Every finger in the room
Is pointing at me
I wanna spit in their faces
Then I get afraid of what that could bring
I got a bowling ball in my stomach
I got a desert in my mouth
Figures that my courage would choose to sell out now

I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets
Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
I've been raising up my hands
Drive another nail in
Just what God needs
One more victim

Why do we
Crucify ourselves
Every day
I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough for you
Crucify myself
Every day
I crucify myself
And my heart is sick of being
I said my heart is sick of being in
Chains, oh oh oh
Chains, oh oh oh

Got a kick for a dog
Begging for love
I gotta have my suffering
So that I can have my cross
I know a cat named Easter
He says, "Will you ever learn?
You're just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird"

I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets
Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
I've been raising up my hands
Drive another nail in
Got enough guilt to start
My own religion

Why do we
Crucify ourselves
Every day
I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough for you
I crucify myself
Every day
I crucify myself
And my heart is sick of being
I said my heart is sick of being in
Chains, oh oh oh
Chains, oh oh oh

Please be
Save me
I cry

Looking for a savior in these dirty streets
Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
I've been raising up my hands
Drive another nail in
Where are those angels
When you need them

Why do we
Crucify ourselves
Every day
I crucify myself
And nothing I do is good enough for you
I crucify myself
Every day
I crucify myself
And my heart is sick of being
I said my heart is sick of being in
Chains, oh oh oh
Chains

Why do we, in chains (why do we crucify ourselves?)
Crucify ourselves, everyday (why do we crucify ourselves?)
Oh, chains, oh yeah (why do we crucify ourselves?)
Yeah, chains (why do we crucify ourselves?)
Never going back again, no (why do we crucify ourselves?)
To crucify myself again, you know (why do we crucify ourselves?)
Never going back again
To crucify myself, everyday

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Crucify Lyrics as written by Tori Amos

Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

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Crucify song meanings

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36 Comments

+13
General CommentWhen I was thirteen I was put into a mental hospital. I was given this song by a member of the staff there because I said I really like Tori Amos(but I had never heard of this song). When I played it I started crying almost hysterically because I could relate to it in every way, and I was really happy that the staff member had been so considerate to give me the cd. This song gets me through hard times.

Sorry for the personal story, I felt like I had to share it.
CrimsonLipson April 23, 2006 Link
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Lids62on May 04, 2016

@CrimsonLips I also am a huge fan of Tori Amos and cry whenever I hear it. I think it was very brave of you to share your story, and am sure it helped in your healing.
Lids62on May 04, 2016
+5
General CommentWhen I listen to this song, I can't help but latch onto its religious undertones. It's about more than feeling inadequate and suffering from low self-esteem: it is about the inherently oppressive forces of religious doctrine. "Just what God needs, one more victim." Thus, the title itself suggests the Biblical crucifixion. We crucify ourselves daily because we feel as if we have failed not only our own expectations and those of the people we value, but also those imposed upon us by society at large and religious institutions.
HappyPhantom020on March 24, 2003 Link
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@HappyPhantom020

I agree, although I see this song more so as a song about persecution, speaking of religious undertones in the song, Tori once said this:

"The whole Bible Belt banned me for "Crucify" because they thought I was being sacrilegious. They felt that it was detrimental material for their children and that it was blasphemous.", although I highly doubt that she intended to ruffle any feathers with the song.

Ex0duson October 27, 2009

The line "just what God needs...one more victim" is clearly against God. I think that's wrong. It should be against people who put religious expectations so extremely high. God doesn't expect anything from us. He loves us without a condition but it's always been people's favourite hobby to veil that.
ScarlettsDeathon July 02, 2010

While the line sounds like it could be against God, I catch an irony/sarcasm in her tone. I see her rolling her eyes as she sings the line. I think she is saying, in a pointed ironic fashion, that it is not God who is condemning and "crucifying" us. It is we who do it to each other. There's enough suffering in this world for God to deal with, why do we think it's a good idea to turn ourselves into victims of our own expectations.

It's a reminder that there is nothing of God in the expectations we place on ourselves and each other so we are crucifying ourselves and it's probably not something God wants for us.
Sylviedon June 11, 2012

@HappyPhantom020 Over and over Jesus tells us to deny ourselves take up our cross and follow him, He even says anyone who follows them must deny themselves take up their cross daily and follow him. Lets not be insecure, we shouldnt compare ourselves with ourselves. Everything I am I am in him. There are times when I have fell for trying to do things my way. He is not a crutch. He is my source, Everything that is made is subject to the one that made it.

brownm252on April 02, 2015

@HappyPhantom020 \'Just what God needs, one more victim\' is a reference to suicide don\'t you think?
julie11469on February 09, 2022
+3
General Commentbeautiful beautiful song, i think everyone's felt the insecurity expressed in this song at one point or another, but i dont think anyones expressed it as good as this. "i know a cat named easter he says will you ever learn you're just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird"
silentalltheseyearson September 14, 2002 Link
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What does that line mean?
supernova14on February 11, 2014
+3
General CommentTo me, it's about how life, society and religion all make you as a person and the things you do seem wrong, and so we're always feeling guilty. But she's saying, why should we? To Crucify is to persecute; because of societies expectations of us we persecute ourselves for being/acting a certain way, but we shouldn't.
I don't think the song is anti-religious, really, although it's saying religion is responsible for some of the rules made up by society that make us "crucify ourselves". However, I think Tori's generally just using religion and crucifying as symbols for other struggles in life.
missmeon March 06, 2005 Link
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+2
General CommentI think to a large degree this song is about the harmful psychological effects of literalist/strict ("fundamentalist") religion. Specifically, the way it saddles people with guilt for being human (being imperfect and having deisres and drives), especially with regards to sex (IE the lines about dirty sheets, etc.), which results in people beating themselves up over things they often know (but have yet to convince their subconscious) that they shouldn't even feel bad about (crucifying). Furthermore, it inspires a spiteful, judgemental, "holier than thou" attitude (the lines about pointed fingers and a kick for a dog begging for love) which tends to destroy interpersonal bonds, especially between parent and child, and hence often results in children from these families looking for love (or a cheap, easy substitute) elsewhere...like in irresponsible sex (looking for love between dirty sheets again), though they may feel very guilty...
Azzathothon January 06, 2005 Link
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+2
General Comment"Got enough guilt to start
My own religion"

That's such a beautiful line. It made me think, maybe that's what religion is. Guilt? It makes a lot of sense.

In Tori's book, she explains how her first crush was on Jesus. There are a lot of references in this song toward masturbation. "Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets." We crucify ourselves when we do things that every human does, we try to punish ourselves for doing these things because they're 'sinful.' And "Nothing I do is good enough for you" is a line that everyone can relate to. It's a cry out to God. I cry this out all of the time. How can someone expect us to do (or not do) all of these things? "Every finger in the room is pointing at me," meaning she feels accused and insecure. "I gotta have my suffering so that I can have my cross," is what made me think about masturbation. But I mean, it's not JUST masturbation, it's everything that comes in the package labeled Temptation. We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves, is what Tori is basically saying.
dedgrrlsdanceon April 06, 2005 Link
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+2
General CommentThis is an amazing song <3

I usually see it from the point of view of someone who is gay or bisexual. "My heart is sick of being in chains" means they can't love freely, they can't love who they want to.

It's easy to see it from many different points of views though. Like, someone who's being tried as a witch, the first verse describes that quite well "every finger in the room is pointing at me"
Spinsteron April 16, 2009 Link
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because u are bisexual thats why u see this symbolising as bisexual aspects..
but tori amos is straight
I dont think she is writing about bisexual....

can we leave bisexual or gay out of this???
sugarlatte623on June 05, 2009
+1
General CommentI don't think this song is anti-religion, really. You can find that in it if you want to, but to me the religious metaphors are just that--metaphors. It's a bigger song than that--it's about society and everyone around you, and the feelings of inadequacy that only you can control. The religious metaphors are very powerful, but the song is not inherantly anti-Christianity. At least, that's my opinion--if you want it to be, I suppose it could be about religious oppression, but I don't think that's the point of the song.
Empress Sunon February 19, 2005 Link
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+1
General Commentthis is about her rape and coming to terms with it. i saw her play this on top of the pops just before megadeth on the next stage :-)
iamthelawon January 27, 2006 Link
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+1
General CommentTori Amos says in her interview on Fade to Red that her song "Crucify" was inspired by Anne Boleyn. “I’ve always had a fascination with the beheading of Anne Boleyn. It’s haunted me. Of course, because the Protestant Reformation is entwined with Queen Elizabeth’s mother {Anne Boleyn}…I guess I’ve always seen Anne Boleyn as the elicit mistress of the Protestant Reformation. I’ve also really been able to see what a POWERFUL force that she was...To be part of a group that broke away from the Catholic church.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
AJCtheQueneon August 13, 2010 Link
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@AJCtheQuene Wow, thanks for this fascinating anecdote!
thomas1010on November 02, 2019

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Crucify

Tori Amos

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