Both Crosses
The Hold Steady Lyrics

She says sometimes she sees these things
She has premonitions and visions

Right before they're happening
They occur just before events take place

Hail Mary full of grace
A reference to the Catholic prayer used in times of need

Some nights she swears she feels her face
She experiences physical sensations during her visions

She's known a couple boys that died
She has known boys who have died

And two of them were crucified
Two of them were put to death by crucifixion

And the last one had enlightened eyes
The last boy had a wise and spiritual outlook

But the first guy he was jesus Christ
The first boy she knew who died was similar to Jesus

Hey Judas - I know you made a grave mistake
A reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas

Hey Peter - you've been pretty sweet since easter break
A reference to the disciple Peter's transformation after the resurrection of Jesus

Now she's four a.m. and she's wide awake
She is awake late at night with her thoughts

She's shivering and smiling
Her visions are both scary and exhilarating

Let's clutch and kiss and sing and shake
She wants to enjoy the present moment

And now lets try to levitate
She wants to defy gravity, as if lifted by the spirits

You catholic girls you stop much too late
A comment on the tendency of Catholic girls to indulge in sin despite religious teachings

Baby lets transverberate
Let us experience spiritual ecstasy

And she saw all the footage right before it got cut
She sees tragedy before it is edited or censored

And she saw all the bodies and she saw the blood
She witnesses graphic and violent images

She saw the angel put a sword in his side
A reference to a vision of the archangel Michael

And baby thats how we got canonized
A reference to the process of being recognized as a saint within the Catholic Church

She saw him gushing blood right before it got cut
She sees a scene of someone bleeding to death that is later edited out

She saw him put a body in a bag in the trunk
She witnesses someone disposing of a dead body

She saw the guys coming in from the sides
She sees people approaching from multiple directions

And baby thats how we get energized
The violence and gore that she sees is a source of adrenaline for her

She said you know I'm down to pay for it
She is willing to make sacrifices for her faith

She said just grab me some indulgences
She wants to earn forgiveness for her sins through church-sanctioned rituals

'Cause I've been mostly dying
She is feeling spiritually dead inside

And I've been mostly [unknown]
An unknown feeling that is consuming her

And I've been mostly crying
She is frequently emotional because of her visions

And I've been thinking 'bout both crosses
She is fixated on the crucifixion and death of Jesus

She saw the film right before it came out
She saw a preview or sneak peek of an upcoming film

And at first she thought Judas might go for the mouth
She speculates about what might happen in the movie

And she saw the nails and she saw the hands
She sees a depiction of Jesus being nailed to the cross

She saw the crowd and she heard the band
She experiences the sensory details of the crucifixion scene

And the new kid begged them not to do it
A reference to the story of Jesus begging for his life before being crucified

And Jesus just said hey I still love you Judas
Jesus continues to show love and forgiveness, even to those who betrayed him

Since you've been up in Massachusetts
A reference to the geographic location of Judas after the death of Jesus

I've been dreaming about dos cruces
She has been dreaming of the two crosses, likely a reference to the dual themes of death and redemption portrayed in the song

Yea I've been thinking about both crosses
She is haunted by the symbolism of the crosses and the themes of the song