Ghost of Perdition
Opeth? Lyrics

Ghost of Mother
The presence of the singer's deceased mother

Lingering death
The mother's death has left an enduring impact on the singer

Ghost on Mother's bed
The singer visualizing his mother's ghostly figure on her bed

Black strands on the pillow
The mother's hair strands left on the pillow as a memento

Contour of her health
Memories of the mother's healthy appearance

Twisted face upon the head
The mother's twisted facial expression, possibly due to pain or fear, before her death

Ghost of perdition
The sense of being haunted by something beyond human control

Stuck in her chest
An unexpressed feeling, thought, or regret weighing heavily on the artist

A warning no one read
A caution that was not heeded or acknowledged by anyone

Tragic friendship
A regretted connection that brought misfortune or sorrow

Called inside the fog
Being summoned towards an uncertain or blurry situation, lost in confusion

Pouring venom brew deceiving
Being subjected to or feeling the effects of a harmful or treacherous influence

Devil cracked the earthly shell
A belief that an evil force was responsible for shattering the singer's world

Foretold she was the one
An ominous prophecy indicating that the singer or someone close was doomed to suffer

Blew hope into the room and said:
An attempt to cheer up or instill positivity into a seemingly hopeless situation

"You have to live before you die young"
Advice to live life to the fullest, to make the most of the present moment

Holding her down
Being controlled or constrained by external or internal forces

Channeling darkness
Feeling a negative emotion or influence strongly affecting one's demeanor or behavior

Hemlock for the Gods
A poisonous substance capable of inducing death, potentially a reference to Greek mythology

Fading resistance
Succumbing to an overwhelming force or negative influence

Draining the weakness
The negative force feeding on and exploiting moments of vulnerability

Penetrating inner light
A sense of clarity or understanding arising from a profound, often painful experience

Road into the dark unaware
Venturing into the unknown, possibly unprepared or ignorant of the consequences

Winding ever higher
The path leading towards the unknown getting steeper or more difficult

Darkness by her side
Feeling a strong sense of negativity or despair present, possibly in reference to the mother's ghost

Spoke and passed her by
The ghostly figure fading away after conveying a message to the singer

Dedicated hunter
A force actively looking for opportunities to exploit, possibly death personified

Waits to pull us under
The negative influence lying in wait for the right opportunity to strike

Rose up to it's call
The victim succumbing to the negative influence

In his arms she'd fall
The victim's surrender to the inevitable

Mother light received
The singer's mother finding peace or release after death

And a faithful servant's free
The artist expressing his belief in an afterlife where the mother's soul is liberated

In time the hissing of her sanity
The gradual loss of rationality or sanity over a period of time

Faded out her voice and soiled her name
The degradation of the mother's legacy or reputation due to the loss of her sanity

And like marked pages in a diary
Memories or experiences that have been recorded and preserved

Everything seemed clean that is unstained
The absence of blemish, guilt or responsibility in past memories or experiences

The incoherent talk of ordinary days
Memories of ordinary days where nothing of importance was communicated or gained

Why would we really need to live?
A philosophical question about the purpose or meaning of life

Decide what is clear and what's within a haze
Making the choice between what is certain and what is uncertain or unclear

What you should take and what to give
Choosing what to prioritize or sacrifice to achieve personal fulfillment or happiness

A saint's premonition's unclear
An unclear warning of a future event, possibly from a divine source

Keeper of holy hoards
A protector or preserver of sacred or valuable objects or information

Keeper of holy whores
A derogatory term used to insult or stigmatize women, possibly questioning the righteousness of their actions or intentions

To see a beloved son
The tragedy or suffering of a beloved son being witnessed, possibly the artist or another character

In despair of what's to come
Feeling a sense of hopelessness or uncertainty about the future

If one cut the source of the flow
If one stopped the origin of a problem or situation

And everything would change
The potential for everything to be affected if the root cause of a problem was resolved

Would conviction fall
The belief or commitment to a certain cause or principle being questioned or weakened

In the shadow of the righteous
Being overshadowed by those who are perceived to be morally or ethically superior

The phantasm of your mind
A projection of one's thoughts or desires, possibly a delusional or imaginary construct

Might be calling you to go
Being pulled or drawn towards a thought or desire, possibly at the expense of rationality or morality

Defying the forgotten morals
Acting against what was once considered right or principled, or in contradiction of societal norms

Where the victim is the prey
Being a target of exploitation or harm, possibly due to one's vulnerability or weakness