The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Smother his life, the words cut right to the heart
Disease and threaten my family name
An epic stand is made, condemned
I will not plead, I will not plead
Damned to the beast of torment
Damned by the beast within us all
Crushed by the fear
More stone, more stone
More weight for Corey
Not one step forth could capture a mission of guilt
By law, avoids death on gallows hill
Through time, his fight will martyr my name
My soul free of a heretic
Crushed by the fear
More stone, more stone
More weight for Corey
Court of ayer and terminer
Leave me my rightful land
Court of ayer and terminer
Leave me my rightful land
To stow in my heart, leave to my sons
Peine forte et dure is called
An effort to collapse belief has failed
And surely will die with me
An epic stand is made, condemned
I will not plead, I will not plead
Damned to the beast of torment
Damned by the beast within us all
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Disease and threaten my family name
An epic stand is made, condemned
I will not plead, I will not plead
Damned to the beast of torment
Damned by the beast within us all
Crushed by the fear
More stone, more stone
More weight for Corey
Not one step forth could capture a mission of guilt
By law, avoids death on gallows hill
Through time, his fight will martyr my name
My soul free of a heretic
Crushed by the fear
More stone, more stone
More weight for Corey
Court of ayer and terminer
Leave me my rightful land
Court of ayer and terminer
Leave me my rightful land
To stow in my heart, leave to my sons
Peine forte et dure is called
An effort to collapse belief has failed
And surely will die with me
An epic stand is made, condemned
I will not plead, I will not plead
Damned to the beast of torment
Damned by the beast within us all
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Rectify my name
Lyrics submitted by bpcrshooter15, edited by djh101
Giles Lyrics as written by Ken Susi John Maggard
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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I did a little research and came to a definite conclusion about the song. It's about a man named Giles Cory, who was wrongly accused of being a wizard during the Salem Witch Trials. He refused to enter a plea, ("Condemned I will not plea") and the state couldn't lawfully execute him due to that. Therefore, the townsfolk wanted to torture him so he would give a plea by using the Peine Forte et Dure (placing heavy rocks or boulders over a person to crush their body). But he wouldn't say a word the entire time until seconds before his death, in which case he muttered "More weight"("Peine Forte et Dure...Has failed, and surely will die with me"). He was the only American to ever be killed using the Peine Forte et Dure methods.
Some corrections to the lyrics (And yes, I realize that even the lyrics booklet has mistakes). "Corey" should be spelled "Cory" and "Ayer" should be spelled "Oyer".
@Unearth77 "Corey" is the correct spelling.
um, no. I read the book "The Crucible" last year in English class and I can tell you for a fact its "Corey" and Ayer is the town in MA. I actually remeber listening to a bunch of Unearth in that class when we weren't doing anything, and now Unearth has a song about the book we were reading... pretty fucking sweet.
@bpcrshooter15 Giles was a real person, not just a character in The Crucible. "Corey" is correct, but "ayer" should be "oyer."
Either way its a damn good song and the whole god damn album is amazing. Nice job
so basically, unearth writes a song about a farmer being crushed to death because he was thought to have been a warlock? how very metal \m/
This song is fuckin awsome, especially the begin that start with that huge scream !!!!!!! it was this song that got me in to Unearth. as for the mening i think it totally fits Unearth since the witch hunts started in MA and Unearth is from there.
In my English class we were reading the Crucible and someone mentioned there was a song about Giles Corey, so I looked it up and it's definitely refering to him.
"Smother his life The words cut right to the heart Disease and threaten my family name An epic stand is made Condemned I will not plead Damned to the beast of torment Damned by the beast within us all"
This verse says how Giles was accused, but he refused to say if he was guilty or not- an epic stand is made- he stood up to them and even though he was condemned he did not give in. -Damned by the beast within us all- I take this as he was cursed because of the others wanting to be saved, so they accused him, and this want to save ourselves and curse others is the beast within us.
Crushed by the the fear More stone, more stone, more weight for Corey
When asked to plead, Corey just asked for more weight.
Not one set forth could capture admission of guilt By law, avoids death on Gallows Hill Through time this fight will martyr my name My soul free of a heretic
He didn't admit so he couldn't go to jail, and even if he had he would have been hanged so he did neither.
Court of Ayer and Terminer leave me my rightful land Men of Ayer and Terminer leave me my rightful land To stow in my heart, leave to my sons
Because of his choice and cause of death, the court could not take his land away as if he had pleaded one way or the other, so his land stayed in his family.
man you abosolutely right ive just read the Crucible in my enlgish glass too and the part of the story where Giles is getting crushed my stones becuase he wont say the name of the guy
good job now i understand
I just want to throw this out there- What about the "Rectify My Name" part? Not that I'm questioning anything, I'm just wondering what you guys think. What I think is that Unearth friggin rules (I would know, I've seen them live twice).
Imo "rectify my name" is what he said because he was butt of calumny (wizard...). So his people would have to make things right after his death. That's what i think. :>
Yes, he wanted to be redeemed after death as not being a heretic or witch.