Listen To The Bell
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
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There's an old black church and a broken town
The sun goes down
The trees are dead and the river is dry
And they blame it all on the old belfry
The devils cry
Why? Why? Why? Listen to the bell
Why? Why? Why?
Listen to the bell and it just might tell you why
It's a dark and lonely road to the old belfry
And if you're alone, you'll never survive... No... No... No
Deep... in the shadows
Everywhere I hear the devils cry
Why? Why? Do the devils cry?
Why? Why? Why? Do the devils cry?
I have seen the gateway that leads beyond
So far away from the burning sun
I've seen the Maker, I've seen the Taker
I've seen whatever you call THEM there
The blazing ruby eyes in the old belfry
Listen to the bell if you wanna know why
You gotta listen to the bell
And then you just might hear the sound of HELL
Why?... Why?... Why?... You gotta tell me why
Why?... Why? Why do the devils cry?
Why?... Why? Why do the devils cry?
The lyrics of "Listen To The Bell" by Mercyful Fate describe a dark and eerie place - an old black church in a broken town up in the hills where the sun goes down. The trees are dead, the river is dry, and the townspeople blame it all on the old belfry, which seems to be the source of the cries of the devils. The song poses a series of questions - Why do the devils cry? What is the gateway that leads beyond? Who are the Maker and the Taker? The singer seems to have seen something beyond the earthly realm and is urging the listener to listen to the bell in order to hear the sound of Hell.
The tone of the song is ominous and foreboding, with the imagery of dead trees and dry riverbeds creating a sense of desolation and despair. The old black church and belfry are symbols of darkness and evil, and the cries of the devils suggest that some kind of demonic activity is taking place in this place. The references to the Maker and Taker and the gateway that leads beyond suggest that there is a spiritual dimension to this song - a battle between good and evil that is taking place beyond the physical realm.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in the hills where the sun goes down
In the hills that the sun sets behind
There's an old black church and a broken town
There exists a run-down and deserted black church in the town
The sun goes down
The sun sets
The trees are dead and the river is dry
The trees are dead and the river has run dry
And they blame it all on the old belfry
The townspeople attribute it all to the ancient bell tower
The devils cry
The demonic spirits cry out
Why? Why? Why? Listen to the bell
Why? Why? Why? Pay attention to the sound of the bell
Why? Why? Why?
Why? Why? Why?
Listen to the bell and it just might tell you why
The sound of the bell could reveal the reason
It's a dark and lonely road to the old belfry
The path to the ancient bell tower is treacherous and isolated
And if you're alone, you'll never survive... No... No... No
If you're without company, you will not endure... No... No... No
Deep... in the shadows
Deep within the darkness
Everywhere I hear the devils cry
I hear the demonic spirits cry out constantly
Why? Why? Do the devils cry?
Why? Why? Are the demonic spirits crying out?
Why? Why? Why? Do the devils cry?
Why? Why? Why? Are the demonic spirits crying out?
I have seen the gateway that leads beyond
I have seen the portal that goes to the other realm
So far away from the burning sun
Distant from the fiery sun
I've seen the Maker, I've seen the Taker
I've seen the creator, and the one who takes
I've seen whatever you call THEM there
I've seen what you refer to as THEM over there
The blazing ruby eyes in the old belfry
The incandescent red gaze in the ancient bell tower
Listen to the bell if you wanna know why
If you want to find out the reason, listen to the sound of the bell
You gotta listen to the bell
You have to listen to the sound of the bell
And then you just might hear the sound of HELL
And then, you might hear the noise emanating from HELL
Why?... Why?... Why?... You gotta tell me why
Why? Why? Why? You must explain to me the reason
Why?... Why? Why do the devils cry?
Why? Why? Why are the demonic spirits crying out?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: KIM BENDIX PETERSEN, HANK SHERMANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
on A Dangerous Meeting
Hi Chris, There were 2 interviews in particular which suggested this. (Unfortunately both the references below have since been taken down so the links below are broken)
Firstly in an interview with Loudwire, King Diamond discussed the inspiration behind "A Dangerous Meeting" and stated, "It's a song about a meeting that happened in Denmark, where I'm from, with some people who were into the darker side of things. They had a lot of things with them that I didn't want to have anything to do with. They had skulls, and there was a snake there, and all kinds of stuff that really freaked me out."
Loudwire - "King Diamond Talks Paranormal, Mysterious Fires + New Album 'The Institute'" (February 6, 2020)
https://loudwire.com/king-diamond-the-institute-album-interview/
Secondly in an interview with Metal Hammer, King Diamond stated that the lyrics to "A Dangerous Meeting" were based on his personal experiences, saying, "I have seen things that are unexplainable, and there's no way that science can prove some of the things that I have seen. It's just unexplainable. It's a very, very small percentage of the population that gets to see these things, and it's been with me since I was a child."
Metal Hammer - "King Diamond: The Real Story Behind 'Abigail'" (October 24, 2017)
https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-diamond-the-real-story-behind-abigail
Let me know if I've misunderstood what you've said or if you still think the above information is misleading.
Chris
on A Dangerous Meeting
I'd like to request a fact check on the above information.
"The lyrics to "A Dangerous Meeting" are based on King Diamond's experiences with the occult and paranormal."
King Diamond has actually said that the songs he wrote for Mercyful Fate are myths and legends, and that if anything the stuff he's written is more based on folktales and myths and that King Diamond the band is more based on personal experiences with the occult (though there are exceptions like Nightmare)