Dear Father
Black Sabbath/Musicfire.in Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

A childhood innocence was drowned in your tears
The demons that you fought are feeding your fears
The poisoned secrets of your life stand revealed
The truth destroys you, its no longer concealed

Dear father forsaken, you knew what you were doing
In silence your violence has left my life in ruin
Yeah, in ruin, yeah

You preyed upon my flesh then prayed for my soul
Belief betrayed by lust, the faith that you stole
Indoctrination by a twisted desire
The catechism of an evil messiah

Dear father forgive me, I know just what I'm doing
In silence this violence will leave your life in ruin
Yeah, in ruin, yeah

Preacher of theocracy hiding your hypocrisy
Under false sanctity, holy phoney empathy
You have taken my life
Now it's your turn to die

Can you sleep at night? when you close your eyes
Do you think of all the pain from your lies?
Or do you deny you're responsible
For the victims of the sins you devised?

What you gonna tell them when they ask you? well then
Is your conscience pure in your heart?
There is no exemption when you seek redemption
For all the lives that you've torn apart

Your molestations of the cross you defiled
A man once holy now despised and reviled
You took possession while confessing my sins
And now you have to face whatever death brings, yeah

Dear father forsaken, you knew what you were doing
In silence your violence has left my life in ruin, yeah




In ruin, yeah, yeah, yeah
In ruin yeah

Overall Meaning

Black Sabbath's song "Dear Father" is a powerful and emotional commentary on sexual abuse and hypocrisy within the Catholic Church. The lyrics describe a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, who confronts his father figure about his actions. The victim shows anger towards the priest's actions and the Church, which enables this kind of abuse to happen. The lyrics convey the pain and betrayal felt by the victim, and the anger towards those who are responsible for it.


The victim questions the priest, asking if he can sleep at night, when he is responsible for so many lives that he has torn apart. The lyrics also criticize the Church for hiding the truth and pretending to be holy, while ignoring the real problems within the institution. The song ends with the victim confronting the priest and holding him responsible for his actions. The victim also realizes that he can take control of his life and move forward despite the abuse he has endured.


Overall, "Dear Father" is a powerful and emotional song that sheds light on the problem of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The lyrics depict the anger, pain, and betrayal felt by the victim, and the realization that he can take control of his life despite the abuse he has endured.


Line by Line Meaning

A childhood innocence was drowned in your tears
Your tears drowned any childhood innocence that I had.


The demons that you fought are feeding your fears
Your personal demons are causing you to live in fear.


The poisoned secrets of your life stand revealed
The dark secrets of your past are now exposed for all to see.


The truth destroys you, its no longer concealed
The revelation of your past has a destructive effect on you.


Dear father forsaken, you knew what you were doing
You knew what you were doing when you committed the sins against me, father.


In silence your violence has left my life in ruin
You have caused me unimaginable pain and destruction with your acts of violence.


You preyed upon my flesh then prayed for my soul
You sexually abused me and then pretended to care about my spiritual wellbeing.


Belief betrayed by lust, the faith that you stole
Your actions of sexual abuse have revealed that you're an unfaithful religious figure.


Indoctrination by a twisted desire
You used your position of power to brainwash me and fulfill your own twisted desires.


The catechism of an evil messiah
Your teachings and practices have been nothing but that of an evil leader.


Dear father forgive me, I know just what I'm doing
I know that my actions of revenge against you will not go unpunished, father.


In silence this violence will leave your life in ruin
The silence that surrounded your violent acts has caused you a life of destruction and ruin.


Preacher of theocracy hiding your hypocrisy
You stand as a preacher of righteousness but hide the evil acts of hypocrisy.


Under false sanctity, holy phoney empathy
Your empathy isn't genuine and your holy appearances are a facade.


You have taken my life
You have completely destroyed my life with your actions.


Now it's your turn to die
You deserve to pay for your sins with your own life.


Can you sleep at night? when you close your eyes
Do the sins that you've committed haunt you at night when you rest?


Do you think of all the pain from your lies?
Do you ever consider the destruction you've caused by your lies?


Or do you deny you're responsible
Do you refuse to accept responsibility for the harm that you've caused?


For the victims of the sins you devised?
Do you ever consider the victims of the sinful actions that you devised?


What you gonna tell them when they ask you? well then
What will your response be when the victims of your sins ask you why?


Is your conscience pure in your heart?
Do you truly have a pure heart and conscience, or are you filled with guilt?


There is no exemption when you seek redemption
You have no justification for redemption for the pain you've caused without accepting responsibility.


For all the lives that you've torn apart
You have destroyed many innocent lives with your sinful acts.


Your molestations of the cross you defiled
You defiled the cross and your religious authority with your sexual abuse.


A man once holy now despised and reviled
You once stood as a holy man, but now you are hated and rejected by many.


You took possession while confessing my sins
You used your confession of my sins as a form of control and manipulation over me.


And now you have to face whatever death brings, yeah
You will face the consequences of your sins, no matter what form they may take.


In ruin, yeah, yeah, yeah
Your life is now in ruins due to your own actions, father.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TERENCE BUTLER, TONY IOMMI, JOHN OSBOURNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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

More Versions