The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Ecotone" by the artist "Volbeat"

The lyrics of Volbeat's song "Ecotone" are a metaphorical description of the state of a person on the edge, in a transitional period of their life. The lyrical hero associates himself with an ecotone - a boundary zone between two different ecosystems.

In the first lines of the song ("I am the desert that will eat your bones. You crossed the line of your habitat") the hero warns that going beyond the familiar world can be dangerous and irreversible. He emphasizes his dual nature ("I can be narrow, or I can be wide"), likening himself to a narrow strip separating two worlds.

Further, the hero describes his state of alienation ("Alienated is how I feel, One foot here and the other one there"). He is in limbo, not fully belonging to either world. He is looking for his place ("And somewhere in between, I will find a name"), but cannot yet decide.

In the chorus ("When you think you're on your own, I'm right beside you. Well, they call me ecotone, The cold edge of the borderline") the hero addresses the listener, assuring him that he is not alone in his experiences. He identifies himself with the ecotone - the meeting place of two different worlds, a zone of tension and change.

In the following verses, the hero continues to develop the metaphor of the ecotone, describing it as a place of sharp contrasts ("The colors change right before your eyes, And even then, we're two in one"). He emphasizes that being in an ecotone is a test ("The division of the ecotone's balance Cuts the stranger's breath for good").

At the end of the song, the hero repeats his main message: he is always there for those who are on the edge, who are going through a difficult transitional period. He is "the cold edge of the borderline", a symbol of the inevitability of change.