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Nine Circles
Sabachthani Lyrics
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I could see your hollow heart
Where we climbed the roof together
To escape from the dark
Through the nights we prayed for nothing
To the emptiness of you
Were your wings not cut and severed clean from you
No amount of tears can save you boy
You are forever falling
Here, ten thousand devils begin to cry when you open up your bloodshot eyes
And they raise their hands up to the sun and they bow their heads down in rememberance
Would you join me in my cold prison?
My winter, my winter!
I would cry but my tears are frozen
Unwritten, unwritten!
To the dawning when I was rejected
Corrected, erected!
I lock myself up with death and reap!
I arch my back to the morning
Tempting you
And cringe into a statue
And close my eyes
Carry yourself above me
In the light
And leave the earth in my hands
To despise
What remedies you've chosen
Wont heal me
I stand among the broken and believe...
Cant you see I was god when you gave to me?
All your life, all your woes and the ocean that raged inside you
On my knees on the ground I am lost somehow
Trembling hands in my hands, you have weighed me down
Lay to waste all that I have suffered for
Cast your stone, I'll be last through my dying hour
I've become tragedy in its utmost meaning
Maybe now, Jesus Christ... all my pain...
Ten little angry devils left, marching down from a funeral
Nine little angry devils left, joining hands in circles of fire
Eight little angry devils left, on a bridge to weak to hold them all
Seven little angry devils left, each one with a gun to their head
Six little angry devils left, building walls to the emptiness
Five little angry angels left, and they spread their wings over your eyes
Four little angry devils left, and the drinks are on the house
Three little angry devils left, drawing straws on who's to die
Two little angry devils left, looking into eachothers eyes
One little angry devil left, there's no hope... no hope... there's no...
The lyrics to Sabachthani's song Nine Circles evoke a sense of desperation and hopelessness. The opening lines "With my hands with holes right through them, I could see your hollow heart" seem to be a reference to the wounds on Jesus' hands from the crucifixion and suggest that the singer has a deep insight into the emptiness of the person they are addressing. The image of climbing onto a roof to escape the darkness adds to the sense of desperation and the need for an escape from something.
The lyrics then turn to a sense of longing for something that is missing, with the repeated phrase "You would fly" suggesting that there is an unfulfilled potential that is somehow held back. The lyrics then shift to a sense of resignation and acceptance of the situation, with the repeated line "No amount of tears can save you boy, you are forever falling." The following lines are repeated several times over the course of the song and reflect a sense of despair: "Here, ten thousand devils begin to cry when you open up your bloodshot eyes / And they raise their hands up to the sun and they bow their heads down in rememberance / Would you join me in my cold prison? / My winter, my winter! / I would cry but my tears are frozen / Unwritten, unwritten! / To the dawning when I was rejected / Corrected, erected! / I lock myself up with death and reap!"
The second half of the song shifts to a more surreal and fragmented set of images, including pictures of devils and angels and a sense of a coming apocalypse. The repeated counting down of the number of devils left suggests a sense of finality and the possibility of a last chance for redemption that is slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
With my hands with holes right through them
Referring to the crucifixion wounds in his hands, the singer acknowledges the physical evidence of his sacrifice and offers it as proof of his divine nature.
I could see your hollow heart
The singer sees through the facade of the object of his address and recognizes the emptiness within them.
Where we climbed the roof together
To escape from the dark
The singer and the object of his address shared a moment of intimacy and hope amidst trying circumstances.
Through the nights we prayed for nothing
To the emptiness of you
The singer and the object of his address were united in their shared experience of despair and futility, and directed their pleas to a seemingly unresponsive higher power.
Were your wings not cut and severed clean from you
You would fly
The singer suggests that the object of his address is capable of greatness, but has been somehow weakened or thwarted.
No amount of tears can save you boy
You are forever falling
The singer implies that the object of his address is beyond redemption and that their fate is sealed.
Here, ten thousand devils begin to cry when you open up your bloodshot eyes
And they raise their hands up to the sun and they bow their heads down in rememberance
The singer describes a powerful reaction to the sight of the object of his address awakening to their situation, implying that their plight is particularly pitiable or poignant.
Would you join me in my cold prison?
My winter, my winter!
I would cry but my tears are frozen
Unwritten, unwritten!
To the dawning when I was rejected
Corrected, erected!
I lock myself up with death and reap!
The singer invites the object of his address to share in his personal hell of isolation, sadness, and unresolved feelings, and describes his futile attempts to escape his own demons.
I arch my back to the morning
Tempting you
And cringe into a statue
And close my eyes
Carry yourself above me
In the light
And leave the earth in my hands
To despise
The singer expresses his desire to be seen and not overlooked, and perhaps his frustration at feeling neglected or abandoned by a higher power.
What remedies you've chosen
Wont heal me
I stand among the broken and believe...
The singer rejects the object of his address's supposed interventions or supposed cures, and instead chooses to stand firm in his own beliefs and values amidst adversity and chaos.
Cant you see I was god when you gave to me?
All your life, all your woes and the ocean that raged inside you
On my knees on the ground I am lost somehow
Trembling hands in my hands, you have weighed me down
The singer asserts his god-like status in relation to the object of his address, a position that carries the burden of their troubles and worries as well as his own.
Lay to waste all that I have suffered for
Cast your stone, I'll be last through my dying hour
I've become tragedy in its utmost meaning
Maybe now, Jesus Christ... all my pain...
The singer bemoans the possible futility or meaninglessness of his own sacrifices and efforts, and suggests that they may have been in vain or have failed to achieve their intended purpose.
Ten little angry devils left, marching down from a funeral
Nine little angry devils left, joining hands in circles of fire
Eight little angry devils left, on a bridge to weak to hold them all
Seven little angry devils left, each one with a gun to their head
Six little angry devils left, building walls to the emptiness
Five little angry angels left, and they spread their wings over your eyes
Four little angry devils left, and the drinks are on the house
Three little angry devils left, drawing straws on who's to die
Two little angry devils left, looking into eachothers eyes
One little angry devil left, there's no hope... no hope... there's no...
The lyrics describe a procession of demonic beings who all share anger, hostility, or nihilism, and who ultimately meet their end in various ways. The last devil seems to represent a final, inevitable defeat or despair.
Contributed by Lillian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.