Burn the witch
Burn the witch
Burn the witch
Burn the witch

Holding hands, skipping like a stone
On our way, to see what we have done
The first to speak, is the first to lie
The children cross, their hearts and hope to die
Bite your tongue, swear to keep your mouth shut

Ask yourself will I burn in hell?
Then write it down and cast it in the well
There they are, the mob it cries for blood
To twist the tale into fire wood
Fan the flames with a little lie
Then turn your cheek until the fire dies
The skin it peels like the truth away
What it was, I will never say

Bite your tongue, swear to keep
Keep your mouth shut
Make up something
Make up something good

Holding hands skipping like a stone
Burn the witch, burn to ash and bone
Burn the witch, burn to ash and bone
Burn the witch, burn to ash and bone


Lyrics submitted by bugmenot

Burn the Witch Lyrics as written by Troy Dean Van Leeuwen Josh Homme

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Burn The Witch song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

54 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    Yeah, I made the connection with the Salem Witch Trials the first time I heard it. I dont think its a metaphor. Its pretty simple. If it has other meaning, its probably because everybody is analyzing it so much, you'll be able to pull some other meaning out of it.

    "Holding Hands, skipping like a stone, On our way, To see what we have done," The girls are going to watch an accused person be hung/burned. They falsely accused people so they wouldnt be blamed for casting spells: "what We have done." "Witches" were burning because of them.

    "Bite your tongue, Swear to keep your mouth shut," is don't tell anybody the truth about what happened.

    "Fan the flames with a little lie Then turn your cheek until the fire dies," They fan the flames of fear and paranoia because they cant take the blame for themselves, so they have to lie and get other people burned.

    "Make up something, Make up something good,": make up a story to get us off, which is what the girls did. They made up that witches made them do what they did.

    Trujilloon January 16, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.