The song title refers to the volcano that laid waste to the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79. The track is filled with metaphors of pagan and religious origin as Stevens calls on the volcano, the "fire of fire," to "fall on me now as I favor the ghost." Many of Stevens' songs have spiritual allusions and the Detroit born singer-songwriter consistently uses the word "ghost" to refer to the Holy Spirit in his music. On this track it appears he is using Vesuvius as a symbol for the ultimate fire

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