When I first saw the title, I instantly thought of the film Night of the Hunter. The second verse can definitely be applied to the film (without giving too much away): his marrying the cell mate's widow, his hunt for the children and the money, his murderous rage towards "loose women". As for the first verse, I'm not as sure. It could be about having a horrible childhood and rising above it to "get revenge" on those who did him wrong. But he's going about it in a violent and sociopathic manner. "I was hung from a tree made of tongues of the weak/The branches, the bones of the liars, the thieves" sounds like he was verbally attacked by those of weak mind and will, like "the liars, the thieves". Branches and bones can be related metaphorically (branches are the bones of a tree?)
As for the bridge I relate this more to the film. The villain is a preacher and killer, which explains the biblical references like "Pray to your god, open your heart", and he's after two kids. "Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark" sounds like something you'd say to a kid to calm them down and get what you want out of them. As for "Cover your eyes, the devil's inside" sounds like he's trying to warn people to stay away from him, same with "Honest to God, I'll break your heart/Tear you to pieces and rip you apart".
I wish I knew why I didn't listen to this song when the album first came out! It could easily become my new favorite.
When I first saw the title, I instantly thought of the film Night of the Hunter. The second verse can definitely be applied to the film (without giving too much away): his marrying the cell mate's widow, his hunt for the children and the money, his murderous rage towards "loose women". As for the first verse, I'm not as sure. It could be about having a horrible childhood and rising above it to "get revenge" on those who did him wrong. But he's going about it in a violent and sociopathic manner. "I was hung from a tree made of tongues of the weak/The branches, the bones of the liars, the thieves" sounds like he was verbally attacked by those of weak mind and will, like "the liars, the thieves". Branches and bones can be related metaphorically (branches are the bones of a tree?)
As for the bridge I relate this more to the film. The villain is a preacher and killer, which explains the biblical references like "Pray to your god, open your heart", and he's after two kids. "Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark" sounds like something you'd say to a kid to calm them down and get what you want out of them. As for "Cover your eyes, the devil's inside" sounds like he's trying to warn people to stay away from him, same with "Honest to God, I'll break your heart/Tear you to pieces and rip you apart".
I wish I knew why I didn't listen to this song when the album first came out! It could easily become my new favorite.