The Big Sleep
Eternal Repentance: The Big Sleep's Haunting Judgment
Lyrics
At the end of the road he calls everyone home
At the end of life's journey, death welcomes everyone.
And the fire will consume us
Death is depicted as a consuming force, reaching deep into the core of existence.
Striking through to the bone
Death's impact is profound, affecting the very essence of being.
At the end of the road you will soon hear him call
In death's approach, a call becomes audible.
As the congregations crumble and the chapels will fall
Religious institutions crumble, symbolizing the collapse of traditional structures.
And the taste on your tongue
The taste of death is mentioned, hinting at its inevitability.
Well it comes yeah it comes
Death arrives, bringing a mix of bitter remorse and pain.
With the bittersweet pang of remorse and pain
This bitter experience is likened to a pang of regret.
Till the judgment is made
The process continues until a judgment is reached.
The prosecution's won
The prosecution prevails in the metaphorical courtroom of life.
The gavel has won and justice is done
Justice is served as symbolized by the gavel.
The courtroom clears and I'm left alone on the bench
The aftermath of judgment leaves the narrator alone.
My wife and children gone along with my defense
Family and defense have vanished, leaving the narrator isolated.
The bailiff leads me back to my cell
The bailiff guides the narrator back to confinement.
Like the riverman ferrying me to hell
Comparing the bailiff to a ferryman suggests a journey to a grim fate.
I can't blame them, no
The narrator understands the lack of sympathy for their actions.
To hate me for what I've done
Acknowledging the justified resentment towards the narrator.
I hear them whispering in the hall
Whispers in the hall emphasize society's judgment on a life ruled by violence.
You live and die by the gun
Living and dying by the gun symbolizes a life shaped by weaponry.
All I can do is sit here and pray
The narrator can only wait and pray for forgiveness.
I'll be forgiven on judgment day
Hope for redemption on judgment day is expressed.
Tell my wife in our yard buried underneath the pine
A message to inform the family about hidden money, possibly for a better future.
There's a shoebox full of money of which I never earned a dime
The money was not earned legitimately, indicating a troubled past.
Use it to start over the way things should have been
Suggesting using the money to start anew in an honest and loving way.
Live honest, and love again
Encouraging a life based on honesty and love.
Tell my wife, tell my kids
A plea to the family, expressing unintended consequences.
I never meant for this to happen
Acknowledging regret for the situation that unfolded.
When they flip the switch please do not stay
Pleading not to witness the narrator's execution.
I couldn't bear for you to remember me this way
Desiring to be remembered differently, not in the moment of death.
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