Shadow Over the Sun

Album: Second Cut

Engines hum like judgment's hymn
Eyes on maps, the light grows dim
They said one strike could stop the pain
The endless blood on foreign plains
A single bomb to stop the war
To turn the page, and open more

Through the glass the world unmade
Innocence burned while buildings frayed
I told myself we spared more dead
The unborn lives, the tears unshed
We traded horror for the peace
And prayed the killing all would cease

Is it justice, is it crime?
Does the guilt ease with time?
When our might turns sky to flame
Will we ever be the same?
One side prays, the other mourns
Both are bound in what was born

Morning split with godlike sound
The earth unstitched, the air unbound
I saw my city turned to clay
Its colours torn and washed away
Where children played, no voices spoke
Just silent ash in curling smoke

No warning came, no place to hide
The world became a blinding tide
Hands reached out through melting skin
To hold the ones they'd not see again
They called it victory, called it right
But not from here, engulfed in light

Is it justice, is it crime?
Does the guilt ease with time?
When our might turns sky to flame
Will we ever be the same?
One side prays, the other mourns
Both are bound in what was born

In the silence after fire
Truth is forged in thin desire
Every hand that lights the spark
Walks the line from light to dark
And wonders if the price they paid
Was worth the shadow they have made

Now the future wears the crown
The past still pulls the lever down
Would you choose to load the gun
When the shadow hides the sun

Is it justice, is it crime?
Does the guilt ease with time?
When our might turns sky to flame
Will we ever be the same?
One side prays, the other mourns
Both are bound in what was born

Shadow Over The Sun — Notes

After the murderers, monsters, and even a brief resurrection of the heart, we arrive at Shadow Over the Sun. This one turned into the track where I threw in everything but the kitchen sink—music, lyrics, story, arrangements—all while trying to keep it heavy and engaging. At times it might feel like a tornado of sound, but it was one of the biggest challenges of the album, and I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out.

The song is about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World War II. The subject has long fascinated me—Oppenheimer is one of my favorite films—but so much has already been written that I knew I couldn’t do a straight historical retelling justice. Instead, I chose to tell the story through two different and deeply personal perspectives, before widening the lens to a more philosophical reflection on the moral and ethical weight of nuclear warfare.

The first two verses are from the viewpoint of the airmen who dropped the bomb—how they prepared, how they rationalized their actions, and how they’ve tried to live with that decision. The chorus bridges the perspectives: “One side prays, the other mourns. Both are bound in what was born.” Verses three and four shift to the ground, told from the perspective of the victims. Verse three in particular came together beautifully, with the lyrics and guitar intertwining in a way that still feels powerful to me.

Somewhere in the middle of writing this song, I realized all the lyrics were coming out in six-line stanzas. That made arranging the music a real challenge—it’s hard not to have certain lines sound like they’re drifting into a bridge or pre-chorus. In the end, I stuck with the structure, and I’m glad I did. It gave the song a unique feel, and I’m thrilled with the result.