Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt
The Mars Volta Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You must have been phlegmatic in stature
The gates of Thanos are a spread eagle wide
You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes
Out of a blind mans picaresque heart

You take the veil
You'll take the dive
You take the veil

It's not over till the tremulant sings
These ides of march
Are they so make believe
How tempts the revenant
Slice up and not across

You take the veil
You'll take the dive
You take the veil

A mass of gallon sloth
As flys have walls for feet
A rapturous verbatim-someone said but who is to know
And when you find the fringe
The one last hit that spent you
You'll find the ossuary spilling by the day

The iconoclastic had it coming for years
They know the prisons that you have yet to fear
Where thumbs hide inside of sleeping bag mouths
Adlib your memoirs by casting a drought

You take the veil
You'll take the dive
You take the veil

A mass of gallon sloth
As flys have walls for feet
A rapturous verbatim-someone said but who is to know
And when you find the fringe
The one last hit that spent you
You'll find the ossuary spilling by the day

Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again
Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again

Knife me in hobbling
Talking in it's sleep again
Knife me in hobbling
Talking in 'it's' sleep again

Virulent hives-of bedpost piles
Virulent hives

Who brought me here?
Forsaken, deprived and wrought with fear
Who turned it off
The last thing I remember now
Who brought me here?
Forsaken, deprived and wrought with fear
Who turned it off




The last thing I remember now
Who brought me here?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Mars Volta's song Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt are open to interpretation, but they seem to speak of a character named Cerpin Taxt who has undergone a profound transformation or awakening. In the first verse, Taxt is described as having been stoic and passive, but now the gates of Thanos (a place in the mythological underworld) have opened wide for him. He has shed his former persona and allowed his heart to become a "picaresque" - adventurous and roguish.


The chorus ("You take the veil, you'll take the dive") suggests that Taxt is undergoing some kind of initiation or rite of passage, symbolized by taking on a veil and diving into the unknown. He is urged to cut his ties with his former life ("It's not over till the tremulant sings / These ides of March are they so make-believe") and let go of his past regrets and mistakes ("Slice up and not across").


The rest of the lyrics are more difficult to parse, but seem to depict Taxt's journey through a surreal and nightmarish landscape, filled with images of sloth, walls made of flies, and an ossuary (a place where human bones are stored). He reflects on the cost of iconoclasm (the destruction of religious or political icons), and the unknown dangers that await him in the future. The final lines of the song repeat a haunting question ("Who brought me here?"), suggesting that Taxt's transformation has left him questioning his very identity.


Overall, Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt is a complex, densely layered song that explores themes of transformation, initiation, and self-discovery. Its lyrics are full of cryptic references and vivid imagery, inviting listeners to interpret the song in their own unique way.


Line by Line Meaning

You must have been phlegmatic in stature
You have always been calm and indifferent in your demeanor


The gates of Thanos are a spread eagle wide
An entrance to a magnificent and expansive world awaits


You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes
You allowed the window blinds to darken your surroundings like mourning garb


Out of a blind mans picaresque heart
A tale of adventure and mischief born from a person unable to see


You take the veil
You willingly choose a life of religion and seclusion


You'll take the dive
You accept and embrace the unknown, diving into what comes next


It's not over till the tremulant sings
There is unfinished business until the one who stutters and shakes proclaims it is done


These ides of march
This momentous time of change and upheaval


Are they so make believe
Could these events truly be happening?


How tempts the revenant
The ghostly presence entices and taunts


Slice up and not across
Harm yourself purposefully but not lethally


A mass of gallon sloth
A body that is slow and sluggish, weighed down by liquid


As flys have walls for feet
Tiny insects can walk on things we cannot, like walls


A rapturous verbatim-someone said but who is to know
An ecstatic quote taken out of context without knowing who said it


And when you find the fringe
When you discover the outer limits of possibility


The one last hit that spent you
The final blow that exhausts and breaks you


You'll find the ossuary spilling by the day
Bones and remains will overflow and be exposed as time passes


The iconoclastic had it coming for years
Those who seek to destroy traditional beliefs deserved their inevitable downfall


They know the prisons that you have yet to fear
They are aware of what traps and dangers await you in the future


Where thumbs hide inside of sleeping bag mouths
Strange and unsettling things occur in hidden places


Adlib your memoirs by casting a drought
Create your own memories by abstaining from common experiences


Knife me in hobbling
Hurt me while I am vulnerable and weak


Talking in its sleep again
The subconscious mind reveals secrets and truths


Virulent hives-of bedpost piles
Piles of beds and bedding that are infected and dangerous


Who brought me here?
Who or what is responsible for my current state of being?


Forsaken, depraved and wrought with fear
Abandoned, morally corrupt, and consumed by terror


Who turned it off
Who caused a sudden end or disappearance?


The last thing I remember now
My recollection is fleeting and unclear


Who brought me here?
Who or what is responsible for my current state of being?




Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodriguez

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions