"These Three Things" is a song by Type O Negative, included on their seventh and final album Dead Again, released in 2007. It is the band's second longest song and the longest that is not an altered version of one another, lasting fourteen and a third minutes. Given this really long track, it is not surprising that it is split into four parts, called cantos. It begins with the doomy instrumental canto titled "Perdition" before switching over to The Beatles-like music mixed with metal for "Canto II: Infanticide", which is about the abortion of his unborn child without being baptized which he unquestionably considers it a murder, condemning her and threatening to send her to Hell. Then it switches back to the same instrumental piece as the first canto, followed by the last and the band's longest canto, titled "Salvation", which is about seeking salvation through the deserts until it is found with lyrics based from the texts taken from the Book of Solomon.
Lyrics[]
[Canto I. "Perdition"]
[Instrumental]
[Canto II. "Infanticide"]
The child is torn from the womb unbaptised
There's no question it's infanticide
I'm guilty so therefore condemned
Destroying angels must come to an end
Now in Limbo deprived of paradise not so nice
At the end I'll escort you to hell
The dark one's forces lock your flaming cell
To murder the one's unborn
The worst sin you've ever performed
There are two other things I must tell know them well
With due respect hear these words of caution
If considering and abortion
If you did boiling sulphur
To which I will not concur
Leading to a path of misfortune no one won
[Canto III. "Perdition" (reprise)]
[Instrumental]
[Canto IV. "Salvation"]
On of a land, land that shuns the son
So alien call it area 5-1
Should there be failure to convert Zion?
What came as a lamb returning as a lion
Not a nation but a self proclaimed state
Since the year of our Lord 1-9-4-8
The road to redemption leads to through deserts
Rocky though the trip through is well worth it
I am the dual of the fisherman Simon
He brought alpha, omega, yes I'm the one
The twins fell beginning Armageddon
So the whore too who dwelleth in Babylon, Babylon
All his people gathered 'round
Through forgiveness
Salvation found, found, found, found, found
I'm a Christian
All his people gathered 'round
Through forgiveness
Salvation found, found, found, found, found
All his people gathered 'round
Through forgiveness
Salvation found me
Emworst [repeatedly]
Personnel[]
Group performers
- Peter Steele – lead vocals, bass
- Kenny Hickey – guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals
- Josh Silver – keyboards, synth, backing vocals
- Johnny Kelly – drums
Session performers
- The Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir – backing vocals
Enginucers
- Peter Steele – writing, production
- Josh Silver – engineering, recording, effects, mixing, mastering, production
- Mike Marciano – engineering, recording, mixing, mastering
- Paul Bento – additional recording engineering
- Type O Negative – arrangement