Finally getting to this! Aged a year, had myself a wee bit of a mental health crisis, but we're here :) This song actually took me a minute to get into simply because I was so hyper fixated on songs like Atlantic, Hypnosis, Alkaline, and Descending. I never really paid attention to the lyrics until the day someone on TikTok mentioned a line from this track: "Wash me clean again before I pull myself beneath the waves". That verse alone hooked me to this track and is the one that made me realize just how deep the lore truly dives, and now it's unskippable. To me, this song is almost like Vessel's actual realization that this relationship with Sleep that he seeks is unattainable. The beauty and wonder of Sleep that he was so enamored by before was simply his sight through rose-tinted lenses... and he's finally coming to his senses. Lyric Dissection Time! : For the time being I will still avoid my own questions And we both bury that history deep But you know I can hold my breath forever - (Our protagonist Vessel is going through the acceptance stage - unceremoniously, but he's trying his best - in coming to the eventual realization that it was all in his head. Both Vessel and Sleep are aware that this relationship, no matter how passionate it was, was never going to last... so they bury their history in an attempt to move on. But classic Vessel, forever the nostalgic, will constantly and silently fester and hope for another chance) For the time being You are still a perfect reminder Of what all of these scars on my arms are for If I can hold myself together - (For now, Vessel is going to use Sleep as a relic, a TOKEN, of all his past sins. And he's going to use them to help him build himself back up from his broken state, piece by piece. To use his pain, anger, and grief as a tool to improve himself finally) And I choke myself on sacred vapor Waiting on some holy favor Basking in the solace of regret And it seems my hell is your high water Wash me clean again before I Pull myself beneath the waves - (This line could have several interpretations, but the one I settled on: Vessel is coping by turning to certain substances of the inhalation variety to spiritually/emotionally cleanse himself, waiting on that divine relief... but wounds up just wallowing in his past compunctions yet again. He's come to realize that he's been so dependent on Sleep's happiness, even if it meant that he was harming himself in the process. Vessel was going through hell to make sure Sleep was floating on high water, and he was always looking for Sleep to give him that small dose of love, of spiritual cleansing, before diving beneath the waves of depression, turmoil, and tribulation time and time again) When the mouth of infinity Buries its teeth in me I'll smile through the agony for you And I know you still bear the weight of your own existence And you'll never bear the weight of two - (Vessel really loves his euphemisms of vorarephilia. As time passes on and eats away at him, he'll still smile through the pain despite him knowing that no matter how hard he tries to make the relationship last for the both of them... he knows it's too much to handle for the other party. A tale of unrequited love as old as time itself.) And I choke myself on sacred vapor Waiting on some holy favor Basking in the solace of regret And it seems my hell is your high water Wash me clean again before I Pull myself beneath the waves For the time being I will admit my defeat, again I will accept that I can't pretend We will ever be together - (For now, Vessel finally comes to terms that this is a losing battle. No matter how hard he tries, it was never going to work... so he's finally going to stop pretending as if it ever was.) I can't hold myself together - (The visceral scream Vessel lets out is telling us that while he's in the realm of reality and acceptance now, it doesn't make it hurt any less. This doesn't even need an explanation, you can just FEEL it) This song reminded me of all of my memories with my ex and how the relationship, looking back at it now, was very one-sided for 4 years. We were both young and naive, and wanted someone to cling onto and claim as our own. I tried my best to make the "love" last, and they were too timid to admit they no longer had feelings. In their own words, they "only had a crush on me, they didn't actually love me". I was distraught; going through nursing school, failing a semester, moving house because my family had to go bankrupt, and my grandfather falling ill and being hospitalized all was happening at the same time... and that's when they decided it was time to go. The worst part? I saw it coming. They were distancing themselves for months prior; we were in a long-distance relationship, so we'd communicate through text daily. But those days turned to every other day, to every few days, to once a week... they were always "busy" with something, and I was seemingly less and less important. Maybe they were going through something they weren't comfortable bringing up to me, despite my constant reassurance and urgence that I am a presence they could confide in. They broke up with me through text, so I called. I had an entire conversation ready in my head, and I was going to give them a piece of my mind. But all I did was cry. I cried until I couldn't anymore. I said goodbye, and I contemplated doing things to myself I am not proud of. I don't live very far from the Ambassador Bridge (drive right past it every day to work now, actually. Ironic, isn't it?), so it would've been so easy for me... but I didn't follow through. I don't know what made me refrain. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was cowardice, maybe I knew that this relationship was never going to last in the first place and denial or the need to call somebody "mine" was what dragged it on for years. Maybe it was an amalgamation of everything. Despite it all... I'm glad I didn't follow through. It's been 6 years since, and I've matured and learned to take my pain to use as a tool for me to grow stronger. And while it still hurts to remember, I hold no resentment towards them. I hope they're doing okay. I had to take several breaks writing this simply because of how close this track hits home. Letting go of something you've loved and cherished for so long that you no longer can fathom living past is one of the hardest parts of the grieving process for me, but it is the most necessary for personal growth. And I know I say this about a lot of Sleep Token songs, but this one especially struck a chord for me on a most personal level. P.S.: AYYYYY FALL OUT BOY MENTIONED!
Welcome back! Glad you are feeling safe. Now you have a few episodes to catch up on! It sounds like you had a rough time in the past, but now you are on a better path! Great breakdown :) - Dave
@@angryroads feels good to be back, Dave! I'm glad you and Sussi have uploaded a few videos for me to catch up on, I'm excited to finally indulge in them! 😁 Thank you for taking the time to read on all my yapping 😅
@@tiffy3260 I appreciate that, Tiffy. I’ve had my fair share of situation-ships since then to try and drown out my loneliness and self-loathing; they were all futile in the end because they weren’t genuine. Fickle and fleeting feelings of gratification that only lasted as long as the short bursts of dopamine they provided. I’m slowly learning to love myself. It’s a lot easier said than done, but learning to depend on my own self-assurance than to rely on others has been quite the learning experience. I’m glad I didn’t follow through :)
@@angryroads YES! And when he played that little snippet of Evanescence, he even GIGGLED!!! He knows he has us all wrapped around his finger, the silly bugger 😂
This song very much gives me similar feels as Distraction. Similar despair, and uhm song structure? The long yummy outros. The "it's too laaaate" in Distraction is the "I can't hold myself togetherrrr" in High Water. Which meansss, this will be ranked pretty high for me, i know it. Maybe the difference is that in Distraction, Vess was still very much infatuated with them; while in High Water, it feels like he's actually seeing them for who they are. I also saw another reaction channel mention that the notes in the chorus sounds like someone coming from underwater trying to catch a breath above the surface. Just another thing to add to the visualization haha. And yep, i feel like this song adds more context to Telomeres being Vess' dream (day/night) state. I used to just dismiss Telomeres as being outside the storyline, and loved it regardless. Lol, i have a feeling Sussan is gonna push Blood Sport further down until it gets to Top 5 😂😂😂 and i was literally LOLing at Sussan pushing Sugar down to 25, only to put High Water at 27. Had to show it to my husband, who realized quickly that he was Sussan-like, and i'm Dave-like 😂 For me..High Water sits at #4, pushing up Blood Sport to #3. Levitate and Fall for me stays at #5-6. ☺️
Oh wait i forgot to mention my #2 fave part! 1:32 - 2:00, with the guitar scraping thing when the player changes chords i think. I am no musician at all. But i LOVE that sound! It's one of the few times we hear an organic instrument sound from ST. Lol.
This made me laugh! It's so hard doing TPWBYT rankings because I know I have to leave all this space for TMBTE tracks 😅 I agree with your take on High Water. It's like he is finally able to see how much he puts into the relationship and how much Jesse puts into the relationship. - Sussan
@@angryroads hahaha i was leaving so much space for Tomb coz it definitely is my fave album for now, but after finishing the album, i just realized i still have lots of space at the top half, for Eden that i have grown to dislike for the most part (due to Vess' vocals being less organic in most of the songs in the Eden album).
@angryroads it's so hard with Sleep Token because my favorites are constantly changing lol but I think I'd have to say atleast for now that Tomb is the current favorite but I'm sure it'll change again 😅
Finally getting to this! Aged a year, had myself a wee bit of a mental health crisis, but we're here :)
This song actually took me a minute to get into simply because I was so hyper fixated on songs like Atlantic, Hypnosis, Alkaline, and Descending. I never really paid attention to the lyrics until the day someone on TikTok mentioned a line from this track: "Wash me clean again before I pull myself beneath the waves". That verse alone hooked me to this track and is the one that made me realize just how deep the lore truly dives, and now it's unskippable.
To me, this song is almost like Vessel's actual realization that this relationship with Sleep that he seeks is unattainable. The beauty and wonder of Sleep that he was so enamored by before was simply his sight through rose-tinted lenses... and he's finally coming to his senses.
Lyric Dissection Time! :
For the time being
I will still avoid my own questions
And we both bury that history deep
But you know I can hold my breath forever - (Our protagonist Vessel is going through the acceptance stage - unceremoniously, but he's trying his best - in coming to the eventual realization that it was all in his head. Both Vessel and Sleep are aware that this relationship, no matter how passionate it was, was never going to last... so they bury their history in an attempt to move on. But classic Vessel, forever the nostalgic, will constantly and silently fester and hope for another chance)
For the time being
You are still a perfect reminder
Of what all of these scars on my arms are for
If I can hold myself together - (For now, Vessel is going to use Sleep as a relic, a TOKEN, of all his past sins. And he's going to use them to help him build himself back up from his broken state, piece by piece. To use his pain, anger, and grief as a tool to improve himself finally)
And I choke myself on sacred vapor
Waiting on some holy favor
Basking in the solace of regret
And it seems my hell is your high water
Wash me clean again before I
Pull myself beneath the waves - (This line could have several interpretations, but the one I settled on: Vessel is coping by turning to certain substances of the inhalation variety to spiritually/emotionally cleanse himself, waiting on that divine relief... but wounds up just wallowing in his past compunctions yet again. He's come to realize that he's been so dependent on Sleep's happiness, even if it meant that he was harming himself in the process. Vessel was going through hell to make sure Sleep was floating on high water, and he was always looking for Sleep to give him that small dose of love, of spiritual cleansing, before diving beneath the waves of depression, turmoil, and tribulation time and time again)
When the mouth of infinity
Buries its teeth in me
I'll smile through the agony for you
And I know you still bear the weight of your own existence
And you'll never bear the weight of two - (Vessel really loves his euphemisms of vorarephilia. As time passes on and eats away at him, he'll still smile through the pain despite him knowing that no matter how hard he tries to make the relationship last for the both of them... he knows it's too much to handle for the other party. A tale of unrequited love as old as time itself.)
And I choke myself on sacred vapor
Waiting on some holy favor
Basking in the solace of regret
And it seems my hell is your high water
Wash me clean again before I
Pull myself beneath the waves
For the time being
I will admit my defeat, again
I will accept that I can't pretend
We will ever be together - (For now, Vessel finally comes to terms that this is a losing battle. No matter how hard he tries, it was never going to work... so he's finally going to stop pretending as if it ever was.)
I can't hold myself together - (The visceral scream Vessel lets out is telling us that while he's in the realm of reality and acceptance now, it doesn't make it hurt any less. This doesn't even need an explanation, you can just FEEL it)
This song reminded me of all of my memories with my ex and how the relationship, looking back at it now, was very one-sided for 4 years. We were both young and naive, and wanted someone to cling onto and claim as our own. I tried my best to make the "love" last, and they were too timid to admit they no longer had feelings. In their own words, they "only had a crush on me, they didn't actually love me". I was distraught; going through nursing school, failing a semester, moving house because my family had to go bankrupt, and my grandfather falling ill and being hospitalized all was happening at the same time... and that's when they decided it was time to go.
The worst part? I saw it coming. They were distancing themselves for months prior; we were in a long-distance relationship, so we'd communicate through text daily. But those days turned to every other day, to every few days, to once a week... they were always "busy" with something, and I was seemingly less and less important. Maybe they were going through something they weren't comfortable bringing up to me, despite my constant reassurance and urgence that I am a presence they could confide in.
They broke up with me through text, so I called. I had an entire conversation ready in my head, and I was going to give them a piece of my mind. But all I did was cry. I cried until I couldn't anymore. I said goodbye, and I contemplated doing things to myself I am not proud of. I don't live very far from the Ambassador Bridge (drive right past it every day to work now, actually. Ironic, isn't it?), so it would've been so easy for me... but I didn't follow through.
I don't know what made me refrain. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was cowardice, maybe I knew that this relationship was never going to last in the first place and denial or the need to call somebody "mine" was what dragged it on for years. Maybe it was an amalgamation of everything. Despite it all... I'm glad I didn't follow through. It's been 6 years since, and I've matured and learned to take my pain to use as a tool for me to grow stronger. And while it still hurts to remember, I hold no resentment towards them. I hope they're doing okay.
I had to take several breaks writing this simply because of how close this track hits home. Letting go of something you've loved and cherished for so long that you no longer can fathom living past is one of the hardest parts of the grieving process for me, but it is the most necessary for personal growth. And I know I say this about a lot of Sleep Token songs, but this one especially struck a chord for me on a most personal level.
P.S.: AYYYYY FALL OUT BOY MENTIONED!
Welcome back! Glad you are feeling safe. Now you have a few episodes to catch up on!
It sounds like you had a rough time in the past, but now you are on a better path!
Great breakdown :)
- Dave
@@angryroads feels good to be back, Dave! I'm glad you and Sussi have uploaded a few videos for me to catch up on, I'm excited to finally indulge in them! 😁
Thank you for taking the time to read on all my yapping 😅
Cried reading this. Thank you for being a coward and not pushing through with what you were thinking of. 🖤
@@tiffy3260 I appreciate that, Tiffy. I’ve had my fair share of situation-ships since then to try and drown out my loneliness and self-loathing; they were all futile in the end because they weren’t genuine. Fickle and fleeting feelings of gratification that only lasted as long as the short bursts of dopamine they provided.
I’m slowly learning to love myself. It’s a lot easier said than done, but learning to depend on my own self-assurance than to rely on others has been quite the learning experience.
I’m glad I didn’t follow through :)
The raw agony he channels into that final “and I can’t hold myself together” scream at the end actually breaks my heart
There are so many moments like that in their songs. Honestly, Vessel is a theatre kid for sure.
- Dave
@@angryroads He most definitely had to be, and a nerd! Have you seen the video game soundtracks he plays to the intro to Rain during his live shows? 😂
Yes! Very funny. I have seen Halo and I think he played 'Bring Me Back To Life' once as well?
- Dave
@@angryroads YES! And when he played that little snippet of Evanescence, he even GIGGLED!!! He knows he has us all wrapped around his finger, the silly bugger 😂
It really grows on you
Loved this track!
This song very much gives me similar feels as Distraction. Similar despair, and uhm song structure? The long yummy outros. The "it's too laaaate" in Distraction is the "I can't hold myself togetherrrr" in High Water. Which meansss, this will be ranked pretty high for me, i know it. Maybe the difference is that in Distraction, Vess was still very much infatuated with them; while in High Water, it feels like he's actually seeing them for who they are.
I also saw another reaction channel mention that the notes in the chorus sounds like someone coming from underwater trying to catch a breath above the surface. Just another thing to add to the visualization haha.
And yep, i feel like this song adds more context to Telomeres being Vess' dream (day/night) state. I used to just dismiss Telomeres as being outside the storyline, and loved it regardless.
Lol, i have a feeling Sussan is gonna push Blood Sport further down until it gets to Top 5 😂😂😂 and i was literally LOLing at Sussan pushing Sugar down to 25, only to put High Water at 27. Had to show it to my husband, who realized quickly that he was Sussan-like, and i'm Dave-like 😂
For me..High Water sits at #4, pushing up Blood Sport to #3. Levitate and Fall for me stays at #5-6. ☺️
Oh wait i forgot to mention my #2 fave part! 1:32 - 2:00, with the guitar scraping thing when the player changes chords i think. I am no musician at all. But i LOVE that sound! It's one of the few times we hear an organic instrument sound from ST. Lol.
This made me laugh! It's so hard doing TPWBYT rankings because I know I have to leave all this space for TMBTE tracks 😅
I agree with your take on High Water. It's like he is finally able to see how much he puts into the relationship and how much Jesse puts into the relationship.
- Sussan
I love that too!!!
- Sussan
@@angryroads hahaha i was leaving so much space for Tomb coz it definitely is my fave album for now, but after finishing the album, i just realized i still have lots of space at the top half, for Eden that i have grown to dislike for the most part (due to Vess' vocals being less organic in most of the songs in the Eden album).
My favorite off this album.
I love that for you. It's a great track! Is this your favourite album? I can't decide between Tomb and Eden 😅
- Sussan
@angryroads it's so hard with Sleep Token because my favorites are constantly changing lol but I think I'd have to say atleast for now that Tomb is the current favorite but I'm sure it'll change again 😅
I hear you. The whole trilogy is my favourite album :P
- Dave
Definitely the favorite on this album
Such a good breakdown!
- Dave
Love y'all sm❤
Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
- Dave
Aw! That's so nice to hear 😍😍
- Sussan
This album ❤
Would this be number one for you?
- Sussan
High water is not a good thing
Do you mean the song or the meaning? As we discuss in the video, the High Water is a bad thing in context with the relationship.
- Dave