"The Gutter"

"The Gutter" is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the eleventh song and third single on their 2018 album Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures.

Lyrics
[Verse 1] Over my dead body The stars will let you know it's over Now, if I had my way I would leave you here to waste your final days Buried beneath (With the possibility of how things could be) Oh, please rest assured, this was not my fault And time is getting short So, I'll be here if you want me (Beaten covered in a red so bloody) Oh, my darling, can you hear My words so pure they burn your lying ears?

[Chorus] And so the story goes When I leave, will you let me go? When the words stop coming And the fear starts setting in slow Don't let me find you hiding under the covers It's your last chance, honey... Better (CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!) All hope is lost down in the gutter

[Verse 2] When you're in your bed Sleeping toward the void So deep it feels like death Oh, don't you (Wake, wake) Oh, my love, I hear life holds nothing for us Beyond our time in here Oh, don't you dare turn your back on me (No use running when the bad guys coming) Oh, I think you've got me pegged as the wrong man Oh, I think you've got me pegged

[Chorus] And so the story goes When I leave, will you let me go? When the words stop coming And the fear starts setting in slow Don't let me find you hiding under the covers It's your last chance, honey... Better (CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!) All hope is lost down in the gutter

[Bridge] We were better together, I know that much Oh, can't you see? Through the bad and the good, we had all the luck The devil's got nothing on us You and me

Baby, over my dead body Baby, over my dead body Baby, over my dead body Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh We're still counting on you Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh We'll keep counting on you

Mother, come on out Show me what the world is all about And we'll keep counting on you Mother, come on out Show me what the world is all about And we'll keep fighting for you We'll keep fighting for you We'll keep fighting for you We'll keep (We'll keep fighting) Oh, I think you've got me pegged as the wrong man Oh, I think you've got me pegged

[Chorus] And so the story goes When I leave, will you let me go? When the words stop coming And the fear starts setting in slow Don't let me find you hiding under the covers It's your last chance, honey... Better (CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!) All hope is lost down in the gutter

Music Video
An official "visualizer" was released for this song on August 16, 2018. Is primarily made up of Chase Stone's artwork featured throughout the novella and on the album cover. As such, it offers a perfect representation of what the song's meaning is.



Story Context
"" Now The Unheavenly Creatures are going to be rejoined by their third member: Otto Cruger, aka, Colossus. The first verse is him doing the talking. Cruger doesn't want Nos to find out that it was he who killed Nia, because he does still need him, as much as he wishes he doesn't. Of course, he does want Nia out of the picture because he views her as Nostrand's kryptonite; something that constantly makes him weak. Of course, he tells Nos, "No, I didn't do it, it was the guards," (not in that exact way) but this is how the song is illustrating it. And of course, threating Nos out the door, even though Nia is still there. The lines, "Oh, my darling, can you hear? / My words so pure they burn your lying ears" are from Nia's view as she thinks Nostrand was lying when he said he didn't mean to leave her behind.

The chorus switches back fully to the pair—first to Nostrand, who asks Otto to let him go, then to Nia who tells him this is his last chance and if he fucks it up, they'll be over for good. Finally, it ends with some foreshadowing as Nos responds "All hope is lost down in the gutter" but this is a coded message to Nia, as they haven't been fitted with Gutters, only Otto has.

The second verse goes back to Otto. Before he and Nostrand parted as they were ejected onto the planet, they more or less agreed that if they ever saw each other again, they were surely kill each other. The Warden understands their relationship is volatile and leverages that to convince Otto to go after Nia and Nos so these first lines are him on the hunt. Then it switches to Nia as she pleas with Nos to escape with her because she can't do it alone. The cry, "Oh, don't you dare turn your back on me" from her is her reliving the past events and he responds with, "Oh, I think you've got me pegged as the wrong man" as a way to start the amends.

The bridge is Nia and Nos working through those amends. Curiously, there is the few lines that go, "Mother, come on out / Show me what the world is all about / And we'll keep counting on(/fighting for) you." This actually seems to be related to Vaxis himself. Is he the one saying it, or Nos?

Trivia

 * The title refers to the device that is issued to each inmate upon registration with the prison. The device is implanted onto their abdomen and is controlled remotely or activated by sensors, and also has a tracking feature. When activated, it will drill through the inmate's stomach severing vital organs; effectively killing them by disembowelment.
 * An acoustic version was performed by Sanchez and released on YouTube after the album's release on April 3, 2019. An official version was released on SoundCloud and Apple Music on July 12, 2019, which made it available for purchase to consumers.