Sons of Perdition consist of solitary, permanent member Zebulon Whatley and… Read Full Bio ↴Sons of Perdition consist of solitary, permanent member Zebulon Whatley and occasional, carefully chosen guests. Simon Broke was recently made a member after his contribution to the album, Trinity. Accompanied or alone, Sons of Perdition play downbeat, esoteric, and often bloody songs. Their lyrics are steeped in religious fanaticism, despair, revenge, and the outré. Sons of Perdition have been called Southern Gothic, Avant-Americana, Gothic Country, Cemetery Western, Apocalyptic Folk, and a slew of other things.

Sons of Perdition's first album, The Kingdom is On Fire, was released in 2007. The Hank in Chains Review had this to say of it: "Sons have delivered a beautiful brimstone masterpiece with The Kingdom Is On Fire... an absolutely phenomenal album from start to finish."

Kingdom was followed by Psalms for the Spiritually Dead in 2010. James Carlson called it "a musical sermon unlike any other."

Trinity, the third and final album in Sons of Perdition’s Dissolution Trilogy, was released on GraveWax Records on November 12, 2013. At over 72 minutes, Trinity is a long, metaphorical narrative that tells of a man’s hellish pilgrimage through the American Southwest.

Zebulon Whatley was raised outside the rural settlement of Scrougout, Texas on a diet of fanatic religion and weird fiction. He currently resides in Austin, Texas.

Cannibals of Rotenburg
Sons of Perdition Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't venture down to Rotenburg
Or you'll lose more than money
They'll take your head and pretty limbs
And bake them up in honey

They'll spill your guts out on the floor
Or throw them in a pot
Then boil your brains with radishes

And serve them soft and hot
Your bones they'll split to suck the marrow
Lungs will go to dogs
You skin will make a fancy suit
The rest belongs to hungry hogs

Don't journey down to Rotenburg
Oh no, stay far from there
Don't journey down to Rotenburg
Oh no, stay far from there
Don't journey down to Rotenburg
Oh no, stay far from there
Don't journey down to Rotenburg
Oh no, stay far from there

So stay away from Rotenburg
If you value your soul

Or like a tree they'll break you down
And turn you into coal

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics are a warning against traveling to the town of Rotenburg, Germany, as it is said that the people who live there are cannibals. The lyrics describe in gruesome detail what they might do to anyone who crosses their path- taking their head and limbs, spilling their guts, boiling their brains with radishes, and serving up their remains to animals. The song advises the listener to stay far away from Rotenburg if they value their soul, ending with the ominous warning that travelers may find themselves turned into coal if they are not careful.

The song is inspired by the true story of the "Rotenburg Cannibal" Armin Meiwes, a German man who made headlines in 2001 for killing and eating a man he met online. Meiwes claimed that the victim had consented, leading to a controversial trial and media attention. The lyrics are a warning against the dark side of humanity, and the danger of trusting those who may seem harmless on the surface.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't venture down to Rotenburg
It is advised not to go to Rotenburg

Or you'll lose more than money
There are more severe consequences than just losing one's money

They'll take your head and pretty limbs
The people in Rotenburg will take your head and limbs

And bake them up in honey
They will cook the body parts in honey

They'll spill your guts out on the floor
They will remove the organs and spill them out onto the floor

Or throw them in a pot
They will throw the organs in a pot

Then boil your brains with radishes
They will boil the brain with radishes

And serve them soft and hot
They will serve the boiled organs soft and hot

Your bones they'll split to suck the marrow
Your bones will be split so they can suck out the marrow

Lungs will go to dogs
The lungs will be given to dogs

You skin will make a fancy suit
The skin will be used to make a suit