Dead Man Walking
Another Messiah Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The dead man is coming through, just look in his eyes
and all you can see is a listless lie
A smile on his face as he walks to his end,
heaven seems to have watched him cry
All in all, under his tombstone lies the rest he seeks within
As it hurts to look for the rainbow then it must be hell for him
The dead man he stumbles as a prey for the maggots, his eyes are rolling, you see him walk by
The nights in his prison have taken their toll
as he seems to fear the sunlight and all
Make way make way, dead man walking his guards yell, you step aside
As I stumble along eye for an eye, I leave you here lie for a lie




Can't you see if anything, it feels like I'm going down
Can't you see if anything, you can't make me turn around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Dead man walking" by Another Messiah paint the picture of a man who is at the end of his life, and who has already been condemned to death. The song starts with a description of this man, who has a "listless lie" in his eyes, despite the smile on his face. He seems to have given up on life already and is only walking towards his execution with a sense of resignation. The lyrics reveal the agony of this man who has been sentenced to death but has to live his last few moments with the fear and anxiety of what is coming towards him.


The song highlights the brutal and dehumanizing prison system where the nights of the prisoner have taken their toll on him. The prisoner is now only a shell of a man, nothing of his former self is recognizable. He has been reduced to a walking dead as his days are counted. His only hope and rest is in his grave. The guards yell at the crowd to make way for the prisoner proudly walking to meet his maker. The lyrics suggest that he doesn't want to die without taking revenge on someone, leaving someone lie for a lie. He demands that no one should try to stop him or persuade him to turn around; he is already doomed, so he does not have anything to lose.


In summary, the lyrics of "Dead man walking" tell the story of a man who is at the end of his life, who has little hope and is condemned to death. The song brings to light the dark reality and inhumanity of prison life and addresses the idea of the loss of hope and of one's identity in the face of imprisonment.


Line by Line Meaning

The dead man is coming through, just look in his eyes
The person who has lost all hope is in front of you, just observe the dullness in his eyes.


and all you can see is a listless lie
All you can see is a life that has been drained out, as if living has become nothing but a meaningless lie.


A smile on his face as he walks to his end,
Even when he is going to die, he is smiling as his pain is coming to an end.


heaven seems to have watched him cry
It's as if God himself has seen him weeping.


All in all, under his tombstone lies the rest he seeks within
All he wants is a peaceful rest which he thinks he will find after death, beneath his gravestone.


As it hurts to look for the rainbow then it must be hell for him
If wishing for something bright and happy like a rainbow is painful, then his life must be a living hell.


The dead man he stumbles as a prey for the maggots, his eyes are rolling, you see him walk by
He is walking like a zombie, about to fall down, and his eyes are rolling as if he sees no hope.


The nights in his prison have taken their toll as he seems to fear the sunlight and all
He has been in such a dark place that even the thought of light scares him now.


Make way make way, dead man walking his guards yell, you step aside
The guards are yelling for everyone to move so that the dead man can pass, and everyone obediently moves out of his way.


As I stumble along eye for an eye, I leave you here lie for a lie
While walking towards death, I can't help but think of all the wrongs that have been done to me and feel the need for revenge.


Can't you see if anything, it feels like I'm going down
Don't you see that I feel like I am losing everything and about to hit rock bottom?


Can't you see if anything, you can't make me turn around
Nothing can change my mind, I have already lost everything and I am determined to continue my journey.




Contributed by Grace T. 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