Language question: what the hell is 'down' in SOAD?

[rodia77]

As a non-native English speaker, I'm struggling to understand the 'down' reference in the phrases 'victims of a down' and 'system of a down'. I'm not asking why the poem name or why the band name, but what is the meaning of 'down' in this context, specifically.

As the century nears its formidable end, our global experience of universal proportions, predicted by many greats, will arrive at our solar system, to our system of a down.
The whole poem Victims of a down can be found here.

Victims of what? System of what, exactly? I'm instinctively thinking the meanings of 'downfall' or 'failure' could be close but I can't see any dictionary definitions of 'down' that would really fit here.

And I can't bloody sleep because of it!

[geoffbot]

No idea, all I know is the band. Turns out a band member wrote the poem you cite, doesn't seem to mean much else. If you can't find it on the Internet it's probably not 'a thing' beyond that - a poem some dude wrote then named it band after it (victims of a down later became system of a down).

Don't lose sleep over something a dude said, Raza says all sorts of shit on here that makes no sense at all.

[rodia77]

No idea, all I know is the band. Turns out a band member wrote the poem you cite, doesn't seem to mean much else. If you can't find it on the Internet it's probably not 'a thing' beyond that - a poem some dude wrote then named it band after it (victims of a down later became system of a down).

So, as a native speaker, when you see the part of the poem I quoted in the OP, you can't tell what 'down' means there?

Don't lose sleep over something a dude said, Raza says all sorts of shit on here that makes no sense at all.

Now, if I were @Raza, I'd totally take it as a challenge and sensibly explain what that 'down' is!

[Mediocre]

Native English speaker. No idea what it means

[crownpuller]

I'm familiar with the band and the poem and I always read it as a 'downward spiral' to the 'inevitable'.

... and I associated it with Arnie's line in Terminator 2: "It's in your nature to destroy yourselves".

I could be way off the mark, but that's just my interpretation.

[tribe125]

I’ve read the full poem - although I wouldn’t call it a poem - and I’d say that only the writer has any idea of what he means.

[Raza]

I believe it’s something as simple as a decline. Seems about right for a metal band.