What does The Judas Kiss mean?

Metallica: The Judas Kiss Meaning

Album cover for The Judas Kiss album cover

Song Released: 2008


The Judas Kiss Lyrics

When the world has turned its back
When the days have turned pitch black
When the fear abducts your tongue
When the fire's dead and gone

So what now?
Where go I?

When you think it's all said and done
When you are the...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Oct 31st 2009 !⃝

    When Judas betrayed Jesus, he kissed him to signal who the guards should arrest. The song is about how the world has followed Judas into betrayal.

  2. anonymous
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    May 21st 2020 !⃝

    Could be about addiction creeping back into your life and/or selling your soul to the Devil. I favor the former based on Metallica consistently singing about and dealing with addiction.

  3. anonymous
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    May 13th 2016 !⃝

    It talks about sex.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  4. anonymous
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    Feb 14th 2016 !⃝

    I think this song points out the the devil has been pushing people to betray and get corrupted(since the time when judas kissed jesus and betrayed him)which was practically dawn of time cause when jesus was born people started counting the years...(follow you from dawn of time)

  5. anonymous
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    Mar 11th 2015 !⃝

    i like how you 1 star the only guy who has any real sense of what hetfield is saying.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 30th 2012 !⃝

    The judas kiss is the most historically (supposing Jesus existed in the first place) known betrayal, not to mention that unlike the rest of kisses Jesus received on his last meal with his disciples, Judas kissed Jesus in the lips. After that, he sold him off to the Roman soldiers for 30 silver coins.

    In my honest opinion, I believe this song talks about betrayal itself and the power it has moved around the world, betrayal from kings by ruling only for their own profit, from powerful people for the same purpose, or friends for their own sake.

  7. mara5a
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    Aug 9th 2012 !⃝

    I think this song is sung by the devil as he is seducing Judas to kiss Jesus and thus "come to the dark side". This Judas could be anybody, I don't think it is the literal Judas.

    When the world has turned its back
    When the days have turned pitch black
    When the fear abducts your tongue
    When the fire's dead and gone
    So what now?
    Where go I?

    When there is nothing good and everything good has abandoned you what will you do?


    When you think it's all said and done
    When you are the ostracized
    Selfish written, dead goodbyes
    Twisting of the tourniquet
    When the pieces never fit

    So what now?
    Where go I?
    When you think it's all said and done

    Pretty much the same, when they desert you (ostracize you) what you do? Do you really have nowhere to go?



    Bow down
    Sell your soul to me
    I will set you free
    Pacify your demons

    Bow down
    Surrender unto me
    Submit infectiously
    Sanctify your demons

    He (devil) starts to temptate you, promise you many things including relief (sanctify your demons)

    Into abyss
    You don't exist
    Cannot resist
    The Judas kiss

    Tells that you can't refuse this offer, you're just tiny and cannot stand against him at all.

    When the storm has blacked your sky
    Intuition crucify
    When the ego strips your reign
    Assassinate the living flame

    So what now?
    Where go I?

    The same schema as mentioned above.

    When you think it's all said and done
    Venom of a life insane
    Bites into your fragile veins
    Internalize and decimate
    Patronize and complicate

    So what now?
    Where go I?

    And again.

    When you think it's all said and done

    [SOLO] IMO the solo represents inner feelings of the temptated one, he knows deep inside that accepting the offer won't make any good but he neither sees other way. That's why, after really hard inner dispute, he accepts the offer.

    Judas lives recite this vow
    I've become your new god now

    Now the devil has you in hins power, he has no need for false mask or pretending.

    Follow you from dawn of time
    Whisper thoughts into your mind
    Watched your towers hit the ground
    Lured the children never found
    Helped your kings abuse their crown

    "You've made the bad call, I've been reason to any failure of mankind (tower that fell to ground, stolen children ie. stolen innocence,)

    In the heart of evil man
    Plant the seeds of my own plan
    The strong and powerful will fall
    Find a piece of me in all
    Inside you all

    He reveals his plans to you the same way as the JB's arch nemesis had his evil-plan-explaining speach. He tells you that he almost finished his plan, because every single one of us is evil by now and doesn't spread love.

    So bow down
    Sell your soul to me
    I will set you free
    Pacify your demons

    Bow down
    Surrender unto me
    Submit infectiously
    Sanctify your demons

    Into abyss
    You don't exist
    Cannot resist
    The Judas kiss

    I know that this isn't the way you may feel about this song but as stated above: this is my opinion on the song. It reminds me "Sympathy for the devil" a lot actually.
    hope you enjoyed

  8. anonymous
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    May 23rd 2011 !⃝

    well, in my opinion that is something like jump in the fire vol. 2. people face difficulties over the years and satan will help them by sending them to hell (into abyss, you dont exist, cannot resist the judas kiss)and its named the judas kiss probably because satan has promised them glory and power and then he betrays them when they enter hell. (you dont exist) and those lyrics (Follow you from dawn of time
    Whisper thoughts into your mind
    Watched your towers hit the ground
    Lured the children never found
    Helped your kings abuse their crown) mean that the satan is trying to corrupt people and make them leave god from the beginning of the world. THATS MY OPINION thank you.

  9. anonymous
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    Oct 27th 2009 !⃝

    There's no story like that in the Bible neither is there a King Judas.

  10. bmesser95
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    Oct 27th 2009 !⃝

    This is actually a story from the Bible. King Judas trys to get people to sell their souls to him for gold I go to church. This actually more of a Christian bible story Metallica's religion is Science Christian.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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