The song is an extended metaphor. Kensrue said,

The Water sonnet deals with man’s pride, and the futility and idiocy of that pride, come face to face with the power of the sea."

The song urges us to have humility in times of hardships and pray for grace rather than pridefully attempt to confront those hardships alone.

The lyrics are written from the first person perspective of the sea. Winds, waves, and storms represent the trials, pain, and grief that we experience during our lives.

“Kings upon the main” in the title and the lyrics is a reference to those who feel like masters in their own sphere of existence and believe that no bad can confront them that they can’t handle. These people are summarily humbled. Poetically, “main” can refer to either “mainland” or “main sea”. In the poetry of this song, it mostly likely means the open sea.

Stylistically, this song shares certain things in common with the final song on every other disc of The Alchemy Index. They are sonnets, their lyrics are all written in iambic pentameter, and their final two lines share the same melody (albeit in different keys). These four songs are “The Flame Deluge”, “Kings Upon The Main”, “Silver Wings”, and “Child of Dust”. Kensrue said, “Each sonnet is written from the point of view of the personified element, speaking to mankind, and lamenting our various failings.”