Song Lyrics in FFXIV: Compilation, Discussion, and Interpretation

[Rocl]

High above the trees in the throes of liberty

Yet tell me who doth louder call

Tonight for unsung saviors hope

fwiw the bolded parts are the ones I'm super unsure of, but after uh... several hours, it's just what I settled on-- none of them are particularly hills I'd die on! I fully expect a veritable litany of errors

I guess I'll do a little analysis now, but it seems fairly straightforward imo:

Sing a song of dawn,
dawn--the day reborn:
Breathe deep of the dawn before the storm

Back to the dawn imagery, eh? I guess the beacon is relit now! Obviously "dawn" can also very patriotically hearken to the end of the night of Garlean rule, or something. Stormwars.

This hearth, this home, wrested forth from tired fingers,
Bathed in blood and sealed in stone

This sounds like Ala Mhigo, but I'm not convinced it isn't Doma either. When in doubt por que no los dos?

Souls scarred, twelvefold
Beckoned by the bells of vengeance, spirits bold

Eh? No idea about the scarred souls a very specific number of times. A scarred soul sounds something like Tempering to me though. Twelvefold and that lightning storm in the video-- Rhalgr finally!? The bells of vengeance beckoning bold spirits sounds like a very obvious call to arms for a liberation, lol.

A lover lost, a family torn

No idea! Hien's lover Yotsuyu!? The Hext family!? (Assuming that's even Yda's real name!) Perhaps we're overthinking this when looking for specifics... losing a loved one and the ruination of families sound like pretty common side effects of a war.

A solemn pyre raised to rouse the slumb'ring heavens

I always assumed this was in reference to Ilberd's summoning of Shinryu but ... perhaps it's a more generic meaning--pyres are typically built as a sort of burial, yeah? Burying the dead and praying to a God[s] to end the suffering and this war.

Fire in your eyes, fire in your hearts
Steeled as you sound the horns of war

We're going to war, boys and girls! You've made up your mind, you're finally fed up with it all-- this has got to happen now.

Yet know the cost...

Remember this isn't a game, this decision is literally going to cost hundreds, thousands of lives (ignore the fact it's a game)

For who shall mourn,
when light is quenched that another might burn brighter?

I like this line a lot (as referenced in the crosspost in the Revolutions hype thread); could it be a warning that the smallfolk won't care if we free them from the yoke of Imperial rule? Like, sure, yeah you saved us, cool, your status in life gets better but ours remains the same! Is it a warning against the creep of power in our war vs the Primals? "Who mourns those who sacrifice their lives to aid in your quest?" as in, like, who mourns the death of Haurchefant, of Moenbryda, et al? Common sense goes we do! but perhaps we're supposed to reflect on these noble sacrifices--the living mourn the dead, this is obvious but what gives us a right to burn brighter? Why is it that our light is allowed to burn brighter instead of just having 2 lights? idk.

Let not the rays of justice blind
and trust in grace and She shall guide

Yo, you may believe this is 'justice' but be careful you don't end up being just as bad as the guys you're trying to overthrow, okay? Like, c'mon, no tit-for-tat type thing.

Soft is the breeze that can set a petal free
And yet 'tis the storm that doth see the petal soar

A gentle wind sets the petal free, but to really get up there and succeed it needs the storm. It needs the war to accomplish whatever it is that petal is trying to do. The turbulence of the storm is what gives the petal its highest moments, not the cooing breeze.

High above the trees in the throes of liberty
'Til unstirring skies consign her to memory

I don't like this lyric and I'm pretty sure the first part is wrong and as such I have no idea how to read it. The petal flits above the trees breaking and jostling in the storm liberating more petals but eventually the storm passes and the petal falls back to the ground where it's forgotten?

One kingdom's fall is another kingdom's freedom
One sovereign's war is another sovereign's peace
One mother's pride is another mother's sorrow
Their tears both soak the land that they love

Remember the person on the other side is still a person. Fordola and Lyse, par exemple, can BOTH love Ala Mhigo and still be on different sides of the war! Hell, maybe some aans and bans too!

Two lives, two swords
Give an end to shadowed whispers; wicked words
Yet tell me who doth louder call
A rival's pride or the oaths that spur her onward?

I've been avoiding specificity but I feel like the "she" here is probably Lyse and the "rival" is probably Fordola. Shadowed whispers and wicked words screams ASCIAN! to me, but I just as equally suspect it'd be something like Zenos manipulating the Ala Mhigans. Still, two swords seems to hearken back to ole Louisoix and man must choose between a sword of light or a sword of might...

Your time is come, a choice bestown
Tonight for unsung saviors hope
This night you need not walk alone!

A choice? What choice!? Do the people of Ala Mhigo get to choose what happens to their country?
Does that mean, like, we liberate Ala Mhigo and go "okay now you guys can do w/e you want. we're not gonna demand anything of you but we're willing to help you rebuild."

No idea about anything else.
Or any of this.
I don't know what I'm writing about.

[Mysteltain]

The lyrics you have are basically what I'm hearing, barring the same problem areas. I did make some punctuation changes for my analysis though, just to make things separate a bit more easily.

Sing a song of dawn;
dawn--the day reborn.
Breathe deep of the dawn before the storm.

This feels both like a reference to our coming to Ala Mhigo/Doma, as well as our previous history of saving the world. We do have a tendency to show up just before things get bad, assuming we aren't part of the catalyst for the conflict's escalation.

This hearth, this home, wrested forth from tired fingers,
Bathed in blood and sealed in stone.

Yeah, I agree with Rocl: it refers to Ala Mhigo and Doma, with a bit more of a lean towards Ala Mhigo.

Souls scarred. Twelvefold.
Beckoned by the bells of vengeance, spirits bold.

Perhaps a hint that the Twelve are considered superfluous in these times, if the soul is equally scarred? Either that, or simply that vengeance is a far greater driving force than anything else. Of course, we've seen what happens when people are consumed by a need for vengeance *cough*Ilberd*cough*.

A lover lost, a family torn,
A solemn pyre raised to rouse the slumb'ring heavens.
Fire in your eyes, fire in your hearts!
Steeled as you sound the horns of war!

A part of me really wants to see this first line as direct references to Scions (Moenbryda and Urianger; Papalymo's death, Minfillia's departure), but they're also general enough to refer to pretty much any Ala Mhigan or Doman during their occupations by Garlemald. The bit about a "solemn pyre" is likely Ilberd's summoning of Shinryu by sacrificing both his soldiers and himself. This entire verse, however, can be seen as a call to arms centered around emotion rather than logic. Not surprising, but it's also not the most responsible way to spur people to action.

Yet know the cost,
For who shall mourn,
when light is quenched that another might burn brighter?

That's worrying, to say the least. "Why care if X dies when Y, here, is so much better?" Since this verse is phrased as a warning, I feel like we'll get way too in over our heads at some point and the cost of that will not be cheap.

Let not the rays of justice blind.
Entrust in grace and She shall guide!

I guess this all depends on how one defines "justice." An Ala Mihgan's idea of justice is far different than that of, say, the Scions, or even someone like Raubahn. Interesting that they refer to entrusting in Hydaelyn (presumably) and she will safely guide one on their way to justice. She's, uh, kinda had a bad track record with that, admittedly. I mean, it's all worked out mostly for the best, but still.

Soft is the breeze that can set a petal free.
And yet 'tis the storm that doth see the petal soar,
High 'pon the trees in the throes of liberty,
'Til unstirring skies consign her to memory.

(This may or may not pertain to the lyrics, but I do like how the video shifts to Doma with the sharp change in tone and melody of the song)

It only takes a small event to trigger something (freeing the petal), and once that happens there's no going back. There's no controlling what happens next (the storm pushes it around once it's liberated), and soon it's merely a footnote of history (the event). Likely some minor event will happen (or has happened) that leads to major repercussions, until everyone gets caught up in it, perhaps even losing sight of what it was that got them so riled up to begin with.

One kingdom's fall is another kingdom's freedom;
One sovereign's war is another sovereign's peace;
One mother's pride is another mother's sorrow;
Their tears both soak the land that they love.

While it's a bit simplistic, duality is a thing, and it's not something that can be ignored, although both sides tend to do so. Perhaps we'll see that with Garlean sympathizers in both Doma and Ala Mhigo?

Two lives, two swords,
Give an end to shadowed whispers: wicked words.

I'm not sure what's going on in these two lines. After how literal some songs have been (Locus, in particular), I want to take these lines at face value. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely up-to-date on the new Stormblood lore, so I'm not sure who they might be referencing here. Although the second line implies an operator behind the scenes (likely an Ascian, but it would be interesting if it were otherwise).

Yet tell me who doth louder call?
A rival's pride or the oaths that spur her onward?

Conflicting values: pride or duty? This feels like Lyse and the other female Highlander we see fighting multiple times in the trailer. I wonder what their history might be?

Your time is come, a choice bestown:
Tonight for unsung saints atone!
This night you need not walk alone!

While the last line is a rallying cry for a united front (which we got going in Heavensward, with Ishgard rejoining the Eorzean Alliance), the fact that a choice is forced upon someone/some group and it is "their time" is a pretty definitive statement. It brings up the imagery that there will be no going back once this choice is made. The second line...if only we could actually figure out those last two words. For the way I heard it, perhaps some well-intentioned, if unrecognized, characters will be made to pay the price for something they did not do? Although, if the last line directly follows after their atonement, then perhaps they aren't the ones walking alone, and we are walking with them? Are we going to get blamed for something we didn't do again?

[cbwriter]

For the second to last line, I'm either hearing "saints atone" or "sins atone" but I'm not sure which is right.

I heard 'Tonight for unsung sins atone', which goes along with the last line 'This night you need not walk alone'. It seems the lyricist decided to end with a triple rhyme for emphasis. ( bestown, atone, alone)

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

I'm reasonably positive it's "High are the trees / in the throes of liberty". I know "high above" makes more sense lyrically, especially when paired with the prior couple lines (and especially considering the use of "her" in the following one), but I can't hear that no matter how hard I listen.

[MercuryD]

Honestly, the one flame flame quenched/that another may burn brighter CAN (darkfoil hat ) reference Papalymo sacrifice which was the final straw that pushed Lyse to stop hiding behind her mask and embrace herself.

[PArcher]

Just something that may or may not mean anything

I know the Alexander arc isn't technically part of the MSQ, but it still likely will wind its way in. What if this choice in the lyrics is what Alexander was musing about with the WoL at the end, where he can't see fates past it anymore?

[Greven]

I don't see anyone pointing it out yet, if so sorry. Isn't the song in the SB benchmark, when the group of flying mounts cross the portal over the Fenrir FATE, Italian?

[Mysteltain]

Courtesy of reddit, we have the Rise lyrics from the CD booklet. And, well, I think they speak for just how close we were to the lyrics.

Sonic boom, rings loud from the engines
Ironclad murder gonna 'liminate the distance
Ain't no 'landers gonna take us (no)
Cold dustin' the flustered is super-cali ???? tageous

Slow down (Stop!) Takin' no hits
'Cceleratin past us. blast us. fit to transmit (son)
Son to the Father to the Maker's own way
There's a method to the metal on the metal highway (yo)

Keepin' up the pace. (What?) Keepin' with the quickness
Keep the lightning bottled, throttled, throttle to the finish x2

Movin', soothin', got nothing to prove and
Pushin' all your buttons with a button pushing blue-hand
Blue blazes, blue faces,
Blue blood, blue truth gonna see you black and blue (right)

Keepin' up the pace. (What?) Keepin' with the quickness
Keep the lightning bottled, throttled, throttle to the finish x2

Thirty thousand goblins gonna solve the goblins' problems, 'cause the
Problems of the goblins goin' rotten till they solve 'em, yeah the
Thirty thousand goblins gonna solve the goblins' problems, with a
'Splodin smashin' bashin' whackin' crackin' smackin' kind of chaos

A to the L to the E X ander
Gobbies gonna rise up, boom like thunder

Rise up and raise the iron roof off
Now, Rise up and riot 'til the bomb drops
Now, Rise up the time is right to sound off, so
Rise with me, rise with me, rise with me (RISE UP!)
Rise with me, rise with me, rise with me (RISE UP!)
Rise with me, rise with me, rise with me RISE WITH ME
Step back, the Blue's about to pull you under!

...I have no idea how in the world we were going to get remotely close to these, haha! And yes, those question marks are in the booklet. I have no idea what they're supposed to mean...

EDIT: We also have lyrics to Exponential Entropy as well as Revenge of the Horde. The former is a pretty good combination of what we've all had, while the latter just gives us a slightly altered version of the Dragon chants from Heavensward.

Forward and back and then go forward and back
And then go forward and back, then put one foot forward

Transcendental minds unleashed
Exponential Entropy

Forward and back and then go forward and back
And then go forward and back, then put one foot forward

Time out of time (illumination)
Time out of time (illumination)
Time out of time (triangulation)
Time out of time (no destination)
Time out of time (illumination)
Time out of time (illumination)
Time out of time (predestination)
Time out of time (no destination)

Falling back right into the system of
Falling back on all that's erased
When fighting back right out of this system
Means falling back right into this space

Yes, falling back right in with the system
Who'll see you falling back to the end
When falling back is better than simply
Falling back into pieces again

Dys an sohm in / Our slumber disturbed
Rohs an kyn ala na / All my brothers wake
Mah morn narr / The saviours must perish
Sahl djahs afah an / Vengeance will be ours

[Anonymoose]

those question marks are in the booklet. I have no idea what they're supposed to mean...

I've got a ????' guess.

[alimdia]

@Mysteltain you're missing the x2 and x8 on "forward and back"