Vampires VII: Self-Acceptance in Ghost's "Lachryma" and Nosferatu
- zachlaengert
- May 1
- 6 min read
More than a breakup song, more than a Dracula adaptation
Middle of the night
'Lachryma' – related to the Latin word for 'tear' – was the second single Ghost shared ahead of their full album Skeletá, which released last week. Clever as always, they even set the song's premiere to midnight in reference to its lyrics & theme.
I've seen a fair amount of talk online that this is a cut and clean breakup song – somewhat out of place for Ghost – with occasional references to songwriter Tobias Forge saying that the song is "about self-deceit."
On first watch of the music video my mind immediately drew a connection to the film Nosferatu (2024) and hasn't let go since. As I'll get into, I think my interpretation meshes with both of the above; but I'll happily admit that I might be reading too far into a tangential connection.
Before we get into it, I have previously looked at Ghost's "Twenties" and newly released "Marks of the Evil One" if you're interested! I've also done six pieces on Vampires which I may refer back to today, since this is part seven. Now, into the night.
(Ripping through) The Lyrics
At the core of this song is a reflection on those (anxious, racing, intrusive) thoughts that consume us late at night when we are alone and without distractions. I believe you can take that and apply it to whichever interpretation(s) you prefer; what those thoughts are about is arguably less important than the simple fact of their debilitating existence.
Ripping through every poem, like a vampire should And it takes one to know 'em, like I knew you would
Despite being the only line to directly reference vampires, these are by far the most ambiguous lines to me. I quite like one interpretation from a Redditor, wherein this is speaking to an ex who knew and "tried every romantic trick in the book" ("ripping through every poem") but was perhaps incapable of just being themself, which ties neatly into the idea of self-deceit.
Another angle could be that the vampire represents the racing thoughts, as it seems to for the rest of the song. How often have you tried to repeat nursery rhymes, count sheep or sing bottles of beer on the wall in an effort to fall asleep, only to have your efforts ripped to shreds by these intrusive thoughts? The second line gets a little hazier, but could be self-accusatory with the horrible idea that you're somehow responsible for or deserving of being in this situation.
In the middle of the night it feeds, In the middle of the night it eats you Everybody knows, everywhere I go I can never run and I cannot hide
First two lines here are where you really see the equation of the vampire to the anxious thoughts: both come at night to feed upon us, weakening us while becoming stronger themselves. In the context of a breakup the use of 'you' is interesting for implying that both parties are experiencing this, or perhaps that the singer is wishing this vampire upon their ex.
The following lines could be about an incredibly public breakup, but I think the struggle remains internal: the singer can’t escape what is eating at them from within, and is experiencing their emotions so powerfully that it feels like they must be visible to the world around them.
I'm done crying over someone like you, I'm done crying, I hope you're feeling it too now, I'm done... Crying, crying Now that sweet's gone sour, seeping down the cracks Getting worse by the hour, the vile rot attacks Everybody knows, everywhere I go And I cannot wait until the day when I'm done crying over someone like you
I hope the rest of the lyrics are mostly self-evident if you follow the same reasoning. "Crying over someone like you" is certainly a cornerstone of the breakup interpretation, but I think it could just as easily refer to letting go of a past or imagined version of yourself.
To me, "sweet's gone sour" refers to how anxious thoughts initially present themselves as helpful before becoming paralyzing and overwhelming. (Also makes me think of a potential addiction angle, with drug/alcohol dependency in place of the anxious thoughts!)
But that final line absolutely steals the show: admitting, after so many statements to the contrary, that in reality we're still working on ourselves and looking forward to the day when this issue no longer causes us so much pain. There's the most obvious form of self-deceit, and it's nice to see the song overcome it. Journey before Destination and all that.
Nosferatu
The Lachryma music video is mostly focused on the stunning Papa V Perpetua and Nameless Ghouls, but also tells a brief story of the 'Girl in the Castle,' portrayed by Miriam Ingrid. We see the Girl fearful in bed, tossing and turning as a dark figure rapidly moves in and out of view, occasionally lunging toward her but never touching her.
Eventually she stands and moves to her mirror. (A full minute of the song then passes without showing her, which I take as allowing for some character growth/introspection.) We then see her blow out her candles (removing her protection from the darkness) and confidently sing along the lyrics "I'm done" into the mirror. It's after the end of the song that we see her look back over her shoulder at the vampire lying in her bed, before she turns back to us and gives a small smile.
Applying the same symbolism from the lyrics to the video, we see the Girl wrestling with and terrified of her inner demons for some time before standing and confronting herself in the mirror. She gains the confidence to tackle her demons head-on, and eventually finds a measure of self-acceptance: the demons are still there, but she now has a measure of knowledge, confidence and control in the situation.
Nosferatu tells a very similar story, with protagonist Ellen Hutter wrestling with a personal demon in the form of the dread Count Orlok. She magically bound herself to him as a lonely young woman desperate for companionship, and remains literally and emotionally haunted by the vampire years later as a married woman.
The film's plot may mirror Dracula, but ultimately every other character and story beat is extraneous: Orlok represents a dark past version of Ellen, and so it is she who must confront her demons and put Orlok to rest. She finally invites him back into her bed (veins?) and keeps him there until sunrise, upon which he expires (like a vampire should). Like the Girl, she makes peace with her demon by facing it head on. Now, I personally don't love that Ellen paid for this internal (and incidentally world-saving) resolution with her life – sure, her soul is now purified, but wouldn't it be more interesting to see her carry forward this growth into her relationship with Thomas? It almost feels like the film is condemning her for her past actions, despite the progress she made.
Anyway, all that to say I prefer the smile at the end of Lachryma. After so long spent in terror, she's made peace with her inner darkness. It even manages to have a real Ghost undertone of truly embracing the darkness if you look at it from a certain angle.
Self-Acceptance
Being aware of and confronting our thoughts head on... you guessed it, the answer was once again mindfulness all along! I truly love this song and how well the video manages to convey its themes. I can't help but wonder whether there was time for Nosferatu (2024) to influence it or whether Tobias Forge was simply inspired by the original – he certainly appreciates his silent films!
I didn't directly touch on vampires as much as I expected, but I think their symbolism as inner demons/anxious thoughts still warrants the categorization. I've previously written about how they can symbolize addiction (as I said could easily apply here), the importance of mirrors in vampire stories (as shown in the music video) and much more.
I thought this might be the piece where I finally had to reference Twilight – Bella can fix Edward, just as Ellen can fix Orlok and the Girl can fix her new friend – and I suppose that now it is. But it's really not my area of expertise, so please let me know if there are more and better similarities and ideas to discuss!
Would love to hear your thoughts on Lachryma, Nosferatu, my strange attempts at connecting them or anything in between.
Until next time, thanks for reading <3
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