Sacrifice
Agony Scene Lyrics
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They held us close to taste the flames
A sacrifice
To pacify the gods they've made
The stench of stagnant blood
Collects in pools of misery
They drained from us and stained
We are the sacrifice
Your tainted offering
We are the sacrifice
Now you will share our suffering
We steal a final breath
A tattered veil averts our eyes
From their hypocrisy
Their cruel intent hidden by lies
The silence lingering
Like the condemned waiting to die
In darkest red
Reflecting black beneath the light
We are the sacrifice
Your tainted offering
We are the sacrifice
Now you will share our suffering
In the eyes of our father
From the tears of our mother
In the eyes of your father
From the tears of your mother
In the eyes of your father
From the tears of your mother's shame
Shame!
We are the sacrifice
Your tainted offering
We are the sacrifice
Now you will share our suffering
The lyrics to The Agony Scene's song "Sacrifice" paint a picture of a gruesome and ritualistic sacrifice made to appease the gods. The first verse describes the sacrifice itself, with the victims experiencing "one thousand deaths" as they are burned alive. The sacrifice is offered up as a means of pacifying the gods who have been angered by those who offer it. The use of flames in a sacrifice isn't uncommon in various cultures, including human sacrifice rituals in ancient Mesoamerican cultures and Indian mythology that sees sacrifices to the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, made in the form of burning camphor.
The second verse gives us more imagery of the aftermath of the sacrifice, with "stagnant blood" collecting in pools and the perpetrators of the act becoming stained in "blasphemy." The third verse suggests that the victims of the sacrifice have some sort of sinister knowledge, mentioning a "cruel intent hidden by lies" and a sense of shared suffering between themselves and the people who performed the sacrifice. The final lines of the song suggest that there may be some sort of societal or familial shame involved, as the last line repeats the phrase "from the tears of your mother's shame."
Overall, the song seems to explore themes of violence, fear, and the danger of blindly following religious traditions. It's a condemnation of the idea that harm can be done to innocent people in the name of appeasing a deity or supernatural force.
Line by Line Meaning
We die one thousand deaths
We have endured unbearable pain and suffering multiple times.
They held us close to taste the flames
Our enemies have kept us so close to danger that we could feel the heat of the flames.
A sacrifice
We were offered as a sacrifice to appease the gods they worship.
To pacify the gods they've made
Our oppressors believe that sacrificing us will please the gods they have created.
The stench of stagnant blood
The air is filled with the putrid smell of blood that has sat and congealed.
Collects in pools of misery
The blood has pooled into a large body of liquid, created by our sufferings.
They drained from us and stained
Our blood was taken from our very beings, causing us to weaken and suffer. The blood has stained our oppressors, marking them as deceivers.
Themselves in blasphemy
Our captors have sinned through their actions, being hypocritical of their beliefs and morals.
We are the sacrifice
We are the ones offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.
Your tainted offering
Our suffering has been twisted and perverted, turned into a tainted offering to the gods.
Now you will share our suffering
Our captors will eventually know our pain as they too are forced to suffer.
We steal a final breath
We take one last breath before our death, stealing time and life from our oppressors.
A tattered veil averts our eyes
We cannot bear to see what is happening, and we look away.
From their hypocrisy
We are distraught by the hypocrisy of our captors, who deceive themselves and their gods.
Their cruel intent hidden by lies
Their true purpose is cruel and evil, hidden behind lies and deceit.
The silence lingering
All is silent and still, but the tension and anticipation of death looms heavily over everyone.
Like the condemned waiting to die
We are the ones who have been sentenced to die, who wait for fate to take its course.
In darkest red
The color of our blood is the darkest shade of red, reminding us of our suffering.
Reflecting black beneath the light
The light shines and our blood seems to reflect black, perhaps symbolizing the darkness of our fate.
In the eyes of our father
Our father witnesses our pain and suffering, and cannot help us.
From the tears of our mother
Our mother cries for us, mourning our pain and impending death.
In the eyes of your father
Your father, who is our captor, watches our death calmly and without remorse.
From the tears of your mother
Your mother, who may be our captor or an accomplice, also cries for our sacrifice.
From the tears of your mother's shame
Your mother feels shame and guilt for participating in this sacrifice.
We are the sacrifice
We are the ones who will die for the sake of our oppressors' beliefs.
Now you will share our suffering
Our captors will eventually suffer the same fate as us, knowing the pain we experienced.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATTHIJS ROOK, DARIEN DEWAYNE BROCKINGTON, PHONTE LYSHOD COLEMAN, DANA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind