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The Seventh Seal
Scott Walker Lyrics


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Anybody seen a knight pass this way
I saw him playing chess with Death yesterday
His crusade was a search for God and they say
It's been a along way to carry on

Anybody hear of plague in this town
The town I've left behind was burned to the ground
A young girl on a stake her face framed in flames cried
I'm not a witch God knows my name

The knight he watched with fear
He needed to know
He ran where he might feel God's breath
And in the misty church
He knelt to confess
The face within the booth was Mr. Death

My life's a vain pursuit of meaningless smiles
Why can't God touch me with a sign
Perhaps there's no one there answered the booth
And Death hid within his cloak and smiled

This morning I played chess with Death said the knight
We played that he might grant me time
My bishop and my knight will shatter his flanks
And still I might feel God's heart in mine

And through confession's grille Death's laughter was heard
The knight cried No you've cheated me!
But still I'll find a way
We'll meet once again and once again
Continue to play

They met within the woods the knight his squire and friends
And Death said now the game shall end
The final move was made
The knight hung his head
And said you've won I've nothing left to play

The minstrel filled with visions sang to his love
To look against the stormy sky
The knight his squire and friends
Their hands held as one
Solemnly danced toward the dawn

His hourglass in his hand his scythe by his side
The master Death he leads them on
The rain will wash away the tears from their faces
And as the thunder cracked they were gone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Scott Walker's song The Seventh Seal narrates the story of a knight who is in search of God while playing against death in a game of chess. The song opens with the singer asking if anyone had seen a knight passing by, who had played chess with Death the previous day. The knight’s journey is a crusade to search for God, which the characters of the song suggest has been a long and arduous journey.


The song switches to another scenario where the singer asks if anybody had heard of plague in a particular town. The town was destroyed, and a young girl was persecuted for being a witch, and her face was set on fire while crying out God’s name. The knight then witnesses Death in a church while he confesses his desires to be touched by God. Death, however, tells him that there might not be anyone there to answer his calls.


The song then moves to the knight’s final game against Death, where he and his squire play against Death to win more time, but the final move sees the end of their game. The song then ends with Death leading them away into the dawn where they disappear into oblivion.


Line by Line Meaning

Anybody seen a knight pass this way
Has anyone here encountered a knight as he passed through this area


I saw him playing chess with Death yesterday
I witnessed the knight engage Death in a game of chess the previous day


His crusade was a search for God and they say
It is told that the knight's devoted task was to search for God


It's been a long way to carry on
It has been a great distance to keep going forth


Anybody hear of plague in this town
Has anyone heard of a plague affecting this town


The town I've left behind was burned to the ground
The town I've recently departed from was completely destroyed by flames


A young girl on a stake her face framed in flames cried
A girl, her face encircled by fire, sat on a stake and wailed out


I'm not a witch God knows my name
I am not a witch - my name is known to God


The knight he watched with fear
The knight gazed upon the situation with apprehension


He needed to know
He required knowledge


He ran where he might feel God's breath
He hastened to a location where he thought he might sense God's presence


And in the misty church
And at the foggy church


He knelt to confess
He knelt to reveal his transgressions


The face within the booth was Mr. Death
The figure that presented itself behind the curtain was Death himself


My life's a vain pursuit of meaningless smiles
My existence is a fruitless chase for unimportant grins


Why can't God touch me with a sign
Why is it impossible for God to reveal a sign to me


Perhaps there's no one there answered the booth
Maybe there is no one present, replied the confessional


And Death hid within his cloak and smiled
And Death concealed his appearance beneath his robe and grinned


This morning I played chess with Death said the knight
I challenged Death to a game of chess this morning, said the knight


We played that he might grant me time
We played in hopes that he might extend my time on this earth


My bishop and my knight will shatter his flanks
My bishop and knight will destroy Death's army from the sides


And still I might feel God's heart in mine
Yet I may still sense God's beating heart within my own


And through confession's grille Death's laughter was heard
And Death's laughter was audible through the grill of the confessional


The knight cried No you've cheated me!
The knight lamented, 'No, you have deceived me!'


But still I'll find a way
However, I will still uncover a method


We'll meet once again and once again
We will encounter each other many times over


Continue to play
Persist in playing the game


They met within the woods the knight his squire and friends
They came across one another in the woods, the knight accompanied by his squire and companions


And Death said now the game shall end
Death declared that the game was now to be concluded


The final move was made
The ultimate maneuver was executed


The knight hung his head
The knight lowered his head


And said you've won I've nothing left to play
And stated, 'You have been victorious - I have no more moves to make'


The minstrel filled with visions sang to his love
The minstrel, full of imagery, sang to his love


To look against the stormy sky
To gaze up at the tumultuous skies


The knight his squire and friends
The knight, his squire, and companions


Their hands held as one
Their hands united as one


Solemnly danced toward the dawn
Moved towards the daybreak in a solemn, dignified manner


His hourglass in his hand his scythe by his side
With his hourglass in one hand and his scythe in the other


The master Death he leads them on
Death the master leads them onward


The rain will wash away the tears from their faces
The rain will rinse away the tears from their cheeks


And as the thunder cracked they were gone
And as the thunder boomed, they departed




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SCOTT ENGEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@gryphon8483

Stunning voice, production and lyric. Incredible. guidofski,
Thank You for posting.
[Verse 5]
The minstrel filled with visions sang to his love
To look against the stormy sky
The knight his squire and friends, their hands held as one
Solemnly danced toward the dawn
His hourglass in his hand, his scythe by his side
The master Death, he leads them on
The rain will wash away the tears from their faces
And as the thunder cracked, they were gone



All comments from YouTube:

@nalamo1000

The Avande Garde singer is gone. there will never be a voice like Scott Walker. His music will live on forever. RIP Scott

@airbedane

So right.

@elit7149

He was who David Bowie took his style from

@paulturzio1472

My bucket list is forever incomplete with his passing.
Loved him from the first day I ever heard him sing in 1966.
Thought I'd get to see him one more time. RIP Scott.

@AtticusStount

He's making new music in the space between worlds.

@rebeccawhitney1222

Me too.

@lyndongingell1445

My favourite song of all time. What a production

@stevehill8657

Agreed-production, arrangement, male choir-electrifying

@SavoxYT

There's a reason why many people consider Scott 4 to be a masterpiece. It's because it is.

@lesliemouzer7178

You're absolutely right it's my favourite album ever.

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