Serj Tankian: Empty Walls Meaning

Song Released: 2007

Empty Walls Lyrics

Your empty walls,
Your empty walls,

Pretentious attention,
Dismissive apprehension,
Don't waste your time,
On coffins today,
When we decline,
From the confines of our mind,
Don't waste your time,
On coffins today...

Don't you see...

1. anonymous

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   Nov 29th 2007 !⃝

   In the beginning of the video, when the planes flies into the two "block" buildings, this represents the start of the whole war and everything at the twin towers on 9/11.
2. anonymous

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   Nov 21st 2007 !⃝

   There are a couple of errors in the lyrics, the first line is "Pretentiouis adventures" and later in the song is says "I loved you yesterday" not "I left you yesterday"
   
   I also agree with the reference to the holocaust with the bodies burning and it is possibly a comparison between the Nazis treatment of Jewish people in WWII and the American forces treatment of Iraqi people today.
   
   The use of " I loved you yesterday" could be a reference to how the Iraqi people felt at the start of the war when they felt as though they were being liberated but it soon turned out to be more of an oppression as they faced years of conflict in their country, they no longer love the invading forces after "[they] killed my family"
   
   Now that they have been freed the forces should pull out from those now empty walls.
3. YouCantKillHeroes

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   Nov 18th 2007 !⃝

   Considering the video...
   
   It's a reinactment of 9/11. The towers that the little girl builds are knocked down by a toy plane. The bear... or the statue of Saddam Hussein. He's dressed like Uncle Sam. It might be like saying... Uncle Sam has always been an image that everyone knows in America. "I want you" has always been positive. It has slandered people into joining something that no one can ever be fully prepared to face. I'm not saying you should not fight for our country. It takes a lot more courage than most people are willing to give. I think using this symbolism, combined with the prospect of empty walls, is an insight into the reality of war. It's nothing but brutal, and empty. And violence never solves the violence.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 13th 2007 !⃝

   I think the song is about The Holocaust. "Don't waste your time on coffins today". The Nazi's threw corpses in holes and left them there. "Don't you see their bodies burning?
   
   Desolate and full of yearning, Dying of anticipation, Choking from intoxication," The Nazi's burned Jewish bodies that were deserted of hope and wishing for an end as they fell to the ground from the labor and lack of sleep, food and water placed upon them. Some Jews were thrown into a room and posioned, even, without a chance to survive the death camps. I want you to be left behind those empty walls, Told you to see from behind those empty walls..." Serj wanted those Nazi's to experiance firsthand what they were doing to all those people; see through the eyes of the ones behind the empty walls of those death camps.
   
   I think the music video has a totally different meaning though. The music video is talking about how humanity's history of solving thier problems with violence has influenced the children, who practice these rituals into their adulthood (hence the soldiers at the end of the video). When those children rule the world, they practice what they saw as children, which in turn influenced the next generator, continuing the cycle of hate and violence.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 22nd 2007 !⃝

   Tankian's lyrics referring to the killing of families aims to shed light on genocide. His family was persecuted in the Armenian Genocide in the early 1900's. The fact that this is unknown to most and was covered up shows his inner motivations to raise the awareness of acts of violence, particularly in cases such as Darfur and Rwanda.
6. anonymous

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   Oct 12th 2007 !⃝

   I think that the interpretation of the iraq is true in my opinion ans that the video has a lot to say about the meaning as well. The whole fact that Serj has a top-hat may be a sort of variation of Uncle Sam only the dark part like the "exposing truth" part. It goes with lyrics "I WANT YOU TO BE left behind those empty walls" it goes with the Uncle Sam saying "I want you for the us army" only it exposes the truth that he want soldiers to be left in behind those empty walls (iraq).
7. Slained

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   Oct 1st 2007 !⃝

   This one is pretty easy if you think about it...
   
   First, basics. What does Empty Walls mean? It means Iraq. The "walls" representing Iraq, and they are empty because there is nothing left for us to do there. "Empty Walls".
   
   "Pretentious adventures, dismissive apprehension" Pretentious adventures meaning "over-exaggerated adventures" meaning, it's made to seem like a "big" deal, and we truly need to be over there, but we don't. Dismissive apprehension, meaning fear, and dislike of something, (perhaps terrorists)
   
   "Don't waste your time, on coffins today.." means that we shouldn't be over there again, and being somewhat of a 'protest' statement, saying that we don't have to be getting coffins, if we weren't over there.
   
   "Don't you see their bodies burning..." refers to the heat in Iraq, and perhaps dying as well... "...desolate and full of yearning..." The land there is desolate (once again, empty, meaningless, nothing there)The yearning, is perhaps to go back home. "...dying of anticipation, choking from intoxication" Dying of anticipation, meaning they want to go home, badly, while choking from intoxication could be toxic material over there in iraq? (not sure on this one) or it could simply mean impurity, and injust.
   
   Again, "I want you to see, what's behind those empty walls" refer to above, there is nothing left for us to do in Iraq.
   
   "I left you yesterday, before you killed my family" Maybe that the soldier left his family yesterday, and was killed? I'm not entirely sure on this one..
   
   The video, also has some meaning in it. As if not obvious, the children represent soldiers. But why children? Because parents always see their kids, grown up, or young, as small children. This was an ingenious way for Serj to put it. Last, (small meaning) When the children pulled the teddy bear down, it represented the Iraqis pulling down the statue of saddam hussein.
   
   If you have any other interpretations of this be my guest =)

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