The Casket Of Roderic Usher
Finch Lyrics


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Human flesh, open earth
Prepare your burial, burial, burial
Prepare your burial, burial, burial

This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious

Buried with your face down
You scream without sound
Broken bones won't heal you
Sympathy turns to laughter
Laughter, laughter, laughter

Unearthed hands of solitude
All over me
Torn apart by this cold self incision
So let it bleed, beware

Open earth, prepare your burial
Prepare your burial, burial, burial
Prepare your burial, burial, burial

This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious




This body, cold, contagious
This body, cold, contagious

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Finch's song "The Casket Of Roderic Usher" are haunting and morbid, as they speak of death and decay. The first verse sets the stage for the rest of the song, with the lines "Human flesh, open earth / Prepare your burial, burial, burial." The following lines repeat this phrase, emphasizing the inevitability of death and the inescapability of the Earth's embrace. The chorus then repeats the phrase "This body, cold, contagious," which could be interpreted as a reference to the decomposition of the body and the spread of disease after death.


The second verse adds to the sense of despair and horror with the lines "Buried with your face down / You scream without sound / Broken bones won't heal you / Sympathy turns to laughter." These lines convey a sense of hopelessness and isolation, with the buried person unable to escape their fate and the people around them indifferent or even mocking. The final lines of the chorus and the outro repeat the phrase "prepare your burial," underscoring the inevitability of death and the ultimate emptiness of life.


Overall, "The Casket of Roderic Usher" is a song that explores the darker aspects of human existence, focusing on death and decay. The lyrics are evocative and intense, and the song's somber tone and heavy instrumentation underscore its themes of mortality and despair.


Line by Line Meaning

Human flesh, open earth
The cycle of life wherein human beings are born, consume resources from the earth and eventually return to it upon death.


Prepare your burial, burial, burial
The inevitability of death and the need for preparations upon its arrival.


This body, cold, contagious
The state of the physical body upon death, where it is unable to maintain warmth and may be contagious or contain harmful pathogens.


Buried with your face down
The perspective of the dead person being buried, where they are underground facing downwards with no sense of sight or control over their surroundings.


You scream without sound
The powerlessness of the deceased, where they cannot make any vocal sounds or communicate once buried.


Broken bones won't heal you
The futility of physical ailments such as broken bones, as they cease to have any effect once the body has died.


Sympathy turns to laughter
The notion that once someone has passed, sympathy from others may turn into mockery or schadenfreude.


Laughter, laughter, laughter
The incessant, unending nature of ridicule or mockery.


Unearthed hands of solitude
The image of a dead body being dug up from the earth and left alone, with no one to reveal any more secrets about what happened to them in life.


All over me
The extent to which the body leaves an impression on those around it, in both an emotional or sometimes physical sense.


Torn apart by this cold self incision
The emotional or physical turmoil that someone may face prior to their own death, which causes them to 'tear themselves apart.'


So let it bleed, beware
The idea that some actions or decisions may have unintended consequences, and that one should be wary before making them.


Open earth, prepare your burial
A repetition of the opening line, emphasizing its importance and finality.


This body, cold, contagious
A repetition of an earlier line, reiterating the inevitable consequences of death on the physical body.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEJANDRO M. LINARES, ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ LINARES, DEREK DOHERTY, MARC EDWIN ALLEN, NATHAN BARCALOW, RANDY STROHMEYER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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