This song features vocals and lyrics by Scott Kelly of Neurosis. Dailor explained to The Quietus: "He is one of our closest friends, an amazing person and every time we get an opportunity to make some art we want to include him in the process. It's become tradition I guess."
Guitarist Bill Kelliher explained to The Skinny magazine that this, "is one of the heavier, doomier, songs on the record. We had the main riff floating around for a while, like maybe a year – year and a half, basically just heard Scott Kelly's [Neurosis] voice all over it. That's when we called him out to sing on it. For his part, we gave him the lyrics for the rest of the record so he could get a feel for what was going on."
Dailor explained to Billboard the concept behind the Crack The Skye album: "It's about a crippled young man who experiments with astral travel. He goes up into outer space, goes too close to the sun, gets his golden umbilical cord burned off, flies into a wormhole, is thrust into the spirit real, has conversations with spirits about the fact that he's not really dead, and they decide to help him. They put him into a divination that's being performed by an early-20th-century Russian Orthodox sect called the Klisti, which Rasputin is part of. Knowing Rasputin is about to be murdered, they put the young boy's spirit inside of Rasputin. Rasputin goes to usurp the throne of the czar and is murdered by the Yusupovs, and the boy and Rasputin fly out of Rasputin's body up through the crack in the sky and head back. Rasputin gets him safely back into his body."
Crack the Skye
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rivers ran in blood
Spark fueled to fire
Deep withing the endless void
Searching for a sign
The vessel forged inside me
Watches over like the death
Strike the shepherd
Sheep will scatter
Mountains of despair
I can see the pain
It is written all over your face
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
In the dawn your face is haunting
White ghostly dreams
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Hear the voice of gold
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
Guard your heartache well
Momma don't let them take her
Take her down
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
Her spirits too strong
It's written all over your face
I can see the pain
You can make it all go away
The lyrics to Mastodon's song "Crack the Skye" are complex, poetic, and full of imagery that can be interpreted in various ways. The song itself is a reflection of the band's fascination with history, mythology, and metaphysics, and the lyrics tell a story of a visionary who has been cut by the sun and is searching for a sign within the endless void. The rivers run in blood, and the sparks are fueled to fire, creating a sense of urgency and danger that permeates the song.
The vessel that has been forged inside the visionary watches over like the death of the moon, and the shepherd is struck, causing the sheep to scatter into mountains of despair. The pain is evident on the face of those who witness this scene, and the screaming arrows tear through the soul, creating a haunting image that lingers in the dawn. The weight of the worlds is on the shoulders of those who hear the voice of gold, and the pain is written all over their face.
Desperate heathens flock to sirens, and the heartache must be guarded well to protect it from being taken down. The plea is made to Lucifer that he cannot have this one, for her spirit is too strong. The pain is visible on her face, but the vision is to make it all go away.
Overall, the lyrics of "Crack the Skye" are mysterious and intriguing. They offer a glimpse into the complexities of the human experience, and they challenge the listener to explore the depths of their own soul to find meaning in the words.
Line by Line Meaning
Blessed visionary cut me with your sun
A person with special abilities has impacted me deeply.
The rivers ran in blood
The situation was violent and intense.
Spark fueled to fire
A small event or idea sparked big changes.
Deep within the endless void
In a dark and empty place.
Searching for a sign
Looking for guidance or direction.
The vessel forged inside me
Something important was created or developed within me.
Watches over like the death of the moon
It's an ever-present force, like the lack of a moon during an eclipse.
Strike the shepherd
If you take down a leader, the followers will scatter.
Sheep will scatter
Followers will go in different directions if their leader is gone.
Mountains of despair
A large amount of sadness or hopelessness.
I can see the pain
I sense the suffering someone is going through.
It is written all over your face
Someone's emotions are easily noticeable through their facial expressions.
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
The pain I feel is very intense and painful.
In the dawn your face is haunting
Something about the beginning of a new day reminds me of someone's disturbing face.
White ghostly dreams
Dreams that are eerie and unsettling.
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Someone is carrying an immense amount of responsibility and pressure.
Hear the voice of gold
Pay attention to the wise or valuable advice being given.
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
People who are lost and hurting follow appealing but dangerous things.
Guard your heartache well
Be cautious with your vulnerabilities and emotions.
Momma don't let them take her
A motherly figure is protecting someone from harm.
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
An urgent plea for a dark force to leave someone alone.
Her spirits too strong
Someone's inner strength is too great to be overcome by negative influences.
You can make it all go away
Having the power to ease someone's troubles and pain.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRANN TIMOTHY DAILOR, TROY JAYSON SANDERS, WILLIAM BREEN KELLIHER, WILLIAM BRENT HINDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nathan Diefenbach
Lyrics
Blessed visionary cut me with your sun
The rivers ran in blood
Spark fueled to fire
Deep within this endless void
Searching for a sign
The vessel forged inside me
Watches over like the death
Of the moon
Strike the shepherd
Sheep will scatter
Mountains of despair
I can see the pain
It is written all over your face
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
In the dawn your face is haunting
White ghostly dreams
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Hear the voice of gold
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
Guard your heartache well
Momma don't let them take her
Take her down
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
Her spirits too strong
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
I can see the pain
You can make it all go away
Protowrath
This album is such a masterpiece.. I can't believe it's been a decade already..
David Bone
xd
David Bone
ty
Ainsophaur
One song got recommended to me... years later I’m still loving this band
Pascal G.
12 years, still timeless
Mateus M.
Time is passing by 😔
drunkenbard16
This album has so much guitar candy it's ridiculous. The opening riff is pure fucking brilliance. It sets the mood amazingly.
Jaromir Bracki
I have used at least 3 different guitars (including a 12-string acoustic) while learning that opening riff, the Brent's part. I even tried to play it on a 7-string guitar in one guitar store (since they tuned it like a 7-string one step lower while missing the actual E string). Employee came to me, smiled and said "Yeah, Mastodon". I smiled back. THis riff is glorious.
A. W. Sum
Hell yeah
Tuomas Saarinen
Yess! The groovy riff in the second half of The Last Baron is THE Mastodon Riff for me