As of 2006, the band is on hiatus.
Hand of Glory
Babylon Whores Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up the branches down the roots
Pecked at by birds
By worms gnawed
At the crossroads
By the graves among the rowan trees
Nailed white as ivory
With skulls that grin amidst the rot
For strange are these woods to fare
Stranger the fruit they bear
Oh hang me high
Upon that tree
For all the secrets to find me
As ravens' claws
As eagles' bills
As Wotan's eyes upon the hills
Oh ten I have of fingers fine
For all the evil's work in the night
Oh baby I will grow for you from a tree
Burning with glory
Given to trolls and ogre broods
Days will drown in twilight's gloom
Where black dogs howl
Pulling up mandragore
Chained to the ash forever more
Deaf to the world's grey roar
Digging up treasures vile and foul
Eye for an eye for a rune
Drawing down the waning moon
Howled at by all wolves
Ensnared 'til the day of doom
So hang me high
Upon that tree
For all the secrets to find me
As ravens' claws
As eagles' bills
As Wotan's eyes upon the hills
Oh ten I have of fingers fine
For all the evil's work in the night
Oh baby I will grow for you from a tree
Burning with glory
All crooks and ghouls who understand
Cherish the work of idle hands
All of the pages turned
All of the treasures yearned
All of the fingers burned
Burning with Glory
The song "Hand of Glory" by Babylon Whores is a dark and mysterious piece of poetry that invokes an eerie and foreboding feeling. The lyrics paint a picture of a world consumed by ash, where strange woods bear stranger fruits, and secrets are hidden in the shadows. The imagery of the song is cryptic, disturbing, and deeply thought-provoking.
The opening lines of the song, "Ashen the world creates itself, Up the branches down the roots, Pecked at by birds, By worms gnawed," creates an image of decay and destruction. The phrase "ashen the world creates itself" hints at a natural cycle of destruction and creation, where death gives way to new life. The reference to birds and worms, creatures that feed on death and decay, further reinforces the idea of decay and destruction.
The chorus of the song, "Hang me high upon that tree, For all the secrets to find me, As ravens' claws, As eagles' bills, As Wotan's eyes upon the hills," suggests a sacrificial ritual or punishment, where the singer is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of revealing hidden truths. The line "Oh baby I will grow for you from a tree, Burning with glory" suggests rebirth, transformation, and enlightenment.
Overall, "Hand of Glory" is a haunting and powerful song that challenges the listener to delve deeper into the mysteries of life and death.
Line by Line Meaning
Ashen the world creates itself
The world is slowly deteriorating
Up the branches down the roots
The entire tree is affected
Pecked at by birds
Even birds are contributing to the destruction
By worms gnawed
Worms are also involved in this process
At the crossroads
This destruction is happening at a significant place
By the graves among the rowan trees
This place is also related to death
Nailed white as ivory
Something has been nailed here which is white like ivory
With skulls that grin amidst the rot
The thing that is nailed here has skulls grinning on it
For strange are these woods to fare
These woods are not ordinary
Stranger the fruit they bear
Whatever grows here is not normal either
Oh hang me high
Hang me on that tree
Upon that tree
Referring to the specific tree mentioned before
For all the secrets to find me
The singer wants to be found with their secrets
As ravens' claws
Imagery of birds attacking
As eagles' bills
Imagery of birds attacking
As Wotan's eyes upon the hills
Referring to the Norse god Wotan/Woden, who has an all-seeing eye
Oh ten I have of fingers fine
The artist has ten fine fingers
For all the evil's work in the night
The fingers will be used for evil deeds
Oh baby I will grow for you from a tree
The singer will become something greater for someone else
Burning with glory
Imagery of a glorious flame
Given to trolls and ogre broods
Something is being given to these mythical creatures
Days will drown in twilight's gloom
The future looks bleak
Where black dogs howl
Imagery of ominous howling dogs
Pulling up mandragore
Mandrake root is being harvested
Chained to the ash forever more
Something/someone is permanently bound to a tree
Deaf to the world's grey roar
The person/thing is no longer impacted by the noise of the world
Digging up treasures vile and foul
Undesirable things are being dug up
Eye for an eye for a rune
Referring to the concept of retribution
Drawing down the waning moon
Changing the phases of the moon
Howled at by all wolves
Imagery of howling wolves
Ensnared 'til the day of doom
Trapped until the end of time
All crooks and ghouls who understand
Only people who know the secrets can comprehend
Cherish the work of idle hands
These people appreciate the work of the artist's evil deeds
All of the pages turned
The book has been completed/used up
All of the treasures yearned
The things that were once longed for are now obtained
All of the fingers burned
There have been consequences for the evil deeds
Burning with glory
Enduring a glorious punishment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rp stewart
Wow... So fucking proud to be the first to comment on this one. Hahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhah. The world creates itself. Hhahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahhahahahhh ahahahahahahaha hahahah ahh aaha a ahaha hha a aha ah aha ah ah aahah aha ha