Follow The Reaper

Children of Bodom's song "Follow The Reaper" delves into the dark and often taboo subject of death, exploring it with a raw and unfiltered lens. The opening lines, borrowed from John Donne's Holy Sonnet X, set the tone by challenging the traditional perception of death as something mighty and dreadful. Instead, the song presents death as an inevitable and almost liberating force, stripping away the fears and griefs that plague human existence.

The lyrics convey a sense of resignation and disillusionment with life. The narrator speaks of losing a war they never truly fought, hinting at a deeper internal struggle. Life, described as potentially beautiful, is dismissed as fundamentally rotten. This stark contrast underscores the narrator's profound sense of despair and disconnection from the world. The repeated references to crossing a portal and following the reaper symbolize a journey towards death, a point of no return where the burdens of life are finally lifted.

The imagery of a "death-raying blade" sweeping away grief and fears suggests a desire for release and freedom through death. The narrator's indifference to life, expressed through lines about drinking to numb the pain and ultimately finding it futile, further emphasizes their yearning for escape. The song culminates in a declaration of having died at twenty-one, a poignant reflection on the premature end of a life consumed by inner turmoil. Through its intense and evocative lyrics, "Follow The Reaper" captures the bleak yet strangely liberating allure of embracing the end.