The original line-up consisted of Dave Chandler (guitar), Mark Adams (bass), Armando Acosta (drums) and Scott Reagers (vocals). They recorded their first two albums before Scott Weinrich replaced Reagers in 1986. The line-up of Chandler, Adams, Acosta and Weinrich is the longest-lasting. The third album Born Too Late (1986) is generally acknowledged as their best release.[3]
After breaking up in 1996 and briefly reforming in 2003, Saint Vitus reunited again in 2008 with the band's "classic" line-up, featuring Weinrich, Chandler, Adams and Acosta, and embarked on a successful tour. However, after 30 years in the band, Acosta left Saint Vitus in 2009 due to worsening health, and was replaced by Henry Vasquez. By 2016, both Weinrich and Adams had left Saint Vitus and were replaced by Reagers and Patrick Bruders respectively, leaving Chandler as the only constant member of the band and reuniting two-fourths of the original lineup.
Saint Vitus
Saint Vitus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one knows how old
'Till the kingdom took his life
For the things he told
The world is full of wickedness
So Vitus says
"If you believe in god above,
You will all be saved"
So wash it from your life
Don't believe in the government
Let your soul decide
And so the king grew angry
He saw his end in sight.
Young Vitus must be stopped
The little child must die
Saint Vitus, hear his distant scream
Saint Vitus, died for his belief
So if you're breeding wickedness
Keep this in mind
Vitus' soul is watching you
Through the veils of time
Well, people always stay the game
They never seem to learn
'Till they all have lost their faith
And their souls have burned
The song Saint Vitus by Saint Vitus tells the story of a young boy named Saint Vitus who spoke openly about the wickedness in the world and encouraged people to believe in God in order to be saved. Vitus believed that lust could lead to corruption and that people should not rely on the government but instead listen to their soul. These views made the king angry and threatened his reign. The king saw Vitus as a threat and had him killed.
The lyrics of the song can be interpreted as a commentary on the dangers of speaking out against authority and the consequences that come with it. It also highlights the idea that people should not blindly follow their leaders and should listen to their own conscience.
The repeated chorus of "Saint Vitus, hear his distant scream, Saint Vitus, died for his belief" emphasizes the martyrdom of the young boy and the power of his message that continues to resonate even after his death.
Line by Line Meaning
Saint Vitus was a young lad
The song begins by introducing Saint Vitus as a young boy.
No one knows how old
His age is uncertain, but likely young.
'Till the kingdom took his life
The government took his life.
For the things he told
He was killed for the beliefs he shared.
The world is full of wickedness
Saint Vitus believed the world was full of evil.
So Vitus says
This is something Saint Vitus said.
"If you believe in god above,
You will all be saved"
Saint Vitus believed in God and felt that if others believed, they would be saved.
Lust can breed corruption
Saint Vitus believed that desire can lead to corruption.
So wash it from your life
He advises to remove this desire from one's life.
Don't believe in the government
He advises against trusting the government.
Let your soul decide
Instead, he advises to listen to one's own soul.
And so the king grew angry
The king felt threatened by Saint Vitus's ideas.
He saw his end in sight.
The king felt that Saint Vitus's ideas would lead to the end of his reign.
Young Vitus must be stopped
The king ordered for Saint Vitus to be killed.
The little child must die
Despite Saint Vitus's age, he was still put to death.
Saint Vitus, hear his distant scream
The song calls out to Saint Vitus and mentions his scream, indicating a sense of mourning and loss.
Saint Vitus, died for his belief
Saint Vitus was killed for his beliefs.
So if you're breeding wickedness
The song warns those who engage in evil or sinful acts.
Keep this in mind
Remember this advice.
Vitus' soul is watching you
Saint Vitus can be seen as watching those who engage in wickedness through time.
Through the veils of time
His watchful spirit persists through the ages.
Well, people always stay the game
Despite Saint Vitus's message, people continue to act in evil ways.
They never seem to learn
People have a hard time learning from others' mistakes.
'Till they all have lost their faith
People continue to act in this way until they have lost their faith in something greater than themselves.
And their souls have burned
These actions lead to a negative impact on one's soul.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
imashellamit
Doom is how true metal should be played... What drove Black Sabbath into creating what turned to be heavy metal was the idea of making scary music....
SeMeN SPeRmS
Saw them open for Black Flag back in '84 'n '85. The closed minded punks in the audience didn't know what to think. There was a lot of resistance back then in Hardcore to anything considered Heavy Metal, before crossover came around 'n you had Metallica wearin' Misfits shirts. Pigeon holin' everything into micro-genres is just for weak minded people to arrange their itunes 'n corporate marketin'. I don't understand people who only listen to one type of music, they're missin' out on life.
marshall devine, jr.
you said it all
philippe holland
Saw flag with venom in Trenton
philippe holland
Sst was a reaction to this very closed mindedness you're talking about. Black flag in itself in the eighties was.
graceless666
the most punk doom song ever.
Vera Sabbath
This are honor graduates from the Black Sabbath´s school, pure root.
ADeadHeaDz
I love this riff. I forgot what song it belonged to for the longest time, just because recently I've only been listening to Psychopath and Burial at Sea off of this album.
Nosheepfull
Dave Chandler is a genius
Sander Krintal
I've spent too much weed on this specific song, wierd that I keep doing that over and over again...