Ever since you were born you've been dying
Every day a little more you've been dying
Dying to reach the setting sun

As a child, with your mind on the horizon
Over corpses, to the prize you kept your eyes on

Trying to be the chosen one

All those things that you desire
You will find there in the fire

Put your hands up and reach for the sky
Cry for absolution
You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry
Cry for absolution

Even now when you're here you are moving
Hysterically seeking out what needs improving
And you're still asking for the sun

All those things that you desire
You will find there in the fire

Put your hands up and reach for the sky
Cry for absolution
You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry
Cry for absolution

Put your hands up and reach for the sky
Cry for absolution
You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry
Cry for absolution

Put your hands up and reach for the sky
Cry for absolution
You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry
Cry for absolution


Lyrics submitted by Keinahora

Absolution Lyrics as written by Indio Marcato A Ghoul Writer

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Absolution song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    Personally I see this song as more the narrator (The devil) mocking someone in a particular faith (I wonder which one) for being led his entire life to believe that simply being religious or having a belief in a God he will be rewarded in an afterlife.

    "As a child, with your mind on the horizon Over corpses, to the prize you kept your eyes on

    Trying to be the chosen one"

    Religion, intentionally or not, makes people look more towards a future that very likely won't happen, i.e. heaven/an after life, rather than paying attention to the present. This person, even as a kid with his whole life in front of him, is spending his time day dreaming for heaven and wanting to be a good person yet doesn't seem to notice the corpses under his feet that, by not paying attention to, are partially caused by him. These corpses could symbolize anything from actual dead bodies caused by things like war or starvation to any human affliction really like poverty or injustice, etc that he could have helped had he not been looking out to the horizon when everything will be better for everyone. Why help out this hungry kid when in the end we'll all be fed and comfortable in heaven?

    To me the chorus and the last verse suggests he's met either God or the Devil in the afterlife and one of them is telling him to cry for absolution, beg for forgiveness for his sins. In my opinion I think it's the Devil talking to this man, the last verse especially is him telling the man "Look at you, you're in Hell and you're still trying to prove to me you're some sort of saint"... Or it could be from the perspective of God condemning the man the Hell saying "Oh, you think you're good enough to get here? You're asking for forgiveness? Oh, you will cry, don't you worry" then hits the lever I assume he has that opens the trap door to Hell, but knowing Ghost I doubt that was the meaning.

    All in all I always get a feeling of spite from the narrator to the subject, one how pathetic he is. Look at you sitting in your golden palace in Italy that is meant to praise God, thinking you're getting to heaven while there are people starving in the streets outside. You're a disgrace.

    chadwick57on June 26, 2016   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    I think (terrible way to start a sentence, I know) that this song is about the catholic church's big emphasis on the original sin. You are born a sinner, you will sin, you must sin, and all of that is wrong. LaVey Satanists believe that all sins are for good as they bring pleassure or hapiness to those excersicing them, and that the church has made them "wrong" to earn on peoples guilt. The song is about that view on sins, and how you should turn to satan and embrace the sins and be happy, instead of fearing them and being sad.\ \ \ \ "Ever since you were born you've been dying\ Every day a little more you've been dying\ Dying to reach the setting sun"\ \ I think implies that this person was born a sinner, having to make up for his sins his entire life in order to reach heaven.\ \ \ "As a child, with your mind on the horizon\ Over corpses, to the prize you kept your eyes on"\ \ Basically, constantly striving for making up all that is his with god in order to get into heaven, not caring about what is actually important\ \ \ "All those things that you desire\ You will find there in the fire"\ \ In hell Satan allows all kinds of sins and human pleasure. You'll find all that you are desiring (the sins like gluttony and sexual enjoyment are all about feeling good). So you'll find these "in the fire" or in hell.\ \ \ \ Put your hands up and reach for the sky\ Cry for absolution\ You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry\ Cry for absolution\ \ Give up on god, turn to satan and pray for absolution instead\ \ \ \ I am convinced that this is not the proper interpretation of this song, as the other verses implies otherwise, but it'll do for now at least.

    gustaf1138on December 09, 2015   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    The person the song is addressing is the devout Christian trying to live his life without sin, in order to establish the kingdom of heaven on Earth and in the hereafter (the setting sun).

    He has been spending his whole life fighting other ways of life to establish his mode of life on earth. The third verse supposes that now the world is predominantly as he wants it, and still he is unhappy with the world that he made (still asking for the sun).

    All the things he really wants are not in devout living, but in living SINFULLY, which is what he has been avoiding.

    The chorus is both a mockery of his cry to God for absolution, and the Devil reaching out to him to cry for absolution to Him, not for remission of sins, but to forgive him of his sinlessness.

    haulinoateson August 10, 2018   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think (terrible way to start a sentence, I know) that this song is about the catholic church's big emphasis on the original sin. You are born a sinner, you will sin, you must sin, and all of that is wrong. LaVey Satanists believe that all sins are for good as they bring pleassure or hapiness to those excersicing them, and that the church has made them "wrong" to earn on peoples guilt. The song is about that view on sins, and how you should turn to satan and embrace the sins and be happy, instead of fearing them and being sad.

    "Ever since you were born you've been dying Every day a little more you've been dying Dying to reach the setting sun"

    I think implies that this person was born a sinner, having to make up for his sins his entire life in order to reach heaven.

    "As a child, with your mind on the horizon Over corpses, to the prize you kept your eyes on"

    Basically, constantly striving for making up all that is his with god in order to get into heaven, not caring about what is actually important

    "All those things that you desire You will find there in the fire"

    In hell Satan allows all kinds of sins and human pleasure. You'll find all that you are desiring (the sins like gluttony and sexual enjoyment are all about feeling good). So you'll find these "in the fire" or in hell.

    Put your hands up and reach for the sky Cry for absolution You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry Cry for absolution

    Give up on god, turn to satan and pray for absolution instead

    I am convinced that this is not the proper interpretation of this song, as the other verses implies otherwise, but it'll do for now at least.

    gustaf1138on December 09, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think (terrible way to start a sentence, I know) that this song is about the catholic church's big emphasis on the original sin. You are born a sinner, you will sin, you must sin, and all of that is wrong. LaVey Satanists believe that all sins are for good as they bring pleassure or hapiness to those excersicing them, and that the church has made them "wrong" to earn on peoples guilt. The song is about that view on sins, and how you should turn to satan and embrace the sins and be happy, instead of fearing them and being sad.

    "Ever since you were born you've been dying Every day a little more you've been dying Dying to reach the setting sun"

    I think implies that this person was born a sinner, having to make up for his sins his entire life in order to reach heaven.

    "As a child, with your mind on the horizon\ Over corpses, to the prize you kept your eyes on"

    Basically, constantly striving for making up all that is his with god in order to get into heaven, not caring about what is actually important

    "All those things that you desire\ You will find there in the fire"

    In hell Satan allows all kinds of sins and human pleasure. You'll find all that you are desiring (the sins like gluttony and sexual enjoyment are all about feeling good). So you'll find these "in the fire" or in hell.

    Put your hands up and reach for the sky Cry for absolution\ You'll be down on your knees and you'll cry Cry for absolution

    Give up on god, turn to satan and pray for absolution instead

    I am convinced that this is not the proper interpretation of this song, as the other verses implies otherwise, but it'll do for now at least.

    gustaf1138on December 09, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Sorry for screwing up the comments field. It refused to let me do proper spacing and new lines for some reason, and i can't seem to remove my excess comments either

    gustaf1138on December 09, 2015   Link

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