In 1997, Morgana Lefay split apart. Persson, Heder and Soderling relocated … Read Full Bio ↴In 1997, Morgana Lefay split apart. Persson, Heder and Soderling relocated to Stockholm, leaving Rytkönen and Eriksson to find new members. Contractual disputes with Black Mark ended with Rytkönen and Eriksson (along with new members from Fantasmagoria) having to change name to simply Lefay. Persson, Heder and Soderling recorded an album under the Morgana Lefay name, but only to get rid of contractual obligations. The album is not recognised by the current incarnation of the band.

In September of 2004 Lefay resigned with Black Mark and regained the rights to use their full name.

Last Rites
Lefay Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

He lies awake with his eyes closed
As he thinks of eternity
The last meal served on silver plates
Left a taste of cold steel
His memories haunt him
Though what's past is so far away
He's drowning in fear of death
But does anyone give a damned

First light of the morning
Will witness his fall
At the end of a rope he'll hang
Feeding the crows
As he walks to the gallows pole
The priest reads his last rites
Twelve feet to the ground
Then there's just six more to god
First light of the morning
Will witness his fall
At the end of a rope he'll hang
Feeding the crows
From the end of the gallow
To the land of the dead
He has joined with the hallowed
In the land of the dead
From the end of the gallow
To the land of the dead
He has joined with the hallowed
In the land of the dead
From the end of the gallow
To the land of the dead

He has joined with the hallowed
In the land of the dead

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Last Rites" by Lefay is about a man who is about to face his execution by hanging. He is lying awake with his eyes closed thinking about eternity and his memories haunt him though they seem far away. He is afraid of death and wonders if anyone cares. The first light of the morning is when he will fall and at the end of the rope, he will hang, feeding the crows. As he walks to the gallows pole, the priest reads his last rights. From the end of the gallows to the land of the dead, he has joined the hallowed.

The song talks about the final moments of the man's life, the fear of death and his regret for his actions that led him to his death. The author uses powerful words to evoke strong emotions and paint a vivid picture of the man's final moments. The cold steel taste of the last meal, the sound of the rope tightening around his neck, the crows feeding on his flesh, and the priest reading the last rites all add to the dark, somber mood of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

He lies awake with his eyes closed
He is not sleeping, but his eyes are shut, indicating that he is lost deep in thought

As he thinks of eternity
He is contemplating life after death and the concept of forever

The last meal served on silver plates
The final food served to him, which is meant to be a source of comfort, only leaves him feeling cold and empty inside

Left a taste of cold steel
The food that should have been enjoyable was instead metallic-tasting and seemed to represent or foreshadow the coming execution

His memories haunt him
His mind is plagued with thoughts of his past, and he is unable to escape them even as he faces his imminent death

Though what's past is so far away
Despite the fact that his memories are from a long time ago, they still feel very present and real to him

He's drowning in fear of death
He is overwhelmed with terror at the idea of dying

But does anyone give a damned
He wonders if anyone cares that he is about to be executed, or if he will simply be forgotten

First light of the morning
The beginning of a new day

Will witness his fall
This day will be the time of his execution

At the end of a rope he'll hang
He will be killed by hanging

Feeding the crows
After his death, his body will be picked apart by scavenger birds like crows

As he walks to the gallows pole
He is being led to his own execution, and must face his fate head-on

The priest reads his last rites
A religious official is making a final prayer or blessing over him before he dies

Twelve feet to the ground
The height from which he will fall during the hanging

Then there's just six more to god
He will fall six feet into the ground, where his soul will supposedly go to be judged by a deity