Seventh Seal
noredirect/Scott Walker Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Anybody seen a knight pass this way
I saw him playing chess with Death yesterday
His crusade was a search for God and they say
It's been a along way to carry on

Anybody hear of plague in this town
The town I've left behind was burned to the ground
A young girl on a stake her face framed in flames cried
I'm not a witch God knows my name

The knight he watched with fear
He needed to know
He ran where he might feel God's breath
And in the misty church
He knelt to confess
The face within the booth was Mr. Death

My life's a vain pursuit of meaningless smiles
Why can't God touch me with a sign
Perhaps there's no one there answered the booth
And Death hid within his cloak and smiled

This morning I played chess with Death said the knight
We played that he might grant me time
My bishop and my knight will shatter his flanks
And still I might feel God's heart in mine

And through confession's grille Death's laughter was heard
The knight cried No you've cheated me!
But still I'll find a way
We'll meet once again and once again
Continue to play

They met within the woods the knight his squire and friends
And Death said now the game shall end
The final move was made
The knight hung his head
And said you've won I've nothing left to play

The minstrel filled with visions sang to his love
To look against the stormy sky
The knight his squire and friends
Their hands held as one
Solemnly danced toward the dawn

His hourglass in his hand his scythe by his side
The master Death he leads them on




The rain will wash away the tears from their faces
And as the thunder cracked they were gone

Overall Meaning

"Seventh Seal" by Scott Walker is a haunting and poetic song that offers a deep and introspective view of life's most important questions. The song narrates the story of a knight on a crusade to find God and his encounter with Death while playing chess. We see the knight torn between the desire to find meaning in his life and the fear of death. The song is divided into three parts: the first introduces the knight and his encounter with Death, the second narrates the story of a plague in a town the knight has recently left, and the third describes the knight's final meeting with Death and his dance towards the dawn.


The lyrics of the song display an eerie and desolate atmosphere that is enhanced by the use of poetic and allegorical language. The knight's journey to find God is depicted as an endless and vain pursuit of meaningless smiles. He seems lost and unsure of his goals, hoping to find solace and answers through faith. However, when he kneels to confess in the misty church, he is met by Death hiding within his cloak. This encounter leaves him bewildered and disillusioned. Death, in the song, is portrayed as a mysterious and deceptive figure, hiding his laughter behind the confession's grille.


Line by Line Meaning

Anybody seen a knight pass this way
Has anyone witnessed the arrival of a knight here?


I saw him playing chess with Death yesterday
I witnessed the knight playing a game of chess with Death yesterday.


His crusade was a search for God and they say
It is said that the knight embarked on his journey to search for God.


It's been a long way to carry on
The journey has been tiresome and never-ending.


Anybody hear of plague in this town
Has anyone heard of the outbreak of a deadly disease in this region?


The town I've left behind was burned to the ground
The town I departed from has been completely destroyed.


A young girl on a stake her face framed in flames cried
A young girl tied to a stake with flames all around her face screamed.


I'm not a witch God knows my name
She proclaimed her innocence saying that she is not a witch and that God knows her name.


The knight he watched with fear
The knight observed the scene with fear in his heart.


He needed to know
He was desperate to find out the truth of what was happening.


He ran where he might feel God's breath
He rushed to a place where he could feel God's presence.


And in the misty church
He entered a church that was misty and unclear.


He knelt to confess
He got down on his knees to confess his sins.


The face within the booth was Mr. Death
The person sitting in the confessional booth was Death himself.


My life's a vain pursuit of meaningless smiles
My life is pointless and revolves around superficial happiness.


Why can't God touch me with a sign
Why does God not reveal his presence to me in a clear and distinct manner?


Perhaps there's no one there answered the booth
It is possible that there might be no God at all.


And Death hid within his cloak and smiled
Death concealed himself in his cloak and smiled at the situation.


This morning I played chess with Death said the knight
The knight reported to have played a game of chess with Death that morning.


We played that he might grant me time
The game was played with the intention of Death granting the knight some time to live.


My bishop and my knight will shatter his flanks
The knight hoped his pieces would outmaneuver and defeat Death's.


And still I might feel God's heart in mine
Even after defeating Death, the knight hoped to still feel the presence of God in his heart.


And through confession's grille Death's laughter was heard
Death's amusement could be heard through the grille of the confessional.


The knight cried No you've cheated me!
The knight protested that Death had cheated him.


But still I'll find a way
The knight was determined to find a way to overcome Death.


We'll meet once again and once again
He believed that he will meet Death again and again.


Continue to play
They will continue their game of chess.


They met within the woods the knight his squire and friends
In the woods, the knight met with his squire and friends.


And Death said now the game shall end
Death declared that the game had come to its end.


The final move was made
The last move was played.


The knight hung his head
The knight lowered his head in defeat.


And said you've won I've nothing left to play
The knight declared Death as the winner since he had no moves left.


The minstrel filled with visions sang to his love
The minstrel sang to his beloved with a heart full of vivid imaginations.


To look against the stormy sky
To gaze upon the dark and turbulent sky.


The knight his squire and friends
The knight, his squire, and friends.


Their hands held as one
They held hands as a sign of solidarity.


Solemnly danced toward the dawn
They danced solemnly towards the rising sun.


His hourglass in his hand his scythe by his side
Death carried an hourglass and a scythe.


The master Death he leads them on
Death leads them into the afterlife.


The rain will wash away the tears from their faces
The rain will wash away the tears from their faces.


And as the thunder cracked they were gone
With a crack of thunder, they disappeared.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SCOTT ENGEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Ryan Ellis

52nd!
WOW
Just saw that film for the first time
What a brilliant movie
I have never seen anything by this director, and I was sent a link to this film
I hooked up my laptop to my five-inch studio monitors to get better sound (and I am glad I did)
What genius writing that had
How amazing it was shot!
The black and white works FAR better than color, because you are focused on the shapes and expressions more
The dappled light is amazing
The whole film just rocks
What a great movie
Hahaha
I WISH I spoke the original language.
I feel that is the best way to take this in
I am still a theist after watching this. I am still a Christian. This did not remove my faith, but it was a tough watch regarding its faith themes. Like the tower in Siloam in Luke 13:4 … Because of our sin nature, we are all due to die the first death (and perhaps also the second death for the unredeemed)

I will pray for America. Please pray for me. God Bless you.
I do not think that the Legendary Lee Canady would dig this flick, because he is not much one for movies



All comments from YouTube:

TheWolfoftheStars

Can I just say that I really love when movies are uploaded to youtube. Not only for the ease of accessibility (though that is huge) but also because I think all movies should have a comments section. Truly replicates the feeling of sitting in a movie theater with a bunch of people who won't shut up, except it's completely optional so anyone who wants to watch in peace is fine while the rest of us gossip in the back seats

Carlos Avila.

Agreed

GABRIELA ACEVEDO

Watching while reading the comments, it's like watching the movie with company.

1 More Replies...

Ensar

Thanks for putting this masterpiece on youtube!

O.

it's very slow-burn in the beginning. but it's so worth it because every little things accumulated until the end -- and it all makes sense now. i love this film. and how they played light and shadow on the faces is simply mesmerising.

Lemon

That movie is just absolute masterpiece!

Manuel Dpmingo Perez Navales

Sublime. Gracias por subirla.

Caro Wolff

En film som blir bättre varje gång man ser den. Det svenska språket har aldrig låtit så vackert som då de yttras ur Max von Sydows läppar. Bergman har fantastiskt öga för ljus. Otrolig film!
Thank you! Gracias!

amin Khalili

wow what a movie! still relevant and thoughtful for its time. thanks for uploading it.

Angela C.Östervall

Bergman y sus históricas y dramáticas filmaciones de la lucha de los humanos entre el bien y sus demonios ! Ser o no ser ! Recomiendo también “Gritos y susurros “

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