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Roman Holiday Lyrics
We cut our teeth in the bedroom.
We slit our wrists in our costumes.
All of them, witches. Witches.
Witches. Witches.
We are the death of the party.
We are the life of the funeral.
All of us ragmen. Ragmen.
Ragmen. Ragmen.
I want the ripened fruit.
I want the fresh meat.
I want the first born.
I want the down beat.
We traded vows on the front line.
They ushered us through the stop sign.
All of them, witches. Witches.
Witches. Witches.
We found our way in the blackout.
We are the ghosts in the lighthouse.
All of us, ragmen. Ragmen.
Ragmen. Ragmen.
I want the open wound.
I want the dark street.
I want the virgin blood.
I want the wet heat.
We slit our wrists in our costumes.
All of them, witches. Witches.
Witches. Witches.
We are the life of the funeral.
All of us ragmen. Ragmen.
Ragmen. Ragmen.
I want the fresh meat.
I want the first born.
I want the down beat.
They ushered us through the stop sign.
All of them, witches. Witches.
Witches. Witches.
We are the ghosts in the lighthouse.
All of us, ragmen. Ragmen.
Ragmen. Ragmen.
I want the dark street.
I want the virgin blood.
I want the wet heat.
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isn't the last four lines talking something about female genitalia? open wound - you know, women have periods. it's kind of straight, and dark looking.. yeah, having sex with virgins. and it's wet and really warm down there.
but i don't know how it goes with the rest of the song, 'cause it's about metalheads (ragmen) and stuff like that.
if the last four lines are about female genitalia, then it gives the line "ragmen" a completely different connotation altogether
This song is the best opener they could've chosen. Easily one of my favourites from this album.
talking about rockstars or someone who is thought of highly i believe, they want the ripest fruit freshest meat and so on, they say " they ushered us through the stop sign" which i interpret as they took everything too far.
it's probably worth noting the line that 'all of them witches' is a fictional book in the film Rosemary's Baby. the film is about a couple that move into a house, then the woman becomes 'mysterious pregnant'. it seems to make sense as far as the idea of a fatherless child goes in this context.
there is also a mexican film entitled 'all of them witches' - i'm not sure that's relevant though.
and obviously the title of the song is shared with the audrey hepburn film, in which she runs away to fall in love with a 'newsman' in rome. so the song may well be about girls pursuing leadsingers of bands. but there's so many that the vocalist can take his pick, etc. making them ragmen, collectors as it were.
but that doesn't make full sense..
the song's definitely talking about sex in a graphic way by the end. given the opening line as a precedent.
but fuck knows about ghosts in lighthouses.. haha! vaguest of speculations there, i apologise.
“This was an exercise in spontaneity. I had just seen Rosemary’s Baby for the fifth time and the line about "all of them witches" drove me straight to writing. The song is about sacrifice, using the literal image of murder as a metaphor for the emotional version we all make.” -Keith Buckley in an AP interview: https://www.altpress.com/etidtrack/