Down Down Down to Mephisto's Cafe

Well the meaning is. We are supposedly going to hell for having different beliefs or no beliefs at all. So the irony is the chorus being so happy but saying "Well if being myself means I'm going to hell then I'll reserve a table right now."

Is this a song about atheism? I think so. The only way Tomas says relgion is real is if others could just convince you that theirs is right. the line "if your father really loves you more What about the other families?" asks if other religions are wrong since they believe something else. Other things: "we were never meant to fly" - no such thing as heaven? "Finally, I met a man with kindness in his eye and fire in his heart He said you'll never have to choose a side It's rewarding but oh, the road is hard...." He meets an atheist, being one myself, it is tough having people of different faiths always trying to convince you that you're wrong Mephisto's cafe is where it seems the atheists go to, almost like church, to discuss religion and hang out. the line, "Well I know when I'm wrong and I sure as hell ain't wrong this time" shows he won't back down from what he believes. "Well I know when I'm wrong and I sure as hell ain't wrong this time"

P.S.: "Way back when the prophecies began Do you think they really had a master plan Or were they merely writing fables, stories? I don't know but it has occurred to me The punishment that they threaten constantly It's only real if they could just convince me"

He feels religion was originally just stories and fables...very true...and hey, "i know when i'm wrong"...but...

It feels so good to be confused by Tomas' lyrics again... :)

Alexeugene and Ohyea05, I think you guys are wrong with the intended meaning of the song. looking at the album as a whole it fits right in with the whole feeling if doing what you think is right going against what society says. "So fuck the flocks of sheep that keep amassing masses Asses being led so far astray" -Christians consider themselves sheeps with Jesus as their shepard

"And I won't claim to believe the things I read Black books or agenda magazines"

• what color is the bible? Black.

"if your father really loves you more What about the other families?"

• being brought up catholic I have heard many times that they believe that they are the only right religion. So its like, if you guys think god loves you more, what about all the other religions. i agree with whoever said that.

"And the righteous few will spit on you, so bid them all farewell" -Alot of highly religious people have this attitude like you're mentally ill or something if you dont go to church. and that they're like upper class and youre not worth the shit on their shoes.

thats just my take on it. the album is amazing. Tom has done it again.

If I were you, I would take this as a sign"

Like someone else said, this line might be referring to the religious fanatics in an ironic manner, but it also may be Tomas referring to a specific person who seems to be the subject of the song (I'll expand on this later).

"Believe it's true, we were never meant to fly And I owe you, I know you more than anyone alive And I will not let go"

I think Tomas is referring to someone here who has converted to religion, maybe out of fear or pressure, but it sounds like Tomas is not happy with the reason the person has converted, because he "Owes it to them, not to let go"

"They will not remember this song No matter what we do we'll be wrong They will not remember this song No matter what we do we'll be wrong"

This might just be another joke about the fanatics who will discard the song, I'm not really sure.

"I can't seem to see the seal we're breaking I can't seem to see the seal we broke"

This seems to be an allusion to Seven Seals mentioned in Revelation, which if memory serves me correct, once they have all been opened Judgement Day will come, or due to the haziness of events in Revelation and the immense imagery and metaphorical language, it may be after the Apocalypse, or during, I'm not entirely sure, but I'd say it is definitely referring to this.

"I refuse to recognize your views Someone shouted "Everything's for nothing" Somebody shouted, "All is lose" But I can't buy that nonsense too"

The "Everything's for nothing" quote is intriguing, because this might be referring to existentialists or philosophers arguing about their reasoning for mankind and what our destination is, so by Tomas saying that he won't recognise these views and buy 'this' nonsense too, he thinks that all the ways of trying to explain existence, and maybe all the controversy that surrounds it and how much it affects people's lives is nonsense, which leads back to how religion has maybe affected someone he knew (the subject). But by raising the philosophy quote, it may indicate the song is not entirely anti-religion but also these other points of view (atheistis, modernist), although it is still heavily against religion.

"Way back when the prophecies began Do you think they really had a master plan Or were they merely writing fables, stories?"

Definitely referring to the stories in the Bible/ other religious texts, but I would say predominantly the Bible.

"I don't know but it has occurred to me The punishment that they threaten constantly It's only real if they could just convince me"

Here Tomas is saying that religion is based on scare tactics and that the punishment they threaten and the idea of Hell are driven in so constantly they convince a lot of people it is real, and scare a lot into believing.

We're going down, down, down to Mephisto's Cafe - Down, down, down to Mephisto's Cafe - we're going down - And the gears will spin and the sinners sin, but at least we'll give them hell - And the righteous few will spit on you, so bid them all farewell - We're going down, down, down to Mephisto's Cafe - We;re going down (Right?) (Right!)

Mephisto is surely referring to Mephistopheles, which was a name given to the devil in ancient times, or something like that. So the chorus is basically saying how Tomas and his friends will be going to hell and at least being themselves while the religious fanatics spit on them with their superior views. Shows how ironic it is, the more humble sounding/honest or more likeable Tomas and friends will face hell, while these fanatics who spit on everyone and look down on those who aren't part of their religion will be in Heaven.

"So fuck the flocks of sheep that keep amassing masses Asses being led so far astray"

The groups that are convinced that God is real and 'brainwashed' into believing.

"And I won't claim to believe the things I read Black books or agenda magazine I'd rather see in shades of gray"

Saying he would rather look at things with a logica/unbiased opinion, or one that isn't interfered with by a belief in an invisible being. He would rather see in shades of grey than the right-wrong/good/sin way that religious people judge everything by.

"If I were you, I would take this as a sign Believe it's true, we were never meant to fly And I knew you when you were you Before they twisted all your views Before you came unglued"

This is where Tomas links his annoyance at these beliefs with the opening verse, or the subject who has been changed by believing in such things. He expresses regret at this person having changed, co much so that they are no longer themselves.

We're going down, down, down to Mephisto's Cafe...

"Now everybody's telling taller tales And I don't know who to believe"

May simply be referring to the vast amount of religions which all tell different tales, all claiming to be the correct one.

"Ok, if your father really loves you more What about the other families?"

A great line. Tomas here is saying how there are so many Gods it is ironic, because how can one be right, and if so, what about the other religions etc. I can't seem to articulate what I am thinking, but it makes sense.

"Finally, I met a man with kindness in his eye and fire in his heart He said you'll never have to choose a side"

I really have no idea what this line means. It could be referring to Jesus (unlikely due the anti-religion theme) or it could also be simply referring to an atheist who Tomas met who was very kind hearted, but is damned according to all these religions.

"It's rewarding but oh, the road is hard.... They broke him wide open Like a dam and a cork that's holding everything inside You can play the role of rebel Just be sure to know your wrong from right"

I'm not really sure what this means, kind of the same thing I was talking about in the previous paragraph, but I'm not sure.

"I remember it was years ago You know I still count the days You and I had quite a ways to go I never once heard you complain And you said"

Maybe the subject Tomas has been talking about the entire song, and about how he used to be in a relationship of some sort with them, and although they weren't perfect, and had their ups and downs, they never complained.

"Don't crack, because you might not make it back And if you do you will be alone and you can't live like that Well I know when I'm wrong and I sure as hell ain't wrong this time"

This might have been a stage when the relationship broke down. The subject may have 'cracked' and been pushed to the edge and maybe been thinking of suicide ("you might not make it back") or something, and may have turned to religion as an answer to everything, instead of looking for help from those around them, or from Tomas ("you'll be alone and can't live like that"), which Tomas thinks is a bad/wrong decision, obvious from the last line. Maybe something like that.

That is just an interpretation I have come to the conclusion of, and a lot of it was hard to articulate and makes more sense in my head, but yeah, I hope that helps some of you.

youtube.com/watch

fricccking A-W-E-S-O-M-E if the whole album will be like this im going to listen to it 'till my ears bleed

P.P.S: mephisto is also a term for the devil, so Mephisto's cafe is hell

this new album is gonna rox0rs my b0x0rs.. and he prolly got the lyrics from the booklet which u can download..