I think people are forgetting what Lamb of God is about. In an interview Chris stated that Lamb of God is not infact a Christian band. But they have a way of theming their metaphors around things related to the Bible.. example "Descending" and "Blacken the Cursed Sun" are 2 songs that can totally be confused for Religion related songs... however, descending is not about someone losing religion but according to Randy it is about Alcoholism.. and Blacken the Cursed Sun is about Suicidal Depression... therefore it is apparent that this song is merely using the ultimate Betrayal as a metaphor for whatever this song is about... that is what Lamb of God is about... in my opinion... though people may disagree with my opinion because i am no genius ;)

Randy reckons that his songs are meant to be interpreted at the core not on the surface, thats why he themes them... if it appears to mean something obvious, then its obviously not that. LoG is sheer poetry

Can you people stop saying its about the mafia code of silence or Judas?
Its obviously about both..
The beginning is an excerpt from the code of silence (btw its "If I live I will kill you, If I die i will forgive you)
The rest is about Judas obviously.. "This is what has been wrought for 30 pieces of silver" exactly what Judas sold out Jesus for..

Randy is basically pointing out how they are intertwined..

Judas was scared of Jesus..
He knew that if he sold him out he would need protection..
Hence the "If he cannot take care of himself without that law he is both" (a foll and a coward)
And saying how all snitches will get theirs in time and they will be forgotten..
"Six feet under with no marker"

One of the best lyrical pieces I've ever heard!

http://sonofitaly.freeservers.com/photo2.html
I looked up the word and Omerta is this albeit Randy changed the opening, probably because it was too long to fit at the start of the song. One of my favorites. Lamb Fucking Rules!

The Sacred Code of Silence.
"Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself. A wounded man shall say to his assailant: If I live, I will kill you - If I die you are forgiven."

Omerta is the law of silence. It is the code of honor in which the Mafia so sacredly follows. The code of Omerta is an essential aspect of the Italian Mafia that must not be treated lightly. Its main concepts are to "betray authority and take justice into your own hands". This is similar to the notorious concept of "an eye for an eye". The members prefer to take matters in their own hands.

Omerta indulges in most criminal activities. Each criminal activity varies from family to family. One such criminal activity is called wrecking, which is "using false signal to draw ships into dangerous areas from where their cargoes can later be recovered." The families relied on such criminal acts to support themselves in the society. There are various reasons why people join Omerta. Some believe they have nowhere else to go, so they join the organization. Others think humanity is doomed and cannot be saved so they might as well do whatever they want that is in best interest for them. Some have no choice and are kidnapped or blackmailed into Omerta. There are even some that join just because they hate the UN.

Even though the UN goes after Omerta, Omerta tend not to kill off members of the UN because they are enough trouble as it is, without becoming aggravated by revenge. If they had to constantly think of getting revenge on the UN, they would be too occupied to concentrate on other important functions of the society. They must not dwell on this one problem, as they must concentrate on the overall function of the society.

Members of Omerta are ‘brain fixed’ for loyalty. They would get killed before they can reveal any secret information about the secret society. But before being admitted to the society, one must prove their loyalty. They must commit crimes and go through some rituals, or types of initiation procedures. They must swear allegiance to the society by the boss pricking the index finger of the hand the candidate holds his gun in. Blood is then drawn and used to stain a paper image of the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation (the Virgin Mary is the patron saint of the Mafia). The boss then lights this picture on fire and gives it to the candidate who is to hold it cupped in his left hand and passes it to his right hand while saying, "As paper I burn you, as saint I adore you, as this paper burns must my flesh burn if I betray the Mafia." Once admitted and proved to be loyal, they acquire a nickname from which then on they are referred to as. The nickname is usually a resemblance of a superhero’s name from the past. By doing this, it makes the member value his position more in the secret society. By knowing he went through all the initiations and rituals, he can feel like he truly earned his position and will respect his position. If becoming a member were easy to get in, he is more prone to treat the society with less respect. This cannot be in the case in Omerta or else it would not function smoothly. Omerta must be greatly valued to everyone involved.

If a member of Omerta did not value the society and broke the code of honor and silence, punishment would be sure to follow. The main punishment of someone who broke the sacred code would be death. Even if the member that was to receive the punishment were put in jail where there was no access to weapons, the victim would be killed by events such as drowning in a tub of excrement. There would also be times when a victim would be forced to commit suicide for breaking the code. This message was implied by a cross being drawn on the door of his home, or a shot being fired at the house. Punishments had to be followed through to set an example for other members to think twice before they decide to break the Omerta code. With these punishments in mind, it is no wonder why most members follow through on their loyalty and dedication to the society.

Omerta can only be broken amongst men of honor themselves. They are allowed to talk to one another about their doings, as this would lead to less confusion. If absolutely no one were allowed to disclose information to anyone, there would be a lot of confusion as in whom killed whom, why, etc. In this case, the men of honor are allowed to disclose private information to each other. This is the only case when the law of silence can be broken.

Since the members of Omerta were so dedicated to the society and feared to break the code of silence, the authorities had a hard time indicting a lot of criminals. The authorities could not get witnesses to testify, or in some cases if they did testify, they would give false statements, in fear of their own lives. Although this fear stopped people from testifying and submitting relevant evidence to the authorities, this did not stop them from reporting the crime, because they themselves would be liable for prosecution.

The concept of Omerta is a strong valued idea in the Mafia. Without honor and silence there is no way a secret society can function to its greatest capabilities. Omerta is the entire backbone of the Italian Mafia. It is something that if not taken seriously, one is sure to receive the fatal consequences. There is one proverb that seems to sum it all together: "He is truly a man who reveals nothing, even under the blows of a dagger."


Of course that is only the meaning of the word. Not possibly the meaning behind the whole song.
I used this as my e-mail.Cool.

In Omerta, the lyrics draw similarities between Judas betrayal of Jesus, and a rats betrayal to the mafia.

if any one is confused about the beginning it means if your going to "attack" someone you better kill them because if you don't they will come at you twice as hard.

This song, quite plainly...
makes me wanna just punch people in the face a little bit
^.^

and yea,, i know LOG's s0ngs has often been based on religious views... but i don't take their s0ngs so literally as that, instead, i correlate it to reality -- the existing humanity that is.. u might think i am shallow, but i w0n't take that as an insult. . . that's just my p0int of view, im n0t telling i'm right.. it's betrayal in general sense... a very great s0ng fr0m a very great band. . . ! ^^,

basically (for me), this song talks about betrayal (in general sense)...the idea of judas betraying jesus is g0od, but i do n0t take this song as seri0usly as that... hmm.. just because the bible told us such things doesn't mean it really mean everything... religi0us basis isn't quite bad,, but getting so deep int0 it only complicates the reality (s0rry for this, i am an atheist)... it's just my opinion...^^,

this song is about the patriot act

I believe the intro is out of sun tzus art of war. song clearly about judas iscariot

first verse is about judas and then from the second onwards its about the consequences of breaking the maia honour code(omerta)

"whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward,whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both for a wounded man shall say to his assailant if I live I will kill you,If I die you are forgiven,such is the rule of honor"I agree with soap on this one,but this quote to me means kill or be killed but only when you need to...i saw a local band called meeer do an awsum cover of this song

Omerta is a way of the mafia it means shut your mouth dont say anything no matter if you know whats going on or not. If you run your mouth, your dead!

For all the people who are saying that Omerta must be implying the mafia code you are right. But he is applying Omerta to the story of judas and his betrayal of Jesus. "This is what has been wrought for 30 pieces of silver
The tongues of men and angels bought by a beloved betrayer." is clearly about Judas and how he was bought off for 30 pieces of silver. Omerta is being applied here using judas as the one to "Keep my name from your mouth forever" "I am the result, what's better left unspoken" is about keeping silent about judas.

This song is about Judas and the Italian Mafia describes what it was like back in that time...Back in that time we couldn't realize what it was like so he took modern day (Italian Mafia) so that we could understand it.

Judas Quotes are all correct and meaningful...

The Italian mob and the code of silence is mention for descriptive purposes only

this song is about betrayel, he's using judas as an example, i could be wrong thou

I deny the Holy Spirit.

Wow it's so obvious especially with the 30 silver part. If you know even a bit of the bible you would know Judas did betray Jesus for a few mere silver coins...

I am the result, what's better left unspoken
Violence begins to mend what was broken
You've been talking, I've been all ears

I'm what's left, what is better left locked up inside. This hatred and everything I feel, what was holding it is breaking open. You have been talking lies and I am sick of fucking hearing it.

Peter greets with empty eyes then turns and locks the gates.

Kind of scary, an angel, one of god, turning against you. I think it has something to do with a sin. One so devious and so fucking evil it makes Judas seem like a saint and makes even the angels look down on you and just.... Only thing I can think of is denying the Holy Spirit.

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i think that this song references to both, the mafia and Judas. mostly to judas because of the following lines.

This what has been wrought for 30 pieces of silver

is referencing to the price that judas sold out jesus for.

The tongues of men and angels bought by a beloved betrayer

"Beloved Betrayer"

i dont need to explain this line due to the line before

and

St. Peter greets with empty eyes then turns and locks the gates

basicly is a Big Fuck You to judas when he died and was sent to hell for eternity

Everyone who has posted before has been partially correct.

The fact is that this song implies that the way the Catholic church used to handle - and still does handle - those who speak the secrets of the religion with violence is similar to the Mafia concept of Omerta, or "The Code of Silence." They threaten those who speak against the church with violence and removal from the possibility of going to heaven in the afterlife.

How can it be about anything else other than Mafia's code of honour.It says so.And yes it refers to judas yeah but it has long been established to be used for illustrative purposes of betrayal.Soap's right.

Or, whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward,whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both for a wounded man shall say to his assailant if I die you are forgiven, if I live, I will kill you!! such is the rule of honor"

Question now I've heard two different intros to the song. I've been so several of there concerts. Now which intro is it?

A)"whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward,whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both for a wounded man shall say to his assailant if I live I will kill you,If I die you are forgiven,such is the rule of honor

Question now I've heard two different intros to the song. I've been so several of there concerts. Now which intro is it?

A)"whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward,whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both for a wounded man shall say to his assailant if I live I will kill you,If I die you are forgiven,such is the rule of honor