Before and beyond
The blue gates of death
Only two birds
They soar through the sky
Take two blackbirds
Cross-formed on poppy fields
And sprung in the springtime
Of Europe's fertile years
When the rain was immaculate
Not Red-rose invisible

And where in the heart
That beats in man
And where in the soul
That beats in this heart
May we find pastures
Of the little shining man?
Eagle, his hand in hand
Eagle, his glass in hand
Birch, she sits there scowling
Another eagle darkens the stage
(She tells me she loves me
But he always beckons)

They have reached
The blue gates of death
They are at
The blue gates of death
They shall go through
The blue gates of death
And on the rocks
The moss is everywhere
And the sky is black-blue
And it is darkening
Statues point to the sky
Birth
Earth
And dawn

And I believe
Christ is the Son of God
And I believe
Christ is His Son

Her eyes are horizontal
Like her secret
There is no pain for me to feel
"Do not touch this pain of mine"
She says
"It is darkened fear"
And London Bridge
Has fallen down
My mother sits in the kitchen
She's drinking
Victoria gin
And she's eating
Gingerbread men
Two ciphers straddle the stage
Reclaim, declaim, and decant
Their moves are pointless
Their promises echo through the night
We have all reached
The blue gates of death
We are at the opening
Of the blue gates of death

And Christ's name
Is carved in stone
But the time has soaked it away
Where the rain runs to the sea
It takes moisture from the world
Where river runs to the sea
It drags ships in its courses
And the blue turns to green
Behind the roses
Fields and pastures
Madness is the horn
And laughing is the wine
Full garlands hang
On the head of the porcupine god

Everyone reaches
The blue gates of death
Everything opens
No journey is without meaning
Every road has its end

And I shall die soon
And you shall die soon
And no luggage is carried
On the opening
To the gates of death
Death is no ending

It is the beginning
I shall not take you with me
But your face rests in my heart
Your soul is part of my soul
Your love is with me always
I shall remember you
In the darkness
That's to come
And flashing lights beckon
Another womb
Another life
At the blue gates of death
I loved you once
I shall love you again
Do not feel pain
Nothing lasts in the world
I loved you once
I shall love you again
I loved you once
I love you again


Lyrics submitted by Delirium

The Blue Gates of Death Lyrics as written by H Jones

Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Blue Gates of Death (Before and Beyond Them) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    David Tibet mentions the word "hypnagogic" in a couple of his works. It refers to hallucinations upon waking from sleep but before the mind is fully clear or the body is ready. The best examples are "waking dreams" or fantasies of alien abduction. Many of the images here have an intense hypnapompic/hypnagogic slant, not unlike parts of Imperium and Christ and the Pale Queens..., which makes sense as the two albums are less than three years apart. At the time when the former two were being made, Tibet had just recovered from a near-fatal nervous condition, allowing to produce some of his darkest, most bizarre lyrics. "The Blue Gates of Death" appears to be someone's dying thoughts, thinking back on others who'd died going through various stages of regret, seeking the help of whatever god (the "I believe that Christ..." part; interesting considering Tibet's opinion of religion at the time), and reminiscing about love before falling into unconsciousness...

    Cynothoglyson December 23, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.