Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Between the Buried and Me Lyrics


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Under it all
A new world
A new world made with the hands of madness
These hands
They will always do the cutting
Piece by piece the pain gets worse
If only I could see myself right now
The gathering of flesh
Transforming my face into an unrecognizable state
Smooth out the eyes
Smooth out the lips
Every mirror is a past idea smashed upon recognition (These selfish reasons, the letter is all I left for explaining)

Will it be found?
Will the right hands deliver?
The heartache I left

Cut until all that is left is new material
Myself
Day in, day out
Deep down I know what I must do

So much happens behind closed doors
So much happens behind our closed doors
This key will open them
Expose us all

Crusty-eyed symphony
Awakened by my grunts and moans
Why do I do this to myself?
I suppose the choice was all mine
God felt so much better before the mirror glimpse
On the surface I know what I must do

The precaution documents
The fail safe way back "home".
Should I end it right here and now?
That would be far too selfish
I shall end what I've begun
The creation of more
More of us
The skin and bones of destruction
An army of weak souls
Weak minds
Weak life

(Written in a language I can understand. My brilliance seems questioned with these instructions. Fairly obvious for precaution documents I suppose. The "Night Owls" always send me back. Seems to be in their DNA)


I wake to my own whimper
Ship is counting down
Must regroup myself





The end starts now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Between the Buried and Me's song Lay Your Ghosts to Rest are complex and thought-provoking, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. The opening lines paint a picture of a new world created by madness, with the hands of the creator perpetually cutting away at their creation. The pain of this self-destructive process worsens with each passing moment, and all the creator can do is wish they could see themselves as they truly are. This sense of self-doubt is further emphasized by the line "These selfish reasons, the letter is all I left for explaining," which suggests that there is a sense of guilt or regret that the creator is trying to come to terms with.


As the song progresses, the imagery shifts to focus on the physical transformation of the creator's body. The gathering of flesh and the smoothing out of the eyes and lips suggest a desire for perfection, but this is juxtaposed with the idea that every mirror shatters past ideas upon recognition. This suggests that the creator is constantly changing, never able to settle on a single ideal of perfection. The song then shifts to a more introspective tone, with lines like "So much happens behind closed doors" suggesting a sense of secrecy or shame. However, the singer's thoughts turn outward again toward the end of the song, with the lines "The skin and bones of destruction / An army of weak souls / Weak minds / Weak life" suggesting a desire to create something new and destructive.


Overall, Lay Your Ghosts to Rest is a multi-layered song that touches on themes of self-doubt, transformation, and creation. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery and emotional complexity, making it a fascinating song to analyze and interpret.


Line by Line Meaning

Under it all
Beneath the surface and everything else


A new world
A different reality than the one he currently lives in


A new world made with the hands of madness
A new reality created by madness


These hands
A symbol for something that causes pain


They will always do the cutting
Causing pain is a natural tendency


Piece by piece the pain gets worse
Pain continually worsens


If only I could see myself right now
Wishes for self-awareness


The gathering of flesh
The process of self-modification


Transforming my face into an unrecognizable state
The change resulting in a loss of identity


Smooth out the eyes
Erase what he has seen in the past


Smooth out the lips
Erase what he has said in the past


Every mirror is a past idea smashed upon recognition (These selfish reasons, the letter is all I left for explaining)
Reflection on the self and regrets about the past, and the letter left for others to explain his motives


Will it be found?
Will anyone discover what he has done?


Will the right hands deliver?
Will the right people find out about his deeds?


The heartache I left
The emotional pain he has caused others


Cut until all that is left is new material
Deconstructing oneself only to build oneself anew


Myself
The central focus of his self-destruction and reconstruction


Day in, day out
Process of self-improvement as a constant in life


Deep down I know what I must do
A sense of determination to complete his self-improvement


So much happens behind closed doors
Much of what we experience in life remains hidden


So much happens behind our closed doors
What happens within ourselves remains hidden


This key will open them
A decision to open up about what he has experienced and learned in life


Expose us all
The truth will be revealed and affect everyone


Crusty-eyed symphony
Waking up after a night of self-exploration and questioning


Awakened by my grunts and moans
Physical sounds of his self-discovery process


Why do I do this to myself?
Questioning why he subjects himself to the pain and discomfort of self-improvement


I suppose the choice was all mine
The realization that his self-improvement is a choice he has made for himself


God felt so much better before the mirror glimpse
The realization of his imperfection after looking at himself in hindsight


On the surface I know what I must do
Appearing confident in his decision to improve himself


The precaution documents
Records of his past self, decisions, and ideas for the future


The fail safe way back "home".
A plan, he can fall back to should his self-improvement efforts not succeed


Should I end it right here and now?
Questioning whether he should give up on life


That would be far too selfish
He realizes that taking his own life would hurt others and not solve anything


I shall end what I've begun
Determined to see through his self-improvement


The creation of more
Continuing growth, change, and progress within himself


More of us
Inviting others to join in the process with him


The skin and bones of destruction
Destruction of his old self in order to create the new


An army of weak souls
Acknowledging that many people are looking for improvement, but haven't found a way to do so


Weak minds
Why most people give up on life before making any substantial progress in themselves


Weak life
Their lives being less meaningful and purposeful as they continue their journey in complacency.


(Written in a language I can understand. My brilliance seems questioned with these instructions. Fairly obvious for precaution documents I suppose. The "Night Owls" always send me back. Seems to be in their DNA)
An excerpt from his thoughts about the instruction manual he sees as fairly simplistic and questions the need for it. His use of Night Owls refers to the difficulty of trying to sleep while questioning the deeper meaning of existence.


I wake to my own whimper
A realization of his pain, fear, and emotions from self-growth


Ship is counting down
A sense of urgency


Must regroup myself
Collecting his thoughts, repairing the damage that self-destruction has caused


The end starts now
Beginning a new chapter in life, unburdened by the past




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BLAKE RICHARDSON, DAN BRIGGS, DUSTIE WARING, PAUL ANDREW WAGGONER, TOMMY GILES ROGERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Rbnh98

This is the best example of how a bass should work in metal music..
Not just overlapping of guitar parts..
just played how the bass should be played...And smooth too..
Dan will go down as one of the best bassist of this generation.

Rusty Shackelford

Refreshing comment. Unison riffing in metal is to be expected to a certain degree, and is often plenty complex on its own. But tone and melody seem to be so lost on many metal bassists. The bass here is so perfectly written and performed.

Teeple

Dan I mean.

Teeple

Dam explains in some interview how he writes bass parts kinda like Bach would write. Like they have their own separate voice that syncs up with the guitar parts at certain points. I love it!!! Bach was the greatest ever by the way. Lol

Tristan S

It is strange when the bass players not just the homie that hangs out at band practice...

Thony

Wow thanks. How much do we owe you... haha jk. You're damn right friend

4 More Replies...

Manuel

Just realized parts 1:30 and 6:30 are the same but played completely different. Just wow. Love that the second one has a reggae feel, and the vocal melodies and bass are so great. This album is pure genius.

Rusty Shackelford

This song was my
BTBAM moment. Gave them a try for a while and couldn’t get into them till I heard this one

Chris Choi

I absolutely love that moment in 5:43. i need more moments in music like those

Hasan Ercan

Been listening to this since it came out. Never gets old.

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