The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Damien" by the artist "Unheilig"

The song "Damien" by Unheilig is a narrative from the perspective of an infant destined for a dark fate. The lyrical hero addresses the listener, perhaps his mother, with requests to rock him, keep him warm, and not leave him alone. From the very first lines, a motif of anxiety, fragility, and awareness of his own exceptionality sounds: "My way to you was long."

The image of a cradle rocking "gently back and forth" creates a sense of constant movement, instability, and fragility. The world around the hero is filled with ominous symbols: cold, rain playing on the "piano" (which may be a reference to thunder), the mention of a "birthmark" that "flickers faintly." All of this hints at the presence of the supernatural, that the child is marked by some dark force.

The phrase "He chose me and fulfilled his desire" makes it clear that this is an intervention of otherworldly forces, some kind of deal made before the child was born. "He" is most likely the Devil, as hinted at by the title of the song, which refers to the image of Satan's son from the famous "Omen" trilogy.

The chorus sounds the motif of doom and inevitability: "When my hour comes... Do you see me?". The hero knows his destiny, that he will bring destruction and chaos to the world ("The sky will blossom and summon a thousand angels"). The heart of the listener, most likely the mother, will be broken when the true nature of the child is revealed.

The second part of the song develops the theme of chosenness and doom. The child says that he was seen "where the moon was shining" – a clear allusion to a connection to the other world. The "new" birthmark that "you didn't know about" is further confirmation that the child is changing, turning into something else.

The final lines of the song – "As soon as I grow up, he will come to you again" – sound like an ominous prophecy. "He", that is, the Devil, will return to claim what is rightfully his.