"Judas" is a song from the 1993 album Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depech… Read Full Bio ↴"Judas" is a song from the 1993 album Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depeche Mode. Martin Gore tells Australian newspaper In Press: "'Judas' is an arrogant love song. We are not condoning unsafe sex. It is about wanting one hundred percent of someone in a relationship – the ultimate arrogance."

Alan Wilder said in the May 1993 issue of Keyboard magazine: "The beginning of "Judas" has Uillean pipes recorded straight, with backwards reverb mixed in."

Judas
Depeche Mode Lyrics

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Is simplicity best
Or simply the easiest?
The narrowest path
Is always the holiest
So walk on barefoot for me
Suffer some misery

If you want my love

If you want my love

Man will survive
The harshest conditions
And stay alive
Through difficult decisions
So make up your mind for me
Walk the line for me

If you want my love
If you want my love

Idle talk and hollow promises
Cheating Judases, doubting Thomases
Don't just stand there and shout it
Do something about it

You can fulfill
Your wildest ambitions
And I'm sure you will
Lose your inhibitions
So open yourself for me
Risk your health for me

If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love
If you want my love

If you want my love
If you want my love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Depeche Mode's song Judas speak to the power dynamics in romantic relationships. The first verse asks whether simplicity or ease is the better path, ultimately suggesting that the narrow, difficult path is the holiest. The singer then asks their lover to suffer some misery and walk barefoot for them if they want their love. The second verse addresses the idea that man can survive even the harshest conditions through difficult decisions. The singer encourages their lover to make up their mind and walk the line for them if they want their love.

The chorus of the song speaks to the frustration that the singer feels with their lover's idle talk and hollow promises. They reference the biblical figures of Judas and Thomas to suggest that their lover is cheating and doubting them. The singer urges their lover to stop shouting and do something about their situation, promising that they can fulfill their wildest ambitions and lose their inhibitions if they open themselves up and risk their health for the singer's love.

Overall, the song seems to be a message of tough love to an uncommitted lover. The singer encourages their partner to choose the difficult path and make a real effort to earn their love.

Line by Line Meaning

Is simplicity best
Is choosing something easy the best option?

Or simply the easiest?
Or is it just that it's the easiest?

The narrowest path
The path that is the most strict and rigid

Is always the holiest
Is often the most virtuous or devout

So walk on barefoot for me
Endure some discomfort for me

Suffer some misery
Experience some hardship or pain

Man will survive
Humans can withstand or endure

The harshest conditions
Severe, difficult circumstances

And stay alive
And still survive

Through difficult decisions
Even when faced with tough choices

So make up your mind for me
Choose a direction for me