Lyrics
When I'm long since gone, still you can hear me in this song
Even after my death, my presence lingers in this song.
A voice from the dead, into your room to fill your head
A disembodied voice from the afterlife, entering your space and thoughts.
Remember this, when I'm haunting from beyond
Remember this when I am haunting from the beyond.
When the circle's closed, and this is sealed as the dead man's song!
When the cycle is complete, and this song is sealed as a testament of the dead.
When the stranger appears riding through your dreams...as pale as bones
A mysterious figure in dreams, as pale as bones.
A heartless killer in rattlesnake boots
A heartless killer with distinctive boots.
Some say that he went down to the crossroads...and bent down on his knees
References to folklore where someone sells their soul at a crossroads.
He sold his soul to the big bad black
The protagonist sells their soul to an ominous force.
Lost in the sand, temptated by the serpent's hiss
Lost in a desolate place, influenced by the serpent's temptation.
Voodoo drum - coyotes howl in the fullmoon's night
Magical elements with voodoo drums and howling coyotes under the full moon.
Now hypnotized, all alone on the desert plains
Being entranced, isolated in the desert.
Expect no mercy! You'll meet your fear as the stranger appears...
Expect no mercy as the mysterious stranger reappears.
Enter deadwood saloon, now your protected world is gone
Entering a place of safety (saloon), only to find it disrupted.
Your helpless mind is about to discover the living darkness
The comfort of the mind is about to face the living darkness.
Let the game begin! Let the desperate souls in!
The beginning of a perilous game involving desperate souls.
He drains their strength and leaves them in the void of shadows, dust and smoke
The stranger drains strength, leaving victims in shadows, dust, and smoke.
The cards are given, now place your bets with your soul at stake
A gambling metaphor - life's bets with the soul at stake.
But as a sinner you live to win, throwing the dice...
Living as a sinner can lead to success, but with consequences.
You get triple six and flash a gain of gold!
A successful gamble with a gain of gold, but ominous undertones.
He's never lost before, but now he's been given the dead man's hand
The stranger, undefeated until now, faces the dead man's hand.
Shot in the back with a diamond bullet, straight through the heart
The protagonist is fatally shot with a symbolic diamond bullet.
Where the darkest rivers run cold and deep, his silverdollar eyes glimmering death
Reference to a dark, cold, and deep place where death awaits.
As birds and blood come flowing out of his mouth, you thank the blackest ace
The aftermath of the shot, with vivid imagery of birds and blood.
Fuck you and your God above, I pity you all. I pity you all 'til you die!
Expressing disdain for both the stranger and the concept of God.
'Til you die! Dead man's hand!
A repetition emphasizing the impact of the dead man's hand.
When I'm long since gone, still you can hear me in this song
Reiteration of the lasting impact of the narrator in the song.
A voice from the dead, into your room to fill your head
Continuation of the haunting voice entering the listener's space.
Remember this, when the circle is closed and the stranger's dead
Remembering even when the circle is closed, and the stranger is defeated.
That even death can die in a dead man's song...
Death can be transcended through the enduring nature of a dead man's song.
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