Ghost - Square Hammer - Meaning of the song
A lot of Ghost's music serves to create an atmosphere in which traditional religious norms and mores are called into question and, for lack of a better word, "turned upside down." For example, He Is sounds like an uber religious hymn full of joy and purity, but when you hear the lyrics, you realize he's singing about Satan, not Jesus. Is the music any less joyful as a result of this? Tobias has stated in interviews that he is not a Satanist, but rather that religion is not openly discussed in his country and that he is, for all intents and purposes, Agnostic. I'm paraphrasing here, and I apologize if I'm not doing the subject justice, but the overall goal is to give the audience the impression that they're attending a high mass, where the object of worship isn't who you'd expect.
Square Hammer, on the other hand, is a song rife with Freemason imagery and terms. To become a Freemason, you must believe in a supreme being or a higher power. Tobias provokes our religious sensibilities by posing the question, "What if the higher power is the devil?" The song is rife with Freemason imagery and terminology. The square hammer itself could be interpreted as the gavel used to open and close meetings. The use of the term "clandestine" throughout the song would offend a Mason because they specifically identify lodges that do not follow Masonry's tennents or play fast and loose with the rules as "clandestine lodges" and pledge to avoid those lodges and their members.
Being "on the square" is a Freemason term that means the person is reliable, dependable, and someone you can rely on and trust. Being "on the level" is another central tenet of Freemasonry, and it means that everyone is equal in the lodge regardless of their station in life outside of the lodge. In the lodge, a brain surgeon and a janitor are treated equally; there is no distinction between the millionaire and the person on food stamps. Nice ideas, right? Are those concepts any less meaningful or valuable if they are practiced in the name of Jesus, Buddha, or the devil? Does it matter which deity a person tries to please if they are honest and reliable and treat others as equals? Is it reasonable to do those things in the name of any deity?
So, once again, the song is Ghost, taking a religiously based band and turning it on its head by incorporating lyrics that praise the devil rather than a traditionally "good" deity.
Square Hammer - Lyrics
Living in the night 'Neath heavens torn asunder You call on me To solve a crooked rhyme As I'm closing in Imposing on your slumber You call on me As bells begin to chime Are you on the square? Are you on the level? Are you ready to swear right here right now Before the devil That you're on the square That you're on the level That you're ready to stand right here right now Right here right now Hiding from the light Sacrificing nothing Still you call on me For entrance to the shrine Hammering the nails Into a sacred coffin You call on me For powers clandestine Are you on the square? Are you on the level? Are you ready to swear right here right now Before the devil That you're on the square That you're on the level That you're ready to stand right here right now Right here right now Are you on the square? Are you on the level? Are you ready to swear right here right now Before the devil That you're on the square That you're on the level That you're ready to stand right here right now Right here right now Right here right now Right here right now Right here right now Right here right now
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