The Mars Volta Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt (After Death) Lyrics & Meaning

In this article I examine the meanings of the lyrics in ‘Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt’, which is track 10 on the album ‘De-Loused In the Comatorium’. Over a series of articles on this website I have interperated each song on this The Mars Volta album and the story behind it, which you can get an overview of here.

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt is essentially describing where Cerpin is now. We know that he has transported into the Comatorium again, and Take the Veil describes it in more detail, rather than adding a “new” chapter to the story.

The Lyrics Interpretation

The 1st Verse comes in to the song quite quickly:

You must have been phlegmatic in stature
The gates of Thanos are a spread eagle wide
You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes
Out of a blind mans picaresque heart

The First two lines are saying that as Cerpin stood on the edge of the bridge, ready to jump to his death (Thanos), the people around him were apathetic (Phlegmatic) to the fact that he was going to kill himself. In other words, no one really cared.

It continues to say that the people around him, instead of helping, just took pictures (Shutters). This lack of care is part of the reason that Cerpin killed himself. It is the corruption of society. Cerpin is a rogue to that corruption, and is described when he says “picaresque heart”. Picaresque being stories of old that are about rogue citizens thwarting “the man”.

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt’s Chorus comes in saying:

You take the Veil
You take the dive

Take the Veil is referring to when a nun “takes the veil” to signify that she is making a commitment to god. At this part, Cerpin Taxt is taking a Veil and committing himself to the Tremulants. He does this by jumping off the bridge (take the dive).

In Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt’s 2nd Verse he says:

It’s not over till the Tremulant sings
These ides of march

The first line is saying that, even though the people on earth think he is dead, he still lives on in the Comatorium in the eyes of The Tremulants. The “ides of march” are referring to the old roman calendar, in which the 15th day of March would be the ides. So this is saying which day Cerpin Taxt died to the world.

How tempts the revenant
Slice up and not across

These two lines just say how Cerpin Taxt was tempted to kill himself and return (Revenant) to the Comatorium. “Slice up and not across” refers to when people commit suicide by a razor, and the correct direction to do it (hint: up).

Another Chorus, and then the 3rd Verse comes in:

And when you find the fringe
The one last hit that spent you
You’ll find the ossuary spilling by the day

These lines are saying, when you reach the border (Fringe), or the ground (“The one last hit that spent you”), the graveyards (Ossuary) will have a new addition.

The iconoclastic had it coming for years
Adlib your memoires by casting a drought

These lines say how the Tremulants, whom break the religious traditions (Iconoclastic) of the traditional god, had been waiting for him for years. It continues on to say that Cerpin’s memories become erased when he enters the Comatorium (Adlib your memoires by casting a drought).

When Cerpin taxt finally reaches the Comatorium, it is not exactly a vacation. This is shown in the last lines of the song.

Knife me in, hobbling
Talking in it’s sleep again
Virulent hives – of bedpost piles
Forsaken, depraved and wrought with fear
Who turned it off
The last thing I remember now
Who brought me here

You know that his time in the Comatorium is not what he expected when he says “hobbling” because it shows that all is not well. This is talking about the condition of the Comatorium as the Lepers and Unhydriat are now dead. This continues on when he says “Virulent hives” which refers to a poisonous rash to describe his pain. At the very last 4 lines he asks who brought him into the Comatorium. This is because his memories of the real world have been erased.

*phew*…the very last of the Lyrics.

Now on to the music.

The Music

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt Starts out with the combined sounds of the entire band, it builds for several seconds, and the verse begins.

The Verse is entirely a hectic area. With the dissonant guitar riffs, combined with Cedrics monotone style vocals makes it seem very odd and distanced. This is short lived, because once the Chorus comes in, it is so catchy you can’t help but be enthralled.

Another Verse and Chorus go by, and then the song breaks down. This goes into the False Ending, where the sounds of an orchestra come into play. I seriously believe this to be one of the most well done False endings of all time. It is done so well that the rest of the song feels like a bonus hidden track.

After the False ending, the weirdest guitar riff comes into earshot. The odd rhythms and melody of the band creates one of the strangest feelings. But this is short lived, as it breaks down once again, into….a jazz section? The soloing of the guitar over Jungle Jazz backgrounds creates a very building atmosphere.

The song continually builds over the next few minutes, using a replicated guitar wah-wah riff to build the tension, similar to what is heard in the beginning of Roulette Dares.

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt then flawlessly enters the Chorus again. The transition between the two sections is very smooth. Another unique Bridge happens, dittoing the entertainment shown by the first half of the song.

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt Concludes with the technical beats (similar to Intertiatic ESP) of drums and guitar, with Cedrics wailing voice in the background. And as abruptly as Cerpin died, the song ends (to be clear, Cerpin does not die in this song).

Full ‘Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt’ Lyrics

You must have been phlegmatic in stature
The gates of Thanos are a spread eagle wide
You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes
Out of a blind man’s picaresque heart
You take the veil
You’ll take the dive
You take the veil
It’s not over till the Tremulant sings
These ides of march
Are they so make believe

How tempts the revenant
Slice up and not across
You take the veil
You’ll take the dive
You take the veil

A mass of gallon sloth
As flies have walls for feet
A rapturous verbatim-someone said but who is to know
And when you find the fringe
The one last hit that spent you
You’ll find the ossuary spilling by the day
The iconoclastic had it coming for years
They know the prisons that you have yet to fear
Where thumbs hide inside of sleeping bag mouths
Adlib your memoirs by casting a drought
You take the veil
You’ll take the dive
You take the veil

A mass of gallon sloth
As flys have walls for feet
A rapturous verbatim
Someone said but who is to know
And when you find the fringe
The one last hit that spent you
You’ll find the ossuary
Spilling by the day

Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again
Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again

Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again
Knife me in hobbling
Talking in its sleep again

Virulent hives- of bedpost piles
Virulent hives

Who brought me here
Forsaken, deprived and wrought with fear
Who turned it off
The last thing I remember now
Who brought me here
Forsaken, deprived and wrought with fear
Who turned it off
The last thing I remember now
Who brought me here

Further Reading:

• How To Be Creative In Music – Exercises To Help You Unlock Your Intimate Inner Artist
• How To Discover New Music (4 Easy Methods)
• The Noose Lyrics & Song Meaning (A Perfect Circle)
• The Mars Volta Tira Me A Las Aranas Lyrics Meaning
• How to Read Drum Tabs (Play With Less Effort!)

Andrew 'The Real Musician' Muller

I love creative art, music, television shows, movies, video games, and a good story. If you had to find me somewhere, you would probably find me down at O’Neil’s home cooking and eating an organic sweet-potato bun breakfast sandwich with ham.

Among my friends, it’s a “Muller Classic Move” to eat McDonald’s at 2am because it’s cheap and open 24/7. The joke here is that I’m an idiot.
I play drums, guitar, piano, and I write & perform music for My Goal Is Telepathy.