"The Dark Sentencer"

Album Art by Chase Stone.

## Music Video

Official Music Video on YouTube

**"The Dark Sentencer"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the second song and first single on their 2018 album *Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures*.

## Lyrics

**[Intro]**

It begins with them, but ends with me, their son, Vaxis

*Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!*

*Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!*

*Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!*

*Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!*

**[Verse 1]**

Here, emotions behold

You've entered a hell where the Devil is made of gold

Please, don’t run your mouth

The questions before have no place in this haunted house

Reveal your selfish pleasure

One more time 'round for good measure

In the answer you hold

Time would be better off if our souls had been sold

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Here where the light only dies to remember

In the place where the blind truly can see

Hear my voice, dearly departed, I beg on my knees

It’s been my pleasure to serve your disease

**[Chorus]**

Welcome home *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Shed your skin and expose your bones *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Take my hand *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

And follow us into the black *(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

So far that we can’t get back

**[Verse 2]**

Here, dig me a grave

And toss in the lives that you can’t be bothered to save

With their blood on your hands

You enjoy the sun while you shit in the purest sand

Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth

You fucking monster

Here as evil now gropes

It’s caught us off guard with its hands reaching for our throats

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Here where the light only dies to remember

In the place where the blind truly can see

Hear my voice, dearly departed, I beg on my knees

It’s been my pleasure to serve your disease

**[Chorus]**

Welcome home *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Shed your skin and expose your bones *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Take my hand *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

And follow us into the black *(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

So far that we can’t get back

**[Bridge]**

There’s no telling when the truth is clear, pay it no mind

Lines were drawn for us, for all sides

In the afterglow, echoes of time unfold

Give me your word, my dear, and promise you I won’t let go

*You may rest inside the night*

*You can't save what the sleep implies*

It’s a shame, I fear, from end to start

We walked their line, born to play the fucking part

A shame, I fear, from end to start

We walked their line, born to play the fucking part

**[Verse 3]**

I fear we've got all we had wanted

Close your eyes and believe it didn’t happen

Now shut your mouth beyond your lies

A world knows to stay away from you

The blood you let run, they march as you lead

We laugh in the sun, maybe that’s all we need

I, and I, and I’m sorry

You can’t escape

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Here where the light only dies to remember

A place where the blind truly can see

Hear my voice, dearly departed, I beg on my knees

It’s been my pleasure to serve your disease

**[Chorus]**

Welcome home *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Shed your skin and expose your bones *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Take my hand *(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

And follow us into the black *(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

So far that we can’t get back

**[Outro]**

*(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Welcome home *(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

*(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

Welcome home *(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

*(Hey! Hey! Hey!)*

## Music Video

An official music video was released for the single on May 31, 2018. Since it was just audio, the "video" just featured a zoomed in frame of Chase Stone's official artwork for the novella (right) slowly zooming out. It also includes the "Prologue" track that gaplessly bleeds into the song.

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## Story Context

This song seems to be a kind of overview of the act; containing elements from all over. In the first line, "It begins with them, but ends with me, their son, Vaxis" the "them" refers to Nia Worn and Nostrand Crane who are the central characters of this act.

The first verse depicts Nostrand on The Dark Sentencer. "A Hell where the Devil is made of gold" refers to the fact that the planet is a prison for profit. "Don’t run your mouth" clues us in that this is directed at Nostrand who has been described as the "one with the mouth" elsewhere. "The questions before have no place in this haunted house," refers to Nostrand's unyielding desire to get answers about the death of his love, Nia. "Reveal your selfish pleasure / One more time 'round for good measure" describes newly captured Nostrand and his partner in crime (literally) Otto Cruger, who are about to be ejected to the planet, when Cruger reveals he was the one who killed Nia because she was getting in between him and Nostrand's jobs (or something). "In the answer you hold / Time would be better off if our souls had been sold" shows us that, if Cruger had told him that sooner, he would've sold his soul to Cruger's bullet (he threatened to kill him if he didn't flee the scene where Nia died) and not wasted his time.

The pre-chorus starts by describing The Dark Sentencer: "Here where the light only dies to remember..." But then gives us a glimpse into the future: "In the place where the blind truly can see" refers to the Zero Level (which is near the very core of the planet), and Nia, who is blind in one eye. "Hear my voice, dearly departed, I beg on my knees" with dearly departed referring to Nia again, whom Nostrand wants to beg for forgiveness from as he was pulled away and essentially left her to die alone. "It’s been my pleasure to serve your disease" is a hint at a future occurrence.

The chorus goes back to a more general sense of the planet. "Welcome home" since this will be your home forever more. No reason to hide here, since they see everything. Might as well make friends and get in line, or you'll be dead even sooner.

Verse 2 seems to focus more on the system in place. It describes, in various ways, how the Warden of The Dark Sentencer, and probably the wardens of the other prison planets too, get rich and fat off of the inmates lives; working them to the bone until they die with absolutely no regard for their lives. Interesting, "Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth / You fucking monster" is one word away from a scene that occurs in the last few pages where Otto is told, "Kiss your mother with that filthy mouth? You fucking monster." It ends with "Here as evil now gropes / It’s caught us off guard with its hands reaching for our throats" which is an interesting line that may hint at more to come with Cruger. It's already been established how and why HOSS is bad, so the evil described here must be something else and since it follows a line specifically for Cruger, it makes sense to be related to him.

The bridge presents the idea of the pair reuniting: "There’s no telling when the truth is clear, pay it no mind / Lines were drawn for us, for all sides" Nia believes one truth and Nostrand knows another. If they want to reconcile, they'll need to put those discrepancies beside them and pay attention to lines their going to have to navigate to make it. "In the afterglow, echoes of time unfold / Give me your word, my dear, and promise you won’t let go" Shows how neither can forget their intertwined past, and if they can get past the mistakes, they'll do better. The ethereal voice that sings "You may rest inside the night / You can't save what the sleep implies" is probably a look into another future event where Nos and co are led to a safe haven for the night where a dream is had that has big implications in the story. The repetition of the last lines ("It’s a shame, I fear, from end to start / We walked their lines, born to play the fucking part") expresses Nostrand's frustrations that each of their roles seem to be orchestrated. Whether it's their crime spree, imprisonment, or what may come after.

Verse 3 is more like a conversation between Nostrand and Cruger back on *The Gravel* before their ejection. "I fear we've got all we had wanted" could be from Cruger to Nostrand. Cruger coerced Nostrand into coming with him even though he wanted to find out what happened to Nia, which now he has. "Close your eyes and believe it didn’t happen" is Nostrand trying to come to terms with the truth. "Now shut your mouth beyond your lies / The world knows to stay away from you" is Nostrand telling Cruger to shut up in denial, and insulting him by saying he's repulsive to everyone. He follows that up saying "In the blood you let run, they march as you lead" which describes how the "friends" he has are only there out of fear, as he followed him out of fear. And then says, "We laugh in the sun, maybe that’s all we need" which describes how his relationship with Nia was different. He genuinely liked her; laughed with her, even. Which was all he really needed. This verse ends with, "I, and I, and I’m sorry / You can’t escape" which may be a bit sarcastic coming from either of them.

## Trivia

* The first line, "It begins with them, but ends with me, their son, Vaxis," is a continuation of the previous track, "Prologue".

## References

1. ↑ Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures*, RoadRunner Records, 2018.
2. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-the-dark-sentencer-lyrics
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3zm1\_JSPOQ
4. ↑ *Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures*, by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert, Evil Ink, 2018, pp. 71.
5. ↑ *Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures*, by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert, Evil Ink, 2018, pp. 52-54.