Chasm (Flyleaf song)
Encyclopedia
"Chasm" is the fourth single by Flyleaf
from their second album, Memento Mori
. The song was officially available for digital download on September 27, 2010.
parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man dies and goes to hell
. From hell, he looks up to Heaven
and sees Lazarus, a beggar who had scrounged crumbs from underneath his table, sitting next to the Jewish patriarch
Abraham. The rich man begs Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come down to hell to soothe his burning tongue. This is impossible because of a wide chasm between Heaven and hell. The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to Earth to warn the rich man's brothers to follow the Law of God so that they won't end up next to him in hell. This request is also denied. Abraham responds that his brothers have the words of Moses and the prophets. If they won't believe Moses or the prophets, they won't believe Lazarus even if he returns from the dead.
on September 22, 2010.
While the enemy was losing the battle today, they cried out to us, "Memento Mori, we are human too! We are in pain and we are dying!". I answered them, hoping they would listen, "Break off your pact with the Dread Army! That is what is killing you! Walk away and take your life back! I know it's all you've ever known, and walking away will leave a wound, but it will heal! When it does, do not enter into your pact with the vultures again! You don't have to be slaves to death! We've come to bring the truth of freedom! You were meant to be free!" But they wouldn't listen and kept cryng out, "Please give me something! I'm so thirsty." I tried again with more urgency. "If you die here this way, you will have wasted your life on death and you will have never lived! Once you die here, the chasm will be fixed and you can never undo it. Turn from death and drink this life-giving water we are offering you!" The battle continued to rage, some turning and joining the Passerby Army, others dying.
Flyleaf
Flyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005....
from their second album, Memento Mori
Memento Mori (Flyleaf album)
Memento Mori is the second studio album by American rock band Flyleaf, released through A&M/Octone Records on November 10, 2009. The title is a Latin phrase meaning "be mindful of death" or "remember you will die." Memento Mori debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, selling 56,000 units in...
. The song was officially available for digital download on September 27, 2010.
Content
Chasm is based on the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man dies and goes to hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. From hell, he looks up to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and sees Lazarus, a beggar who had scrounged crumbs from underneath his table, sitting next to the Jewish patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
Abraham. The rich man begs Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come down to hell to soothe his burning tongue. This is impossible because of a wide chasm between Heaven and hell. The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to Earth to warn the rich man's brothers to follow the Law of God so that they won't end up next to him in hell. This request is also denied. Abraham responds that his brothers have the words of Moses and the prophets. If they won't believe Moses or the prophets, they won't believe Lazarus even if he returns from the dead.
Music video
Giles Timms directed, animated and illustrated the animated music video for Chasm. The music video premiered on VevoVevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
on September 22, 2010.
Letters from the Commander/History of Memento Mori
3.16.01 Chasm (third part of the History of Memento Mori)While the enemy was losing the battle today, they cried out to us, "Memento Mori, we are human too! We are in pain and we are dying!". I answered them, hoping they would listen, "Break off your pact with the Dread Army! That is what is killing you! Walk away and take your life back! I know it's all you've ever known, and walking away will leave a wound, but it will heal! When it does, do not enter into your pact with the vultures again! You don't have to be slaves to death! We've come to bring the truth of freedom! You were meant to be free!" But they wouldn't listen and kept cryng out, "Please give me something! I'm so thirsty." I tried again with more urgency. "If you die here this way, you will have wasted your life on death and you will have never lived! Once you die here, the chasm will be fixed and you can never undo it. Turn from death and drink this life-giving water we are offering you!" The battle continued to rage, some turning and joining the Passerby Army, others dying.
Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
26 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
48 |