Vigil

Album: As The Palaces Burn (2003)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was written by Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton, who has always been coy about what he had in mind when he wrote it - he says many fans have told him what the song means to them, and he likes that it relates to their personal experiences.

    Lamb of God was writing a lot of political songs around this time, it's possible that the biblical references to "our father" are not about God, but a representation of the United States government and the president:

    I've prayed to see the nation that I loved disintegrate

    The song could be speaking out about the George W. Bush administration and the damage it was causing. In this interpretation, the soldiers who died under this administration are represented in the line, "in honor of the strife of those who've died."
  • This is one of the first Lamb of God songs to employ acoustic guitar, which is heard on the intro. Working the instrument into a song without sounding "light and fluffy" was a challenge for the band.
  • The music video was directed by Don Argott, who also did the 2014 Lamb of God documentary The Palaces Burn.

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