In the Valley of the Dying Sun – An Interpretation

Some of you may have heard the House of Heroes song “In the Valley of the Dying Sun”.  For those of you who haven’t, let me try describe it:  It’s weird.  When I first heard it, I first noted the “epic sound” it attempted to convey, as if this were something big.  And then I heard the unusual lyrics.  And then I thought “What planet are they from?”.  Ultimately, it was really, really weird.

So because of the unique weirdness of the song, there’s probably plenty of people who are confused about the meaning of it.  I know I was bewildered by the otherworldly words.  But after listening to it countless times, I have finally figured it out:

The song is about Star Wars.

Ha.  Bet you weren’t expecting that.  But it’s true.  And here follows a line-by-line interpretation:

• In the valley of the dying sun
  In the third movie of the original Star Wars trilogy, “Return of the Jedi”, Luke Skywalker is on the moon of Endor. This song is sung in first person, from the perspective of Luke.
• I walk a crooked path alone
  He is alone because he left his friends with the Ewoks.
• I came across the shadow of a man
  This is clearly a reference to Darth Vader. The shadow can refer to the fact that he part machine and not fully man, or simply that he wears black.
• With an angel’s breath
  Vader is strong in the ways of the Force, and it is prevalent by his presence.
• “O boy” he said to me
  Here, Vader begins to speak to Luke
• “I see your future
  Vader believes that he knows Luke’s future, as told to him by the emperor.
• And though you long for peace
  Like his master Obi Wan, Luke hates violence.
• The sword is your father
  Most likely, the author of this song originally wrote “Luke, I am your father”. He probably changed it because die-hard fans would have been quick to point out that Vader already said this in the previous movie, “The Empire Strikes Back”. As it is, it is clearly a threat to Luke. As Vader said to the Emperor, “He shall join us, or die.”
  Many interpreters believe that the Vader quote ends with this line. However, I believe that it continues for obvious reasons that I will nevertheless explain below.
• I’m thinking of you
  Darth Vader’s thoughts frequently turn to his son. He probably additionally wonders what life would have been like had he not turned to the dark side.
• I’m thinking of you when I kill a good man
  To keep myself from being killed by him
  This is an obvious reference to Anakin Skywalker’s mentor, Obi Wan. After turning to the dark side, Vader killed him in the Death Star.
• I’m thinking of you
  See above.
• I’m thinking of you when I hold my girl
  And wonder if she’ll ever love again
  Anakin was married to Padmé Amidala, who lost her hope in her husband, fell into despair, and lost the will to live after Anakin’s turn to the dark side.
• I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you
  He’s emphasizing his point.
• Wash the blood off my hands
  He wants to be vindicated of the evil he has done.
• I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you
  Got it.

I think that’s enough interpreting for now. You’re probably weirded out enough by just this. But anyway, tell me what you think of this so far. I’m guessing that most of you think I’ve gone mad.

One minor note before I finish. As usual, the music video has absolutely nothing to do with the song itself.  Just wanted to remind you of that so you don’t start looking for Star Wars references in it.

Advertisement