These lyrics are defenitely about french revolution and the fall of louis xvi. Period. It relates pretty exactly his life:. - "i usde to rule the world ... Sweep the streets I used to own": Synopsis of his life: he was all and suddenly became nothing. Same goes with "One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on me". - "Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!": death of louis xv, louis xvi becomes king. - "And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand" : clearly refers to the fall of "La Bastille", which was the strongest fortress in Paris. It's the most important turn in the french revolution. Once the Bastille was down, monarchy's destiny in the next days was sealed. (Versailles was far more vulnerable, much less fortified). - "Revolutionaries Wait For my head on a silver plate": Louis xvi was condemned to guillotine. At this period, death penalty nearly always meant guillotine in France. - "Just a puppet on a lonely string": Louis xvi was indeed. A puppet on a lonely string. He had a strong lack of authority upon everything. The true decision-makers were his ministers. For example they managed to convince him to send more and more help to us revolution while french people were starving. References to religion are logical. In France, like in lots of other countries during this period, religion had a heavy weight in political decisions. And the cover of the album is the most famous revolutionary paint in France ("la liberté guidant le peuple" by eugène delacroix). While lots of other meanings can be interpreted (and this is what makes these lyrics so deep and interesting), the core meaning is clearly about the fall of louis xvi.