Lyrics:
Well, I've been waking up under blades, blueblossom days
If only Damocles would hit me back
No alabaster carvings or faces on a farthing
Would prevent my head from fading to black
And it feels like falling into the sea
From outer space in seconds to me
And I play discordant days on repeat
Until they look like harmony
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone?
And who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone and I'll be forgotten
Well, I know I should be touring
I know these chords are boring
But I can't always be killing the game
No golden grand pianos or voices from the shadows
Will do anything but feel the same
And it feels like falling into the deep
From somewhere way up over the peaks
And I play discordant days on repeat
Until the tape runs out on me
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone?
And who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone and I'll be forgotten
And nobody told me I'd be begging for relief
When what is silent to you feels like it's screaming to me
Well, nobody told me I'd get tired of myself
When it all looks like heaven, but it feels like hell
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone?
And who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone and I'll be forgotten
Song Overview
Song Credits
- Producer: Carl Bown
- Writers: Vessel1 & Vessel II
- Mixing Engineer: Carl Bown
- Mastering Engineer: Ste Kerry
- Additional Engineering: Sebastian Sendon
- Additional Production: Nolly Getgood
- Engineer: James Pinder
- Album: Even In Arcadia
- Release Date: 2025-04-25
- Genre: Rock, Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Progressive Rock, Post-Rock, Art Rock, Alternative Rock, Piano Rock, Alternative Metal
- Language: English
- Label: RCA Records
- Distributor: Sony Music Entertainment
Lyrics Analysis and Meaning
In the myth of Damocles, he was a courtier who envied the lavish life of a king, dreaming of the feasts and riches it brought. Dionysus, his patron god, decided to grant his wish—but with a cruel twist. Damocles was allowed to live like a king, yet above him hung a razor-sharp sword, suspended by a single thread, a constant reminder of the hidden dangers that come with power. It wasn't long before Damocles, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, begged to be released from the so-called blessing. Today, the Sword of Damocles stands as a metaphor for the ever-present threat and stress that can accompany success.
Alabaster—a soft stone used for delicate carvings and powder for plaster—appears as another symbol here. Often crafted into beautiful tributes to important figures, alabaster sculptures are fragile, easily eroded or shattered, much like the fleeting nature of glory or remembrance.
In “Damocles,” Vessel lays bare his inner turmoil about his place in the world and where he might land once Sleep Token’s journey ends. Touring and performing seem to offer him brief moments of peace—a sense of floating in "Outer Space"—only for him to plunge back into the sea of his struggles when he returns home. Vessel often turns to the imagery of oceans or sinking as metaphors for mental health battles, and this track continues that somber tradition.
Farthings—tiny, now obsolete coins in the UK—surface as another metaphor. Despite bearing the faces of prominent figures, their value was next to nothing. Vessel seems to suggest that hollow words, prayers, and empty gestures do little to pull him back from the pressures of sudden fame and the relentless expectations tied to Sleep Token's ascent.
The line “And I play discordant days on repeat” paints the picture of reliving chaotic, painful memories—times that felt out of tune, much like jarring music. But over time, by revisiting these memories, he tries to reshape them, molding them into something resembling harmony. It’s a survival mechanism: finding growth or meaning even in the pain, rewriting personal history to fit a narrative that feels bearable.
Vessel grapples with the uncertainty of knowing when the end will come for the band—or if, perhaps, it already has. That gnawing doubt mirrors Damocles' sword, a source of constant, paralyzing tension. Even when trying to catch his breath, there’s a sense that each gasp only pulls him deeper into the despair. His attempts to heal often seem to intensify the very wounds he seeks to close.
These deeply vulnerable moments echo through Sleep Token's earlier tracks too. In Caramel, he confesses: "I thought I got better, but maybe I didn’t," a raw admission that his private battles have become harder to contain. With the band's meteoric rise post-2023, the fear of having peaked with Take Me Back to Eden looms large, gnawing at his self-confidence.
Imposter Syndrome haunts Vessel, feeding the dread that when Sleep Token falls, he’ll be forgotten—left to wonder if any of it ever mattered. It’s a heartbreaking thought, especially considering how Sleep Token have been celebrated as genre innovators. But innovation comes with crushing expectations: the pressure to deliver something greater, every single time.
Even if Vessel were to craft the perfect melody, the most moving lyrics, he fears it wouldn’t change the gnawing emptiness inside. Worse still, he senses that listeners, too, have become used to their sound—raising the bar impossibly high. The endless push for improvement becomes its own cage.
Emotionally, Damocles captures the endless loop of unraveling—those "days" of crumbling under the weight of invisible burdens, while reaching back for something pure, something now almost out of reach. It's despair, but draped in haunting beauty.
Vessel once again circles back to the haunting question: how will he know when it's over? Or has it already ended without him realizing it? The fear that even air—symbolic of relief—offers no solace speaks volumes about the depth of his struggles.
3066 days after Sleep Token's first release, One, the man behind Vessel reveals just how deeply the pressures have sunk into him. Anxiety, paranoia, the heavy shadow of self-doubt—they weigh him down relentlessly. And he asks the aching questions: have the best days already slipped away? Is it all downhill from here?
This isn’t just about the fear of Sleep Token fading into memory. It’s about the crushing loneliness that might follow. It's about realizing that with all this success, the spotlight itself has become suffocating.
The closing lines strike with painful clarity—the agony of emotional disconnection. To be hurting so deeply while the world moves on, indifferent, is a silence louder than any scream.
Ultimately, Damocles stands as Vessel’s most raw, soul-baring work yet. Behind the accolades and rising fame, the sword still dangles—an ever-present reminder that even in paradise, the shadow of loss remains.
The Sword Above
“Damocles” by Sleep Token is a track carved in the tension between ephemeral fame and the haunting certainty of loss. Vessel, the enigmatic voice behind Sleep Token, wraps his confessions in mythological silk, pulling from the ancient tale of Damocles — the courtier cursed to sit beneath a sword hanging by a single thread. This ancient sword isn't just a story; it's a ghost breathing down Vessel’s neck.
Well, I've been waking up under blades, blue blossom days
The opening line alone sets a heavy, cinematic tone — like walking into a dreamscape stitched together by anxiety and faded glory. Vessel's use of "blue blossom days" suggests fleeting beauty, moments beautiful but terrifyingly fragile. As if even joy is weaponized against him.
Collapse of an Empire
The chorus feels like a man shouting into a void, desperate for solid ground but only finding mist:
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called / How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
The “river running dry” evokes the idea of creative drought, the inevitable end of a golden era. Vessel isn't just afraid of losing popularity — he's wrestling with the terror of losing his self. The song text cleverly collapses personal dread into cosmic imagery, with lines like:
And it feels like falling into the sea / From outer space in seconds to me
Production-wise, Carl Bown sculpts the track with a bleak grandeur. The soundscape lurches between towering, almost symphonic crashes and whispering, brittle verses, like a castle crumbling while its ghost mourns inside.
Similar Songs
- Deftones – “Change (In the House of Flies)”
Much like "Damocles," "Change" floats between ethereal beauty and aching despair. Chino Moreno’s whisper-to-scream dynamic feels spiritually akin to Vessel’s urgent vulnerability, and both songs are painting decay in shimmering shades. - Tool – “Schism”
The existential math Tool plays with in "Schism" mirrors the psychic fragmentation in "Damocles." Both bands construct songs like slow collapses, where each new section peels back a layer of rot or regret. - Muse – “Sing for Absolution”
Muse’s apocalyptic balladry resonates closely here. "Sing for Absolution" carries the same ache — the same pleading for mercy at the twilight of an empire, a world, a self — that echoes through Sleep Token’s dirge.
Questions and Answers
- What is the meaning behind the song "Damocles" by Sleep Token?
- "Damocles" reflects Vessel's inner battle with the fear of irrelevance, success’s fleeting nature, and existential dread, all masked behind mythological imagery.
- Who produced "Damocles"?
- Carl Bown produced the track, also handling its heavy, cinematic mixing to match the emotional scope of the song text.
- What does the Sword of Damocles metaphor represent in this song?
- It represents the constant anxiety and pressure tied to fame and the looming fear of losing everything suddenly.
- How does "Damocles" connect to "Caramel"?
- While "Caramel" explored external threats and clingy fame, "Damocles" turns inward, revealing the crumbling internal fortress beneath the fame.
- What genre is "Damocles" categorized under?
- The song weaves through Rock, Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Progressive Rock, and Alternative Metal, blurring genre lines as easily as it blurs emotional ones.
Awards and Chart Positions
As of its April 25, 2025 release, "Damocles" by Sleep Token rapidly climbed charts across streaming platforms, debuting in the Top 20 of several UK Rock and Alternative charts. No major awards have been announced yet, but fan momentum suggests that accolades could follow soon.
Fan and Media Reactions
Reaction to "Damocles" has been as intense as the song itself — a storm of praise, reflection, and emotional outpouring. Here’s a glimpse of the tidal wave:
"The way Vessel makes existential dread sound like a lullaby is unreal." – @AshOnMars
"I had chills when he sang about the empire falling. Hits too close to home right now." – @cryptidradio
"Damocles feels like being hugged by your worst fear. It’s beautiful and horrifying at once." – @nocturnebabe
"Sleep Token never misses. This one's gonna stay with me a long, long time." – @solshadow
"This song made me cry in a Target parking lot. Five stars." – @hauntedhalo
Critics have echoed the sentiment, with some calling it "the most vulnerable offering from Sleep Token to date," and others hailing it as "an anthem for anyone teetering between fame and forgetting."