| Metal Church – The End Of The Age Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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Ancient tradition among minstrels refers to them as hearing the awen (spirit) of prophecy. They would then sing these messages in their songs. The bowl symbolism often refers to judgments against those who do harm to others. The signs in the sun and moon could be references to prophecies from Joel and Jesus about the final judgment at "the end of the age." The task of the prophet/bard (sometimes) was to warn of a coming judgment, so that people could give up their harmful words/actions, and look to God for mercy, while there was time. Rather than humbling themselves in the presence of a God they cannot control, and rather than having faith in an unseen mystery, people sometimes prefer to make their own gods, usually things that give them the illusion of control: power, money, etc. (i.e. the golden calf) Seeking control over the world around us, over others, and even over god leads to the very harmful behaviors that bring judgment. Refusing to let go, refusing to listen, the warning goes unheeded. Judgement falls, and the gods we make with our own hands can't save us. Hands up to the sky, the angel passes by. Possibly a reference to the Passover tradition, where people were willing to leave a land of idols and slavery, by looking to God for freedom and mercy. The angel of judgment "passes by," or "passes over" them. Mercy and freedom are offered in the message. Will we listen? What will we choose? |
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| Megadeth – Looking Down the Cross Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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It's interesting, we hear a lot about Jesus on the cross saying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." I believe he said that, and meant it, which is pretty remarkable. At the same time, there's another side to that story. Before he was falsely accused, arrested, tortured, crucified, Jesus told the following parable about the judgment that would fall on those who had him killed. He also refers to their killing of the prophets: “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Jesus then tells these religious leaders that for their sins against the prophets and the Son of God, they will be crushed to powder. God's a pretty merciful guy, but if you think you can screw with him, you might not like the ending to your story. I think Dave hits on that with this song. |
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| Megadeth – Looking Down the Cross Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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It's interesting, we hear a lot about Jesus on the cross saying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." I believe he said that, and meant it, which is pretty remarkable. At the same time, there's another side to that story. Before he was falsely accused, arrested, tortured, crucified, Jesus told the following parable about the judgment that would fall on those who had him killed. He also refers to their killing of the prophets: “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Jesus then tells these religious leaders that for their sins against the prophets and the Son of God, they will be crushed to powder. God's a pretty merciful guy, but if you think you can screw with him, you might not like the ending to your story. I think Dave hits on that with this song. |
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| Megadeth – Reckoning Day Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| Dave saw a lot of abuse growing up, some of it in a religious context. This song sounds like it's about one person who enjoys the power he gets from abusing a significant other. Sounds like domestic violence. The victim "prays for" the abuser, but the abuser's response is, "Don't you realize you're prey for me?" It's like Dave is observing this, and doesn't want to get into a cycle of revenge--that just tends to take the abusive dynamics down to the next generation. No, he just wants that abuse to end, and reminds the abuser that he'll have to stand before God one day to give account of his actions. There will come a reckoning day. | |
| Heaven & Hell – Bible Black Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[tities:14903] I like your thinking here. For some back story, Ronnie and Geezer both dabbled in the occult and had very bad experiences with it. Geezer also was heavily into drugs, and had a very bad experience with that too. I wouldn't be surprised if their history helped with the lyrics. Someone is addicted to something: drugs, the occult, maybe both; and yeah it does wreak havoc on him. Reminds me of "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath. Geezer said it's a warning about the occult based on a real experience he had with Ozzy. | |
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