Mandrake
Mercyful Fate (La Gruta del Mago) Lyrics
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One of the three fares, when a man's time has come
You look so human, so different from any other plant
You look so human, that the Devil might take you for a man
White Mandragora, with your root so thick you are the male
Black as the night on the outside, inside you're like a moon
You look so human, so different from any other plant
You look so human, that the Devil might take you for a man
Your leaves spread out, so close to the ground
Mandrake root, your berries are just like the sun
Mandrake root, as a female your root will forked
Your juice has been known, to take away lives
Cause insanity, am I losing my mind?
In the olden days it was believed
That in the dark of night, you had to
Tie a string from the neck of a
Black dog to the Mandrake root, then move away, move away
And with meat you must lure the dog
To pull the Mandrake root from the ground
Cover your eyes, cause the cry of the Mandrake root
No man has ever survived, the dog will surely die
Poisonous Mandrake, you dangerous root
One of the three fares, when a man's time has come
You look so human, so different from any other plant
You look so human, that the Devil might take you for a man
Your leaves spread out, so close to the ground
Mandrake root, your berries are just like the sun
Mandrake root, as a female your root will be forked
Your juice has been known, to take easy lives
Cause insanity, am I losing my mind?
Mandrake root, bring me your poisonous love
Mandrake root, I need you to bring me that love
Mandrake root, Mandrake root bring me love
Mandrake root, bring me that poisonous thing
That everyone is calling love
The lyrics to "Mandrake" by Mercyful Fate (La Gruta del Mago) describe the dangerous root known as the Mandrake, which is believed to have mystical powers in many cultures. The song describes the Mandrake as a poisonous and deadly plant that can take away lives and cause insanity. The Mandrake is described as having a human-like appearance and is so different from any other plant that it is believed that the Devil might take it for a man. The Mandrake has both white and black variations, the former being male and the latter being female. The Mandrake's roots are incredibly thick and when they are forked, they are believed to have even more mystical powers.
The song goes on to describe the ancient practice of trying to extract the Mandrake root, which was thought to be extremely dangerous. The practice involved tying a string from the neck of a black dog to the Mandrake root, then moving away and using meat to lure the dog to pull the root from the ground. The root was believed to let out a deadly scream that could kill anyone who heard it. The song's lyrics speak to the idea that the Mandrake is a dangerous and potent mystical plant, with the power to take lives and alter reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Poisonous Mandrake, you dangerous root
Acknowledging the poisonous and dangerous nature of the Mandrake root
One of the three fares, when a man's time has come
The belief that the Mandrake is one of the three creatures that come when a man is about to die
You look so human, so different from any other plant
Describing the appearance of the Mandrake root, which looks eerily human-like and unlike any other plant
That the Devil might take you for a man
The belief that the appearance of the Mandrake could be mistaken by the Devil for a human being
White Mandragora, with your root so thick you are the male
Describing the male Mandrake plant, which is thick and white
Black as the night on the outside, inside you're like a moon
Describing the appearance of the female Mandrake plant, which is black on the outside and has a white inner portion
Your leaves spread out, so close to the ground
Describing the way in which the Mandrake's leaves grow close to the ground
Mandrake root, your berries are just like the sun
Describing the appearance of the berries of the Mandrake plant, which are bright and yellow like the sun
Mandrake root, as a female your root will forked
Describing the way in which the root of the female Mandrake plant will fork into two separate portions
Your juice has been known, to take away lives
The belief that the juice of the Mandrake root has the power to take away lives
Cause insanity, am I losing my mind?
The idea that ingesting Mandrake root juice could lead to madness and questioning one's own sanity
In the olden days it was believed
Describing the belief in the power of the Mandrake root in the past
That in the dark of night, you had to
The belief in the importance of performing a specific ritual when harvesting the Mandrake root
Tie a string from the neck of a
Detailing the specific actions involved in the ritual
Black dog to the Mandrake root, then move away, move away
Further details of the ritual, involving a black dog and moving away from the area
And with meat you must lure the dog
Another step in the ritual, involving enticing the black dog with meat
To pull the Mandrake root from the ground
The end goal of the ritual: to have the black dog pull the Mandrake root from the ground
Cover your eyes, cause the cry of the Mandrake root
Wary of the danger involved in harvesting the Mandrake root, a warning to cover one's eyes
No man has ever survived, the dog will surely die
Further warning of the dangers involved in the procedure, stating that no man has survived and that the dog will die
Mandrake root, bring me your poisonous love
A plea to the Mandrake root for its dangerous love
Mandrake root, I need you to bring me that love
Repeating the request to the Mandrake root
Mandrake root, Mandrake root bring me love
A repetition of the request, reverent to the power of the Mandrake root
Mandrake root, bring me that poisonous thing
Further reflecting on the dangerous nature of the Mandrake root, requesting its poisonous love once again
That everyone is calling love
Acknowledging that the poisonous love of the Mandrake root is being referred to as simply 'love'
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: KIM BENDIX PETERSEN, HANK SHERMANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dead Riot Party-Live
Second solo of Mike Wead is wonderful
Louis Csanko
SHERMANN// WEAD// LAROQUE// DENNER//LOVE THEM ALL!!!!
M͎e͎t͎a͎l͎u͎n͎a͎
the most underrated and least talked about album
Cronos War
Brutal temazo
MSB 1791
AWESOME!!!!
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠
Great song, no doubt!
Michaelslayer1
the solo is amazing
Don McGlothlin
Mike Wead's first album with King, underrated big time. Although not the best MF album (opinion of course) there is no such thing as a bad album from KD or MF. And since I consider this the weakest MF album (and way better than most bands best albums btw) this proves that even on his worst day the king always delivers.
Bruce Dureault Jr
I don't know about amazing solo's sorry. But that song rules. I always love finding a song I never heard from them. Doesn't happen often, too cool!!!
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠
In album isn't exactly none bad songs in, in this age this album sound even better than ever, so is my opinion, all songs are pearl and my definitely favorite song is, Crossroads, it's even better than all other Mercyful fate songs, Crossroads is fucking killer song, still!