The phrase "Kirisute Gomen" is of Japanese origin, meaning “authorization to cut and leave.” A more interpretive translation would be “right to strike”. A samurai had the right to kill with a sword anyone of a lower rank if the samurai percieved that they infringed on his honor.
The opening part in the song is played by acoustic guitars, the chord progression in the song is very similar to a vocal line in the song "Shogun".
Kirisute Gomen
Trivium Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He who walks the fire breathes
Unlike the rest
Living by the bloody creed
Kiri-sute gomen
Air of battle tasting stale
Send the bitter straight to hell
Kiri-sute gomen
In their wretched guts, all they want is to feed
Unending, covetous hunger known as greed
As the last legion makes its way to the skies
I can see in their eyes
They've already died
Inside, but as for the outside
I'll take their fucking heads
Quake has bred with the storm
Conceiving war
Wicked stampeding hordes
Kiri-sute gomen
In their wretched guts, all they want is to feed
Unending, covetous hunger known as greed
As the last legion makes its way to the skies
I can see in their eyes
They've already died
Inside, but as for the outside
I'll take their fucking heads
I can see in their eyes
They've already died
Inside
But as for the outsideI'll take their fucking heads
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
No turning
Back now, I won't be held down
Forced into a shallow grave
Built upon their empty ways
There's no turning back
There's hell to pay, such disarray
A bloodied mess, flesh masquerade
With all the blood making a flood
You made your path by crossing us
He who spits the fire seethes
All he detests
Decapitating, bloody creed
Kiri-sute gomen
In their wretched guts, all they want is to feed
Unending, covetous hunger known as greed
As the last legion makes its way to the skies
I can see in their eyes
They've already died
Inside, but as for the outside
I'll take their fucking heads
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
No turning
Back now, I won't be held down
Forced into a shallow grave
Built upon their empty ways
No turning
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
There's no turning back
"Kirisute Gomen" is a Japanese term that means "authorization to cut and leave". The song is about the samurai tradition of Kirisute Gomen, where samurais were given the authority to execute those who broke the code of bushido, or the way of the warrior. The song paints a picture of an apocalyptic setting where the world is consumed by war and greed, and the singer is on a mission to eliminate his enemies.
The lyrics suggest a ruthless approach to the enemy as they have already died inside, and the singer aims to take their heads. The chorus is a repetition of the phrase Kirisute Gomen, a command that authorizes execution. The imagery in the song is quite graphic, portraying a scene of chaos, bloodshed, and the brutality of war.
The metaphor of walking through fire refers to the idea of facing overwhelming challenges, and the ability to rise above them. The song also sends a message of rebellion against societal norms and rules, emphasizing that the singer lives by his own path and won't be held down. The song's aggressive, heavy metal sound mirrors its violent and rebellious lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
He who walks the fire breathes
This person is different from everyone else as he walks through fire and is able to breathe while doing it.
Unlike the rest
Living by the bloody creed
Kiri-sute gomen
This person lives by a bloody creed that is different from the rest, which is what Kiri-sute gomen represents.
Air of battle tasting stale
Reeks of deceit
Send the bitter straight to hell
Kiri-sute gomen
The air of battle is filled with deceit and is stale to this person, so he sends the bitter people straight to hell through Kiri-sute gomen.
In their wretched guts, all they want is to feed
Unending, covetous hunger known as greed
As the last legion makes its way to the skies
The people that this person is fighting against are greedy and only want to feed their own desires, as they make their last stand and try to escape to the skies.
I can see in their eyes
They've already died
Inside, but as for the outside
I'll take their fucking heads
This person can see that the people he is fighting against have already given up and died on the inside, so he is going to take their heads as a symbol of victory.
Quake has bred with the storm
Conceiving war
Wicked stampeding hordes
Kiri-sute gomen
The combination of the storm and the earthquake has led to war, and the person fights against the stampeding hordes through Kiri-sute gomen.
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
No turning
Back now, I won't be held down
Forced into a shallow grave
Built upon their empty ways
There's no turning back
This person will never conform to what others want from him and instead lives his own life. He won't be held down and won't return to the shallow grave built upon the empty ways of others.
There's hell to pay, such disarray
A bloodied mess, flesh masquerade
With all the blood making a flood
You made your path by crossing us
The people who are fighting against this person will have to pay a heavy price, and the battle is causing much chaos and bloodshed. They have made their path by crossing him, and now they must face the consequences.
He who spits the fire seethes
All he detests
Decapitating, bloody creed
Kiri-sute gomen
This person who spits fire is filled with anger towards everything he detests. He decapitates his enemies and follows the bloody creed of Kiri-sute gomen.
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
No turning
Back now, I won't be held down
Forced into a shallow grave
Built upon their empty ways
No turning
I will never be what they
Want me to
I live by my own path in life
There's no turning back
This person repeats that he will never conform to the desires of others and lives his own life without turning back. He won't be held down and won't return to the empty path created by others.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Corey Beaulieu, Matthew Heafy, Paolo Gregoletto, Travis Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Everblack96
"Do you wan't to buy a fridge
Or lack of breast
Everybody falling green
Killing stank old man
Pterodactyl chasing tail
Priest wanting shit
Send the pedal straight to hell
Killing stank old man"
I always hear this :D
@joshuaprietophoto
Probably the best album opener, ever.
This album is truly flawless.
@jasonbresolin74
Could not agree more, Shogun is genius. However, I would also like to state Ascendancy was just as great!
@waiz0231
Imperium
@pietrodosreis7394
Holy wars
@adnansusic1650
Waiz 02 second best maybe
@jeffreystone1638
@@pietrodosreis7394 battery, master of p
@raydawg9200
If anyone is interested kirisute gomen is the act of striking (typically killing) someone of a lower social standing due to said person dishonouring them. This was traditionally done (although not exclusively) in feudal Japan with samurai honour killing due to a pleb dishonouring them, considering that this song is in the shogun album, it is quite fitting addition to the Japanese theme of the album.
@wheatthin9836
+Ray Dawg i didnt know this and i wasn't particularly interested but i am glad to know this. makes the song that much more enjoyable!
@bergmeister86
This is great everyday advice. Slice up those worthless opinions of the people that have the need to point them out to you. Don't let them get to you!
@bergmeister86
This is great everyday advice. Slice up those worthless opinions of the people that have the need to point them out to you. Don't let them get to you!