Omerta

Album: Ashes of the Wake (2004)
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  • Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward
    Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both
    For a wounded man will shall say to his assailant
    "If I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven"
    Such is the rule of honor

    Broken the paradigm, an example must be set
    Invoke the siren's song and sign the death warrant
    This what has been wrought for 30 pieces of silver
    The tongues of men and angels bought by a beloved betrayer

    I am the result, what's better left unspoken
    Violence begins to mend what was broken
    You've been talking, I've been all ears

    Words meant to dwell in darkness shall never see the light of day
    Words can be broken, so can bones
    Execute the mandate
    Mouth full of dirt
    Your name removed from the registry
    St. Peter greets with empty eyes then turns and locks the gate

    I am the result, what's better left unspoken
    Violence begins to mend what was broken
    You've been talking, I've been all ears

    Omerta

    Cheaply venal, stupidly verbose
    A slip of the tongue, a slit of the throat
    Six feet under with no marker
    Keep my name from your mouth forever

    Free speech for the living, dead men tell no tales
    Your laughing finger will never point again

    Omerta
    Omerta
    Sing for me now Writer/s: Chris Adler, David Randall Blythe, John Campbell, Mark Morton, Will Adler
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

  • Lateralus720 from Rhode IslandI've never commented on this site before, but I recently was listening to this song and about how it fits within the context of Ashes of the Wake being an Iraq war protest album in 2004. It always felt out of place before but I took a lot of the lyrics to be a back and forth between a P.O.W. and an interrogator torturing them, especially the spoken word intro being from the viewpoint of the torture victim.
  • Jeff from Argo NunyaOmertà does not translate to manhood. Omertà means omission. Meaning you don't talk. You omit the the crimes you've done.
  • Brittany from Rainy River, CanadaThis song is about the Italian Mafia's code of honour, which is 'omerta' or 'manhood. It is described as a code of silence, explaining Randy Blythe's statement at the beginning of the song ("Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of themself without that law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven." Such is the rule of honour.") This is a really good song, and I love that quote...plus Lamb of God kick's metal ass.
  • Don from San Antonio, TxThis has nothing to do with anything but have you seen that MILLENNIUM xmas episode Omerta? BEST MUSIC EVER.
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