traditionally speaking, Christians will hold to the truth that “mammon” would be Satan directly; however, it also refers to idolatry, treasure and worldliness.  Is that not the theme of the song?  On the surface he’s talking about having faith on more than steel, but the true fact is that he’s preaching the Lord’s message that through the accumulation of “stuff” (worldliness) we are becoming an idol people, a fruitless people, and we “will never stand before the endless march of sand” in that state!   

There is one more reference that I think Dustin makes, which to me seals it all up into a message so profound that it cannot be denied.  Before I dive into the last message Dust of Nations leaves us with let me also share one little tidbit.  The last line in the chorus is “we live in but a shadow of the real”.  Dustin is a huge lover of all things C.S. Lewis, and he is famous for referring to mortal life as the Shadowlands.  In fact, it is so well known that his biography even carries that as its title.  So, clearly he finds a way to once again pay subtle tribute to a man he reveres as a giant in Christian philosophy; now onto Dustin’s final dagger. 

After giving us the Lord’s message from the Sermon on the Mount, Dustin once again chooses a very interesting way of painting the final touches on his imagery, “Pull the fangs from out your heels.”  We’ve discussed extensively the fact that point blank the lyrics are powerful, but this might just be the ultimate in layered metaphors.  Why would he make reference to “fangs” and having them plunged into our “heels”?  To me, it is a literal reference to the Garden of Eden, and the fact that Satan himself is the serpent and father of all lies.  Genesis 3:15 reads: 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

This is the pinnacle of the image because not only is he encouraging us to have faith in more than men, he is preaching the fact that Satan is behind the whole deception!  It is his venom and poison pouring into our blood with the belief that in order to be happy we must build up storehouses unto ourselves, we must obtain status and stature within society and the biggest lie of all that our happiness is built upon the foundation of how wealthy or successful we are.  His cry and plea carries eternal truth with it… 

Step out from time, see the dust of nations!

Step out from time, hear the stars ovation! 

The heavens are calling to us; they want us to look up, to feel the connection that there is more to life than the physical; that man’s true potential requires his removal from the rat race, and until he can achieve that all is lost…left to eventually lose the battle against the march of time, to be buried in the sand.

 

Here is an absolutely incredible acoustic version of the song.  Listen to it; ponder on the message intertwined in the music, and there's no better way to start the week.

 

Calling all Lions!