Wakeford founded Sol Invictus in order to pursue his own musical ideas. He was an original member of Crisis and Death In June with Douglas P.. He formed Sol Invictus in 1987, working with Ian Read and Karl Blake. He has been the sole constant of the group, as it continues to bring forth new forms and conceptions.
Wakeford has described Sol Invictus as a "cabaret band from Hell for the fin-de-siècle" and has referred to his work as folk noir. He has said the name "comes from a pre-Christian Rome-based cult. Many of its trappings were taken over by the church. The name means 'the unconquered (or victorious) sun', and it was brought back by the legionnaires returning from Persia. The sun has always been an important symbol and as the cult of Sol Invictus nearly defeated Christianity at one point it seemed a good name to use. I also love the sound of Latin. "
Sol Invictus' imagery and lyrical content, especially initially, was strongly influenced by an antipathy for the modern world and materialism. The band also had considerable interest in Heathen and Mithraist themes, often reflecting an explicit antipathy to Christianity. Wakeford has written from a melancholic position of doomed Romanticism, which laments the loss of beauty, love, and Culture. He sees Americanism as a scourge upon Europe, as expressed with pitch-black humour in his song, "Death of the West" from the album of the same name.
In 2007 Tony Wakeford started working with Israeli producer and musician 'M'. The German label Prophecy will release a new Sol Invictus studio album, 'The Cruelest Month' in 2010.
Do not mix it up with the German band Soul_Invictus!
Kneel to the Cross
Sol Invictus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arise! Arise!
Give us our bread and bury our dead
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Whether burnt at the stake or drunk at the wake
Just kneel to the cross on the wall
We've original sin, but we might just get in
It's love your neighbours and rattle your sabre
Just kneel to that cross on the wall.
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
As flesh and bone turn to ash
Tried to conquer the sun with a Christian frost
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
Give them gold and they'll save your soul
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Hail to the boss of the great unwashed
And kneel to the cross on the wall
They wail and weep, the march of the sheep
As they go to the cross on the wall
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
So kneel to the cross on the wall
The lyrics to "Kneel to the Cross" by Sol Invictus are a scathing critique of the power of organized religion, specifically Christianity, and the ways in which it has been used to control and manipulate people over the centuries. The opening lines, "Sumer is icumen in, Arise! Arise!" are taken from a Middle English song celebrating the arrival of summer, but in this context they take on a more ominous tone, calling on listeners to wake up and realize the dangers of blind adherence to religious authority.
The rest of the lyrics continue in this vein, with the singer urging listeners to "kneel to the cross on the wall" as a way of appeasing the church and avoiding punishment. The paradox of original sin and the possibility of redemption through penance and prayer is highlighted, as is the church's willingness to exploit people's fears and insecurities in order to maintain power. The final lines of the song, "And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong/So kneel to the cross on the wall," suggest that the only way to truly break free from the church's grip is to reject its authority altogether and find strength within oneself.
Overall, "Kneel to the Cross" is a powerful and thought-provoking critique of religion's role in society, and a reminder that blind obedience and conformity can be dangerous things.
Line by Line Meaning
Sumer is icumen in
Summer has arrived
Arise! Arise!
Get up! Get up!
Give us our bread and bury our dead
Provide us with sustenance and give our deceased a proper burial
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Worship the cross on the wall by kneeling before it
Whether burnt at the stake or drunk at the wake
Regardless of how we die
Just kneel to the cross on the wall
We must always worship the cross on the wall
We've original sin, but we might just get in
We are born with original sin, but we may be able to enter heaven
If we beg to the cross on the wall
By worshipping the cross on the wall, we may be saved
It's love your neighbours and rattle your sabre
Be kind to your neighbors, but also be ready to fight if necessary
Just kneel to that cross on the wall.
Always worship the cross on the wall
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
Witness the destruction around us
As flesh and bone turn to ash
As our bodies decay
Tried to conquer the sun with a Christian frost
Tried to impose Christianity on things that cannot be changed
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
The smell of death emanating from the crosses
Give them gold and they'll save your soul
By giving money to the church, they will supposedly save your soul
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Always worship the cross on the wall
Hail to the boss of the great unwashed
Praise the leaders of the uneducated masses
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Always worship the cross on the wall
They wail and weep, the march of the sheep
People blindly follow the church
As they go to the cross on the wall
As they worship the cross on the wall
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
It is considered wrong to exert one's own will
So kneel to the cross on the wall
Instead, always worship the cross on the wall
Contributed by Levi O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Bnailling
Give us our bread and bury our dead
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Whether burnt at the stake or drunk at the wake
Just kneel to the cross on the wall
We've original sin, but we might just get in
If we beg to the cross on the wall
It's love your neighbours and rattle your sabre
Just kneel to that cross on the wall
[Chorus]
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
As flesh and bone turns to ash
Tried to conquer the sun with a christian frost
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
[Verse 2]
And give them gold and they'll save your soul
And kneel to the cross on the wall
And hail to the boss of the great unwashed
And kneel to the cross on the wall
They wail and weep, the march of the sheep
As they go to the cross on the wall
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
So kneel to the cross on the wall
@kylekrasilikovs6360
Sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise! Sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise! (x10)
Sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise!
Give us our bread and bury our dead
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Whether burnt at the stake or drunk at the wake
Just kneel to the cross on the wall
We've original sin, but we might just get in
If we beg to the cross on the wall
It's love your neighbours and rattle your sabre
Just kneel to that cross on the wall
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
As flesh and bone turns to ash
Tried to conquer the Sun with a Christian frost
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
And give them gold and they'll save your soul
And kneel to the cross on the wall
And hail to the boss of the great unwashed
And kneel to the cross on the wall
They wail and weep, the march of the sheep
As they go to the cross on the wall
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
So kneel to the cross on the wall
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
As flesh and bone turns to ash
Tried to conquer the Sun with a Christian frost
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
But sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise!
But sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise!
But sumer is icumen in! Arise! Arise!
But sumer is icumen in! Arise!
Arise!
@Bnailling
Give us our bread and bury our dead
And kneel to the cross on the wall
Whether burnt at the stake or drunk at the wake
Just kneel to the cross on the wall
We've original sin, but we might just get in
If we beg to the cross on the wall
It's love your neighbours and rattle your sabre
Just kneel to that cross on the wall
[Chorus]
See the roof fall, hear the bells crash
As flesh and bone turns to ash
Tried to conquer the sun with a christian frost
The corpses' stench beneath the cross
[Verse 2]
And give them gold and they'll save your soul
And kneel to the cross on the wall
And hail to the boss of the great unwashed
And kneel to the cross on the wall
They wail and weep, the march of the sheep
As they go to the cross on the wall
And it's ever so wrong to dare to be strong
So kneel to the cross on the wall
@hagmann65
I couldn't agree with you more! It's not that I don't like Agalloch's cover version but its almost too good if you know what I mean.. The original version sounds more raw. Like people just throwing down their working tools in the field and start singing. With that said both versions are very powerful songs!
@maulros
Its funny how most listeners of this and Agalloch's cover don't say anything about synth at start of cover version. In my opinion it really makes this song work better.
@playmooregames371
I enjoy this version of the song as well as Agalloch's cover
@extremeanalogmusic6296
the voice of john Haughm is flawless :)
@BNK2442
@@extremeanalogmusic6296 I miss Agalloch.
@davidandre3719
@@BNK2442 same. Too bad these pussies couldn't handle a stupid joke. So much for black metal musicians being "extreme"
@guyhix1
So much beauty, so much emotion, so much passion. Thanks so much ProphecyBC, i was looking for this song for ages.
@Rikit93
Excellent
@NanamanTheLEGEND
didn't knew that this song was in Death Of The West album, haha awesome