#bvb talk

hi! i’m not sure how coherent or helpful this will be, but from what andy’s said, the video for ‘scarlet cross’ is intended to introduce the viewer to the world of the phantom tomorrow, which is a rebel group/faction that arose out of this sort of dystopian world they live in. it’s supposed to look super clean, almost not lived in, but you can see the echoes of this oppressive force in the individuals who go after scarlet (the woman the video follows), who is a member of the phantom tomorrow. the end of the video introduces blackbird, who’s this mysterious, batman-like “hero” (or presumed to be), who saves scarlet from these goons.

‘fields of bone’ picks up where ‘scarlet cross’ leaves off, and andy has said that the implication is that scarlet gets away with the help of blackbird and has now retreated to the underground world in which the phantom tomorrow lives and finds refuge. it’s supposed to look grittier, darker, dirtier. blackbird has come down to this world to essentially assess what’s going on, who the phantom tomorrow is, etc., when he encounters nine (the guy in the mask and white shirt), who’s intended to be a joker-like foil to blackbird’s batman. nine kills scarlet, and a confrontation ensues between blackbird and nine. it initially appears that nine has bested/killed blackbird, but we see toward the last minute that blackbird survives. the next video, crimson skies, depicts the “showdown” between nine and blackbird, where it appears that blackbird is killed.

from there comes ‘torch’, which follows the funeral procession for blackbird. the video shows a reverend-type figure aiding in the procession, and it’s later revealed to be nine in disguise. i believe after the band members all leave the church there is supposed to be a reveal that blackbird is alive, but at the last minute, nine presses a detonator on his phone that causes the church to explode, presumably killing blackbird once and for all.

LYNN MY BELOVED… I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW LONG IT’S TAKEN ME TO REPLY, it is absolutely unacceptable!!! i was just listening to torch and heard the line you’re referring to (“who’s the holy one that i can kill to stay alone?”) and suddenly remembered that i’ve left this unanswered for nearly eight months 😵‍💫 there is no excuse and i’m so sorry!

to answer your (lovely and thoughtful!) question, though: in all honesty, i primarily chose that line as the quote for my description because it resonated with me but for reasons i can’t quite articulate or place my finger on? i recall that andy described this song as being about “reaching out and finding a lifeline of truth and hope when all feels lost and freeing yourself of the negative and destructive noise that can sometimes fill our minds and bring us down”, and to me that whole verse (“kneel and pray / what’s the world today? / and who’s the holy one that i can kill to stay alone? / and if i take them down / will my lies be found?”) seems to be the internal monologue of someone who has isolated themselves from the world around them for whatever reasons (self-loathing, shame, depression, a combination, etc.); the idea that they feel the need to shut out everything to protect themselves or those around them from whatever shortcomings, failures, or harm for which they feel they’re responsible. this questioning of what holy figure they can “kill” to remain in their isolation to me emphasizes the intensity of their desperation to be left alone.

and if the purpose of the torch is, as andy says, to be a light for those who feel alone, then this internal warring described in the line “if i take them down / will my lies be found?” is resolved in the last line of the chorus and the song as a whole: “to live is to lie / so light the torch”. it reads to me as the narrator’s acceptance that we have all done things of which we are ashamed or not proud, but that it’s no reason to close ourselves off from the light and to not strive to find meaning and hope in that chaos and to strive to do better.