Can you feel their haunting presence?
Can you feel their haunting presence?

Liar, Killer, Demon
Back to the river Aras

Someone's blank stare deemed it warfare

Liar, Killer, Demon
Back to the river Aras

Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free

Can you hear the holy mountains?

Liar, Killer, Demon
Back to the river Aras

Someone's mouth said paint them all red

Liar, Killer, Demon
Back to the river Aras

Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free

They have all returned
Resting on the mountainside
We have learned that you have no

They have returned
Resting on the mountainside
We have learned that you have no

Honor, Murderer, Sodomizer
Back to the river Aras

They have returned
Resting on the mountainside
We have learned that you have no

Honor, Murderer, Sodomizer
Back to the river Aras

Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free


Lyrics submitted by Genowyn

Holy Mountains Lyrics as written by Serj Tankian Daron Malakian

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Holy Mountains song meanings
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132 Comments

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  • +8
    General Comment

    Yes, this is about the Armenian genocide in 1915. 1.5-3 million Armenians were brutalized, tortured, and slaughtered by the Turks. The few survivors sought sanctuary in other countries, including Southern California, USA.
    Until Turkey acknowledges this systematic cleansing of the Armenians, the United Nations will not officially declare this as "genocide". Personally, I feel the fact that up to 3 million people of one race were targeted and murdered within a year speaks for itself.

    Serj, the lead singer of SOAD, has confirmed this is what the song is about.

    In addition, Adolf Hitler was impressed by the efficient, mass slaughter of an ethnic group, later using it to back his own convictions that the Jews should meet a similar fate. And likewise, the world wouldn't know/care about the Jews, either, stating "Who now speaks of the Armenians?" His use of death camps and marches may have been strongly influenced by the Armenian genocide.

    Anyone who denies this genocide, including the Turkish government, is blind and stupid. View the photos. Do your research. This isn't a fabricated story. These things happened . Similar things happened to my own family. This is very much real and I WILL NEVER FORGET. This song is a good reminded that, even if it's ninety-seven years later, future generations will still demanding acknowledgment of these atrocities.

    newahevniteon July 26, 2012   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I think it's about people who fled the Armenian Genocide up to Mt Ararat, and hid there till the Turks were gone, then one wakes up the others to tell them that the Turks are gone, and they are free. Maybe Daron wrote the song from the point of view of revisiting Mt Ararat, hence feeling the "haunting presence" of those that were there 90 years ago.

    Either way it sounds great and the studio version should be even better with better quality sound and better overlapping vocalizing.

    TheBookon June 03, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I personally think that this song is about the Armenian genocide as well. However, I don't think that it stops there. There is a link from the Armenian genocide to what is going on today in the middle east. The Liar, coward, demeaon can be Tylot Pasha (the man who oversaw the extermination of the Armenians)...but it can also be President George W. Bush. Anyways, this is what I'm getting from this. LoL, ok I just read the last remark by erciliah29. So I guess it's on System's webpage as well. Anyways, it's a good song (not only because I'm Armenian) also because it shows that no matter where we're at in the evolution of humanity, we're always the same when it comes to death, murder, destruction and leaders who lie.

    Oorakhhyeon December 09, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The actual lyrics, copied from the CD inlay are as follows:

    Can you feel their haunting presence? (x2) Liar, Killer, Demon Back to the river Aras Someone's blank stare deemed it warfare Liar Killer Demon Back to the river Aras Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free Can you hear the holy mountains? Liar Killer Demon Back to the river Aras Someone's mouth said paint them all red Liar Killer Demon Back to the river Aras Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free They have all returned Resting on the mountainside We have learned that you have no They have returned Resting on the mountainside We have learned that you have no Honor, murderer, sodomizer Back to the river Aras They have returned Resting on the mountainside We have learned that you have no Honor, murderer, sodomizer Back to the river aras Freedom, Freedom, Free, Free

    Quite a shoddy transcription by whoever posted the lyrics at the top of this page.

    joepublicon December 07, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    hahahahahahahaha Umm evidence provided by the turkish government? yeah, that's not going to be biased AT ALL. And I'm pretty sure the rest of that was totally unnessesary, way to make yourself look like a moron.

    positive_tensionon April 15, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    (Part 2 0f 2)

    USING THE BACKGROUND IN THE PREVIOUS POST

    -Can you feel their haunting presence? (OBVIOUSLY REFERS TO THE MILLIONS MASSACRED)

    -Liar, Killer, Demon (THE 3 PASHAS, ENVER THE LIAR THAT GAVE FALSE HOPES TO ARMENIANS, DJEMAL THE MURDERER AND TALAT THE WORST OF THEM ALL) -Back to the river Aras (THE NEW BORDER WITH SOVIET ARMENIA)

    -Someone's blank stare deemed it warfare (ATATURK WAS FAMOUS FOR ITS CREEPY STARE worldtrek.org/odyssey/mideast/030800/images/ataturk_bg.jpg)

    -Can you hear the holy mountains? (MOUNT ARARAT, ARMENIA’S SACRED MOUNTAIN, CEDED TO TURKEY AFTER THE TREATY WITH THE SOVIET UNION)

    -Someone's mouth said paint them all red (TURKEY’S FLAG IS RED, A REFERENCE TO THE YOUNG TURKS’ POLICY OF TURKEY FOR THE TURKS ONLY,)

    -They have all returned (THE TURKISH SECOND ONSLAUGHT WITH ATATURK) -Resting on the mountainside (THE ESCAPE OF SOME ARMENIANS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS) -We have learned that you have no Honor, Murderer, Sodomizer (A REFERENCE TO ATATURK, THE ARCHITECT OF THE COVER UP OF THE GENOCIDE, ALSO A GENOCIDE CULPRIT HIMSELF AND HE ALSO LIKED IT UP THE ARSE!!!!!!)

    rodrigo_anti_cholion June 07, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is about the Armenian Genocide. Daron had an article in a magazine and the interviewer asked him about this song. He said that those "Holy Mountains" are Armenian mountains, and that the Turks stole them from the Armenians. It's a really good song in my opinion.

    Hypnotic0Thoughton February 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it kinda sounds like the times of the genocide when some of them might have run off to the mountain to take refuge.

    sYstemhYbridon March 12, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There is always someone who says that a song is about the Armanian genocide. System have done perhaps two songs about the genocide and, sorry SystemHybrid, I don't think this is one of them. It sounds to me like it's about holy war.

    SDpopson March 31, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reminds me of the power in Aerials, but perhaps even more. I agree with SDpops and their stance. Only the live version has been released for download (SOADfans.com) and I'm awaiting to hear the album version -- should be great.

    Ms Self Destructon April 03, 2005   Link

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