The arms that you cut off that Sunday night

of the youngman who ran screaming through the street

streaming blood in trails of terror

are the arms that point me to my door

which forsaken by the blood of Jesus

invites the Devil, who now waits for me outside

The arms that you cut off that Sunday night

are the arms that point me to the red eyes

of the pentecostal killers and the black eyes

of the roman catholic killers and the blue eyes

of the pinhead skinhead killers

and the dirty angel does his target practice night and day

making ready now to steal my soul away

The arms that you cut off that Sunday night

are the arms that wait between my T.V. and my gun

while the winks and smiles of singing debutantes and eunuchs whisper

"We don't want you, Unclean, lying there in vomit, filth and perspiration,

coming back with Jesus or with Elvis from the dead"

The arms that you cut off

the body of the screaming youngman

dance before my eyes the endless murder of my soul

wich, taunted every hour by open windows,

has kept itself alive with prayer,

but not for miracles and not for heaven

just for silence

and for mercy

until the end


words by Diamanda Galas

©multimedia 1998


you've been on this road before

you can read the signs

you can feel your way

you can do this

in your sleep