The Ritual
Achilles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We're all liars,

playing our little games.

Where do we get off?

Honesty is a dream.


The haze has lifted.

The haze has lifted.

Once a room of smiling faces.



Now it's all so calculated and expected.



We're all liars!

We're all liars!

Thanks for coming out.

We have merch in the back.

Thanks for coming out.

We have merch in the back-

We're all liars here,

playing our own little games.



The ritual!

The ritual!

The ritual!

The ritual!

The ritual!

The ritual!





The ritual!

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Ritual," Achilles delves into the theme of dishonesty and pretenses that permeate society. The first few lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as Achilles sings "We're all liars, playing our little games. Where do we get off?" This implies that society is full of people who are not true to themselves or others, but rather playing a façade to fit in or gain acceptance. He goes on to say that "Honesty is a dream," indicating that being genuine and truthful is something that is hard to come by.


The song then takes a more melancholic turn as Achilles sings "The haze has lifted. Once a room of smiling faces. Now it's all so calculated and expected." The haze lifting could represent a moment of clarity where one realizes the fakeness around them. The room of smiling faces could represent a time when everything was genuine and true, but as time passes, people change, and they become more calculated and fake.


The repetition of the phrase "The ritual!" at the end of the song could be interpreted in a couple of ways. One is that it refers to the act of being fake and putting on a show, which has become a ritual for many people in society. Another interpretation is that it refers to the ritual of live music shows, where bands typically thank their fans for coming out and promote their merchandise. In this context, it could be a critique of the music industry's commercialization and the pressure on artists to sell merchandise to survive.


Line by Line Meaning

We're all liars,
We are all dishonest.


playing our little games.
We are deceiving others to achieve our own selfish desires.


Where do we get off?
What gives us the right to continue living this way?


Honesty is a dream.
Truthfulness is an unattainable goal for most people.


The haze has lifted.
The illusion has been removed and the truth revealed.


Once a room of smiling faces.
There was once a time when everyone was happy and content.


Now it's all so calculated and expected.
Now everything is planned out and predictable, devoid of sincerity or spontaneity.


Thanks for coming out.
Thank you for attending our event.


We have merch in the back.
We have merchandise for sale in the rear of the event space.


We're all liars here,
Everyone present is dishonest or insincere.


The ritual!
The established method or convention for performing something.


The ritual!
The customary practice or tradition.


The ritual!
The repeated and symbolic act.


The ritual!
The established and formalized process.


The ritual!
The habitual and ceremonial behavior.


The ritual!
The systematic and rigid routine.


The ritual!
The traditional and conventional observance.




Contributed by Charlie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions