Sibilant and macabre
Walpurgis sauntered in
Skies litten with five-pointed stars
The work of crafts surpassing sin
As She graced Her window ledge
An orphaned gypsy nymph
This issue of the forest's bed
Skin flushed with sipped absinthe
Her eyes revealed, as Brocken's peak
Tried once concealing Hell
A snow white line of divine freaks
In riot, where they fell

The circus lurches in, a ring of promised delight
For seven days and seven festival nights
What wicked wonders lie within the confines
Of the panther's den

She watches from a maypole, on the rip of Her tongue
The restless spirit of Christmas to come
A Gretel sick of merely sucking Her thumb
Than gingerbread men

Spawned scorned, abhorred by the aerial
She was the light of the world going down
War-torn, forlorn and malarial
She was found
Born in a burial gown

Unloosed, the chain of Her god-given cross
Seduced, now pagan ribbons swathe Her repose
In a carnival of souls sold and similarly lost

Too many decades misfit and mislaid
In innocence, a tender legend of prey
Parades Her second coming, now they're running afraid

Spawned scorned, abhorred by the aerial
She was the light of the world going down
War-torn, forlorn and malarial
She was found
Born in a burial gown

Now She moves with a predator's guile
Beyond the fire lit circle of life
She soothes your cold heart for a while
Then matches its beat, syncing in with a knife
She wrestles Her dreams with a delicate case
Espied by Her cross on the wall
And should She awake, through embrace or mistake
She would take Jesus
Bless foot forward and all

Sibilant and at last
The circus crawled away
With another lover in its arms
Dancing on Her grave


Lyrics submitted by screwi

Born in a Burial Gown Lyrics as written by Dani Davey Adrian Paul Erlandsson

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Born In A Burial Gown song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

62 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment
    8 words...some of us are merely born to die
    hell_i_call_my_headon May 21, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    This song is about what a dick RedArmy is
    sugarpunkon June 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I'm gonna be honest, I have no clue what the fuck these guys are talking about. But this song kicks major ass. This is a different type of metal, its starts off with sedistic church music and then gets heavy. I love this song
    Blackdragn01on July 05, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    all i can say is that RedArmy what kind of music do u listen to? and cradle of filth is not a crap band they happen to kik some major ass and hahaha a novelty act... that a horrible thing to say and sugarpunk is right you are a dick
    HawaiianBluPunkon July 08, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    is C.O.F. worth the download??? i never heard their music,
    mudagram50on July 09, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    YES!! download it, but then make sure you buy the album ;)
    DamagedJusticeon August 04, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    This song seems to be about (can't make up my mind) either 1) Going from the "Norm" to the "Abnorm" or 2) some kind of divine person, like that guy Jesus in those fairy tales, who dies and comes back.
    hexCEASARon August 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Jesus in fairy tales? Um, Jesus was a real person, Jocephus, a Jewish historian, records his birth and death. You may deny his divinity, but he was a real person. Anyway, on topic, this band makes scary music. Marylin Manson is nowhere near it.
    webermgon August 16, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    COF are an amazing band, they are so different to all the other black metal bands out there, this song is a pretty good representation of just how brilliant they really are.
    dirkwiezeron August 21, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Meh, I can see why people don't like them, but saying they suck cause they aren't black metal is the dumbest argument ever. So is saying that they aren't "real" metal. I personally think they have a unique sound that I don't think I have ever heard in a band before, but, whatever, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
    webermgon September 24, 2002   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
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following: "We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..." With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
Album art
Blank Space
Taylor Swift
This song is Swift's response to the negative reputation the media has given her. "I can make the bad guys good for a weekend" - the bad guys are the paparazzi to Swift, but are good to the "player" since association with Swift immediately gives publicity. Any publicity is good publicity and Swift knows this. "You can tell me when it's over" - the tabloids rumor relationships are over before the couple announces it officially. With this song Swift is portraying the way she is portrayed by the media. It is a sarcastic jab at how she views herself and how her "ex-lovers" only wanted to be with her to increase their fame. I applaud the brilliance in writing about how you always write about relationships. It is expected so Swift is giving the media what they want and profiting off the attention.
Album art
Mad Hatter
Avenged Sevenfold
Matt Shadows their lead singer says the song was written as per request from the developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Watching the initial trailers for the game & looking at production sketches reminded him of the 'S-Town' podcast & its main protagonist, John B. McLemore. Matt also comments specifically on the lyrics: "I decided that the lyrics would shadow McLemore's life." In 2012, antiquarian horologist John B. McLemore sent an email to the staff of the show 'This American Life' asking them to investigate an alleged murder in his hometown of Woodstock, Alabama, a place McLemore claimed to despise. After a year of exchanging emails & several months of conversation with McLemore, producer Brian Reed traveled to Woodstock to investigate. Reed investigated the crime & eventually found that no such murder took place, though he struck up a friendship with the depressed but colorful character of McLemore. He recorded conversations with McLemore & other people in Woodstock. McLemore killed himself by drinking potassium cyanide on June 22, 2015 while the podcast was still in production. In the narrative of the podcast, this occurs at the end of the second episode; subsequent episodes deal with the fallout from McLemore's death while exploring more of McLemore's life & character.
Album art
Hypnotized
River Tiber
This standout psychedelic track was produced in its entirety by River Tiber, being released to all major digital streaming platforms on December 29, 2020.
Album art
2021
Lauv
This standalone single by Lauv marks the end of the year 2020. The track was produced by Jamil “Digi” Chammas & Lauv, being released via major streaming platforms on December 31, 2020.