Show Notes: Stand By Him
Welcome to the show notes! This is the section where I take the writing/research I’ve done for the episodes and post them for you to see!
The Devil's power is the greatest one
When His' and Hers' holiest shuns the sun
I believe this line speaks about the power of Satan growing through belief, kind of like a parasite or idea. It’s also Papa trying to convince whom he is speaking to that the power of Satan outweighs God.
The sun is in my opinion a double meaning: it means both the literal sun and the light of God. By turning your back on God, you will be forced underground or into the shadows of night while the clergy is still growing.
A temptress smitten by the blackest force
A vicar bitten blind in intercourse
This could refer to two things: “the blackest force” meaning either withcraft or Satan (the two are often intertwined). Or even in the eyes of Papa, the blackest force could be devotion to God. This is his perspective after all.
A vicar bitten blind in intercourse. To me this speaks about the sexual abuse of this woman (or women in general) at the hands of the holy men of the church. Bitten by temptation, his lust blinded him.
The witch hammer
Struck her down
On our Sabbath
She is unbound
Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) was one of the defining historical texts relating to Witchcraft, shaping what we know today of the trials women suffered at the hands of the men of god.
I believe that the woman in question has been condemned as a witch for her so called “lies” surrounding the actions of the vicar earlier. It is simply a case of the Church abusing their power to avoid prosecution.
“Sabbath” can mean either a religious day or a gathering of witches at midnight, in the context of this song more likely the latter.
Unbound takes on a double meaning in this early verse I believe: The woman is not unbound of her ropes physically as she is still to stand trial, but unbound in a spiritual sense from the ties and ideals of God.
It is the night of the witch
It is the night of the witch tonight
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him
Papa telling her she has the power to take revenge, but only if she pledges her life and loyalty to Satan.
"All witchcraft comes
From carnal lust
Which is in women insatiable"
The belief of the Church that women could not control their carnal desires and thus made them weaker and untrustworthy compared to man. It is the Church excusing themselves for prying on women but not men.
I think however Papa is rather approving of it in this case, whether true or not.
A moon shone bright above her trial
As flames ate through her body defiled
The woman in the song has been put to death at the stake for her accusations against the member of the Church, confirming it with the line “body defiled” in my opinion.
The witch hammer
Struck her down
Through our Sabbath
She is unbound
Similarly to earlier, but this time I believe the “unbound” could be a more literal sense. Going on to talk about vengeance in the next few lines, it could be that the power of the Clergy and Satan have protected her (lucky they were doing this burning at midnight) through their sabbath, perhaps going so far as to rescue her entirely, unbinding her ropes.
It is the night of the witch
It is night of the witch tonight
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him
It is the night of the witch
It is the night of the witch tonight
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him
Drilling the idea that this was all possible with the help of Satans powers. I think it is safe to assume this woman takes her vengeance on those that have wrong her with the aid of the clergy, now completely devoting herself to her new Dark Master.