Gethsemane Lyrics by Car Seat Headrest, with Summary, important lines meaning & official Music Video.
Gethsemane is a latest English song in the voice of popular American rock band Car Seat Headrest, featured in the album “The Scholars “.
This song explore themes of faith, ritual, sacrifice, and personal struggle through vivid imagery and poetic symbolism. The song is structured in three parts:
Part I – delves into religious devotion and disillusionment, questioning the meaning behind sacred rituals and sacrifices. The refrain, “Tabernacle,” reinforces a sense of reverence mixed with skepticism.
Part II – shifts to a more defiant, chaotic tone, expressing personal autonomy and resistance. It conveys frustration and powerlessness through lines about fires that can’t be put out, possibly symbolizing overwhelming struggles.
Part III – introduces a surreal, dreamlike quality, blending memories, trauma, and existential reflection. The repeated chorus, “You can love again if you try again,” suggests a longing for renewal or redemption, though the song ends on a note of exhaustion and surrender.
Genre: Pop
Gethsemane Lyrics
[Part I]
[Verse 1]
It promised me a good life if I followed all its wishes
I never missed a prayer and I always did the dishes
What’s beautiful is good, but what’s that blood along the ridges? What is that for?
[Refrain]
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle (Eternal bachelor)
[Verse 2]
Stones of white preserve the words unspeakable for ages
It’s not a place of honor or esteemed deed commemorated
What’s left inside is what’s evolved from what we have forsaken, check the black box
[Refrain]
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle (Eternal bachelor)
[Verse 3]
You puke and spit and beat your fists against it, but it’s unshaken (Atargatis)
There’s nothing left to offer to restore what has been taken
Your body is a temple, but your holy wounds are aching, leave the fat off
[Refrain]
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Tabernacle (Eternal bachelor)
[Part II]
[Verse 4]
I can do whatever the f*ck I want when I want to
You’re only wearing my skin
I can do whatever the f*ck I want when I want to
You’re only wearing my skin
It’s just a night in your life
(You’re only wearing my skin)
Maybe there’s something to take the edge off
It’s just the sound of your electric heart
(You’re only wearing my skin)
Cracklelacklelai, and you will be calm
[Verse 5]
You can dial 9-1-1 if you need to
I can’t put out every fire
You can call the whole damn squad if you want to
I can’t put out every fire
You’re just a lie in my heart
(You’re only wearing my skin)
Everybody starts out curious
Is there no king behind these walls?
(You’re only wearing my skin)
Cracklelacklelai, and I will not fall
[Bridge]
I can’t put out every fire
I can’t put out every fire
I can’t put out every fire
I can’t put out every fire
[Part III]
[Verse 6]
Radio tower neck speaks with the accent of my stomach
Early morning birds call with some generator running
A series of simple patterns slowly build themselves into another song
I don’t know how it happened
[Verse 7]
In the false dawn everything is dreamlike and unreal
Somewhere on the periphery is a nightmare I still feel
The fireplace is flickering, black-haired bull is speaking by the bed
[Chorus]
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
[Verse 8]
Waves wash up the puzzle pieces of high school dioramas
Gifts for your nephew’s birthday bring up scenes of childhood trauma
Magic eye clicks into focus, it’s something you’d give your right eye to unsee
Is this the only way forward?
[Verse 9]
I’ve called to you a thousand times to take away this cup
But there will be no miracles ’til the ransom’s added up
Just tell me what you want from me
Tell me what would make it be enough
[Chorus]
You can love again if you try again
(I’ve never seen God in my lifetime)
You can love again if you try again
(Peace in glory above)
You can love again if you try again
(Why is there so little water?)
You can love again if you try again
(You can love again if you try again)
You can love again if you try again
[Post-Chorus]
Now you have me as I was born
My breaking heart beats between your horns
What comes next, beloved pet?
I’ll be patient waiting for the time to come
To be opened up, helpless and undone
[Bridge]
I can’t run anymore
I can’t run anymore
I can’t run anymore
I can’t run anymore
I can’t run anymore
[Verse 10]
I lay me down again to sleep
Another soul must be redeemed
Hidden behind a thousand eyes
A hostage heart, a scrap of light
The n*ked priest, the introvert
The millionaire, conspirator
Misshapen form, rotten wheat
Like war porn, a constant feed
[Outro]
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love again if you try again
You can love, you can love, you can love, you can love
(You can love again, [?])
You can love
(You can love again, [?])
If you try
(You can love again, [?])
You can love
(You can love again, [?])
You can love
Here are some important and standout lines from the song:
[Part I]
1. “It promised me a good life if I followed all its wishes” – A reflection on faith and obedience, hinting at disillusionment.
2. “What’s beautiful is good, but what’s that blood along the ridges?” – Challenges the idea that beauty equates to goodness, introducing something ominous.
3. “Stones of white preserve the words unspeakable for ages” – Evokes secrecy, history, and forgotten truths.
4. “Your body is a temple, but your holy wounds are aching, leave the fat off” – A twist on religious imagery, possibly about sacrifice and suffering.
[Part II]
5. “I can do whatever the f*ck I want when I want to” – A stark contrast to the previous themes of obedience, showing rebellion.
6. “You’re only wearing my skin” – A haunting line, possibly about possession, detachment, or identity.
7. “I can’t put out every fire” – Resignation, helplessness, or accepting chaos.
8. “Cracklelacklelai, and I will not fall” – A cryptic chant-like line, possibly signifying resilience or madness.
[Part III]
9. “You can love again if you try again” – Repeated like a mantra, suggesting hope, but also a sense of pleading or self-convincing.
10. “Magic eye clicks into focus, it’s something you’d give your right eye to unsee” – A surreal yet visceral image, implying trauma or unwanted revelations.
11. “I’ve never seen God in my lifetime” – A direct challenge to faith or the divine.
12. “Now you have me as I was born / My breaking heart beats between your horns” – Powerful and poetic, evoking vulnerability and submission.
13. “The naked priest, the introvert / The millionaire, conspirator” – A list of fragmented, almost dreamlike identities, possibly exposing hypocrisy or hidden truths.
Audio Credits
Artist : Car Seat Headrest
Album : The Scholars
Lyricist : Will Toledo
Music : Will Toledo
Label : Matador Records