Born and raised in Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy, she rose to solo stardom with her debut studio album, Madonna (1983). She followed it with a series of successful albums, including all-time bestsellers Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) as well as Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Madonna has amassed many number-one singles throughout her career, including "Like a Virgin", "La Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".
Madonna's popularity was enhanced by roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). While Evita won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films received poor reviews. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded the company Maverick in 1992; it included Maverick Records, one of the most successful artist-run labels in history. Her other ventures include fashion brands, children's books, health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities, having founded the Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006.
With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is certified as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and holds the record for the most number-one singles by a female artist in Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. With a revenue of U.S. $1.5 billion from her concert tickets, she remains the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time. Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. She was ranked as the greatest woman in music by VH1 in 2012, and as the greatest music video artist of all time by MTV in 2003 and Billboard in 2020. Rolling Stone also listed Madonna among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
Studio albums
Madonna (1983)
Like a Virgin (1984)
True Blue (1986)
Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992)
Bedtime Stories (1994)
Ray of Light (1998)
Music (2000)
American Life (2003)
Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Hard Candy (2008)
MDNA (2012)
Rebel Heart (2015)
Madame X (2019)
Devil Pray
Madonna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Teach me how to pray
I've been stranded here in the dark
Take these walls away
I've been swimming in the ocean
Till I'm almost drowned
Give me something I can believe in
And we can do drugs and we can smoke weed and we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high and we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue and we can do E and we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run and we can hide
But we won't find the answers
If you go down then you'll get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooo, save my soul, ooo, save my soul
Ooo, save my soul
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooo, save my soul, ooo, save my soul
Ooo, save my soul
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooo, save my, ooo, save my
Ooo, save my
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooo, save my, ooo, save my
Ooo, save my
Devil's here to fool ya
Mother Mary can't you help me
'Cause I've gone astray
All the angels that were around me
Have all flown away
The ground beneath my feet's getting warmer
Lucifer is near
Holding on, but I'm getting weaker
Watch me disappear
And we can do drugs and we can smoke weed and we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high and we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue and we can do E and we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run and we can hide
But we won't find the answers
If you go down then you'll get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooo ooo sing hallelujah
Ooo save my soul
Ooo ooo the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story is told
I said ooo ooo sing hallelujah
Ooo save my soul
Ooo ooo the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story is told
I said
Ooo, sing hallelujah, ooo
Until my story's told
The song Devil Pray by Madonna speaks of a person who has been lost and is seeking guidance to overcome their struggles. The singer appears to be in a dark place, searching for meaning and purpose. The lyrics begin with a line that implies asking God to forgive the singer and teach them how to pray in order to wash away their sins. The following lines suggest that the person has been lost in the darkness for a long time, but they remain hopeful that the walls that surround them can be removed.
The chorus then addresses the dark paths that people can choose, such as drugs, weed, and alcohol, which are ultimately unfulfilling. Madonna uses these lines to illustrate that while we may indulge in these vices, they do not provide a solution to our problems. However, instead of hiding from the problems, the chorus suggests that we should confront the devil and pray together to save our souls. The song ends with the singer seeking divine intervention to overcome these struggles so they can tell their story someday.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my sins and wash them away
Requesting forgiveness for a sinful past
Teach me how to pray
Asking for guidance on how to communicate with a higher power
I've been stranded here in the dark
Feeling lost and alone
Take these walls away
Asking for a release from confinement, both physical and mental
I've been swimming in the ocean
Till I'm almost drowned
Give me something I can believe in
Teach me how to pray
Metaphorically drowning in life and seeking a foundation for faith
And we can do drugs and we can smoke weed and we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high and we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue and we can do E and we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Exploring the destructive and addictive nature of substance abuse
Yeah we can run and we can hide
But we won't find the answers
If you go down then you'll get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Acknowledging the futility of avoidance and emphasizing the importance of banding together in the face of adversity
Ooo, save my soul, ooo, save my soul
Ooo, save my soul
Devil's here to fool ya
Repeating the plea for salvation and the cautionary message of temptation
Mother Mary can't you help me
'Cause I've gone astray
All the angels that were around me
Have all flown away
The ground beneath my feet's getting warmer
Lucifer is near
Holding on, but I'm getting weaker
Watch me disappear
Feeling abandoned and helpless in the face of evil
Ooo ooo sing hallelujah
Ooo save my soul
Ooo ooo the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story is told
Expressing a desire for redemption and the warning that the devil's influence will continue until her journey is complete
I said ooo ooo sing hallelujah
Ooo save my soul
Ooo ooo the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story is told
I said
Ooo, sing hallelujah, ooo
Until my story's told
Reiterating the message of seeking salvation and the importance of staying strong until the end
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tim Bergling, Madonna L Ciccone, Carl Anthony Falk, Savan Harish Kotecha, Dacoury Natche, Ash Pournouri, Michael Tucker, Rami Yacoub
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@IcyPhil
Take my sins and wash them away
Teach me how to pray
I’ve been stranded here in the dark
Take these walls away
I’ve been swimming in the ocean
Till I’m almost drowned
Give me something I can believe in
Teach me how to pray
And we can do drugs
And we can smoke weed
And we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high
And we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue
And we can do E
And we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run
And we can hide
But we won’t find the answers
If you go down and you get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul,
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Mother Mary, can't you help me?
Cuz I’ve gone astray
All the angels that were around me
Have all flown away
The ground beneath my feet’s getting warmer
Lucifer is near
Holding on, but I’m getting weaker
Watch me disappear
And we can do drugs
And we can smoke weed
And we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high
And we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue
And we can do E
And we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run
And we can hide
But we won’t find the answers
If you go down and you get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul,
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh save my soul
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
I say
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh save my soul
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
I say
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh ooh ooh save my soul (sing hallelujah)
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
@IcyPhil
Take my sins and wash them away
Teach me how to pray
I’ve been stranded here in the dark
Take these walls away
I’ve been swimming in the ocean
Till I’m almost drowned
Give me something I can believe in
Teach me how to pray
And we can do drugs
And we can smoke weed
And we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high
And we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue
And we can do E
And we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run
And we can hide
But we won’t find the answers
If you go down and you get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul,
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my...
Devil's here to fool ya
Mother Mary, can't you help me?
Cuz I’ve gone astray
All the angels that were around me
Have all flown away
The ground beneath my feet’s getting warmer
Lucifer is near
Holding on, but I’m getting weaker
Watch me disappear
And we can do drugs
And we can smoke weed
And we can drink whiskey
Yeah we can get high
And we can get stoned
And we can sniff glue
And we can do E
And we can drop acid
Forever be lost with no way home
Yeah we can run
And we can hide
But we won’t find the answers
If you go down and you get help along the way
But if you wanna save your soul,
Then we should travel all together
And make the devil pray
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh save my soul
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
I say
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh save my soul
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
I say
Ooh ooh ooh sing hallelujah
Ooh ooh ooh save my soul (sing hallelujah)
Ooh ooh ooh the devil's here to fool ya
Until my story’s told
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
@Vlum88
Thank you for all ur work. I think there are a few minor mistakes. 1. "Forever BE lost with no way home" 2. "If YOU go down THEN (?) you'll get help..." 3. "Then we SHOULD travel all together"
@benrektaisis
The end ? :)
@ychelys
Yeahhh jeje
@TheLorDaniel
Anyone can tell me what is "Do E"?
@Thegreatking02
Daniel W. I believe its do Ecstasy shortened
@JG_Vietnam
This song can be called a masterpiece...
@dpchmdnn
The melody, chords and structure of the song still sounds so Avicii even if at the end the production changed from the demo. I'm glad that he and Madonna worked together and gave us some great songs. May he rest in peace.
@leoncinoargentino7101
This woman has so many beautiful songs
@simescape5312
Madonna is the most successful female songwriter and producer of all time!!!!!!