In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Eleven saintly shrouded men
Silhouettes stand against the sky
One in front with a cross held high
Come to wash my sins away
Standing alone in the wind and rain
Feeling the fear that is growing
Sensing the change in the tide again
Caught by the storm that is brewing
Feel the anxiety hold off the fear
Some of the doubt in the things you believe
Now that your faith will be put to the test
Nothing to do but await what is coming
Why then is God still protecting me
Even when I don't deserve it
Thought I am blessed with an inner strength
Some they would call it a penance
Why am I meant to face this alone
Asking the question time and again
Praying to God won't keep me alive
Inside my head feel the fear start to rise
They'll be saying their prayers when the moment comes
There'll be penance to pay when it's judgment day
And the guilty'll bleed when the moment comes
They'll be coming to claim
Take your soul away
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross
They'll be coming to bring the eternal flame
They'll be bringing us all immortality
Holding communion so the world be blessed
My creator my God, lay my soul to rest
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross, yeah
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
The sign of the cross
Lost the love of heaven above
Chose the lust of the earth below
Eleven saintly shrouded men
Came to wash my sins away
Silhouettes stand against the sky
One in front with a cross held high
Come to wash my sins away
Standing alone in the wind and rain
Feeling the fear that is growing
Sensing the change in the tide again
Caught by the storm that is brewing
Feel the anxiety hold off the fear
Some of the doubt in the things you believe
Now that your faith will be put to the test
Nothing to do but await what is coming
Why then is God still protecting me
Even when I don't deserve it
Thought I am blessed with an inner strength
Some they would call it a penance
Why am I meant to face this alone
Asking the question time and again
Praying to God won't keep me alive
Inside my head feel the fear start to rise
They'll be saying their prayers when the moment comes
There'll be penance to pay when it's judgment day
And the guilty'll bleed when the moment comes
They'll be coming to claim
Take your soul away
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross
They'll be coming to bring the eternal flame
They'll be bringing us all immortality
Holding communion so the world be blessed
My creator my God, lay my soul to rest
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross, yeah
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
A fire in the sky
The sign of the cross
The name of the rose
The sign of the cross
Lost the love of heaven above
Chose the lust of the earth below
Eleven saintly shrouded men
Came to wash my sins away
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The song is about the Inquisition. You know, when the Catholic church tortured and murdered a ton of "heretics."
@Naliamegod nobody was killed in the inquisition, 23 were sentenced to life in prison and 184 were forced to wear yellow crosses
@Naliamegod nobody was killed in the inquisition, 23 were sentenced to life in prison and 184 were forced to wear yellow crosses