Let Us Prey / Call for the Priest – English Lyrics

• By: Judas Priest

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Judas Priest's high-octane track, "Let Us Prey / Call for the Priest," and discover the roots of speed metal. This song showcases powerful vocals and defiant lyrics, offering a lesson in standing strong against adversity and appreciating musical liberty.

[English]

Call for the priest, I'm dying

Well, the pressure's too much, you know I peaked last night

I gotta get some a quick release

City is standing on my shoulders

My body's going piece by piece, yeah

Well I know what I want and I know where to get it

And I'm going there right away

This is one priest that I don't have to fall on

Down to my knees and pray, no

When your back's to the wall come along one and all

We shall fight all the slander that's penned

It's us we shall choose let the bigoted lose

For our triumph's the means to their end

With you by my side I shall ride every storm

Let the cynics drop dead in their critical head

They're wrist merchants as we all can see

Bunch of deaf ears with their columnized fears

What a shame, what a shame, oh dear me, oh

When your back's to the wall, come along one and all

We shall fight all the slander that's penned

It's us we shall choose let the bigoted lose

For our triumph's the means to their end

Yes I know what I want and I know where to get it

And I'm going there right away

This is one priest that I don't have to fall on

Down to my knees and pray, no

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
priest /priːst/ B1	noun - a religious leader authorized to perform sacred ceremonies
dying /ˈdaɪɪŋ/ B1	verb - in the process of dying; approaching death adjective - near death; about to die
pressure /ˈprɛʃər/ B2	noun - the continuous physical or mental force or coercion
peaked /piːkt/ B2	verb - to reach the highest point adjective - at the highest point
release /rɪˈliːs/ B2	noun - the act of releasing; freeing from confinement or control verb - to set free; to allow to escape or become available
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town
shoulders /ˈʃoʊldərz/ B1	noun - plural of shoulder; the part of the body between the neck and the arm
knees /niːz/ A2	noun - the joints in the legs between the thighs and calves
pray /preɪ/ A2	verb - to speak to a god or gods in worship or requests
wall /wɔːl/ A1	noun - a vertical structure forming a barrier verb - to enclose with or as if with a wall
fight /faɪt/ A2	noun - a battle or confrontation verb - to take part in a fight; to oppose
slander /ˈslændər/ B2	noun - the action of making false statements to damage someone's reputation verb - to make false statements about someone
penned /pɛnd/ B2	verb - wrote; composed in writing adjective - written
bigoted /ˈbɪɡətɪd/ C1	adjective - having or revealing strong, biased opinions against groups; intolerant
triumph /ˈtraɪʌmf/ B2	noun - a great victory or achievement verb - to achieve a great victory
end /ɛnd/ A2	noun - the final part of something verb - to bring to a conclusion
means /miːnz/ A2	noun - methods or resources used to achieve something verb - third-person singular of mean; to signify
storm /stɔːrm/ B1	noun - a violent weather event; a heavy wind or rain verb - to attack or move in a destructive, forceful way

Key Grammar Structures

• Call for the priest, I'm dying

  ➔ Imperative sentence + present progressive (am + -ing)

  ➔ The verb ""I'm dying"" uses the present progressive to show an action happening now.

• Well, the pressure's too much, you know I peaked last night

  ➔ Contraction (pressure is), simple present, simple past

  ➔ ""pressure's"" = "pressure is" (contraction); ""I peaked"" is simple past describing a completed action.

• I gotta get some a quick release

  ➔ Colloquial modal 'gotta' = have got to (obligation)

  ➔ ""gotta"" is informal for "have got to", showing strong necessity: "I "gotta" get a quick release".

• City is standing on my shoulders

  ➔ Present continuous for a metaphorical ongoing state

  ➔ ""is standing"" (present continuous) conveys that the city is metaphorically bearing weight now.

• My body's going piece by piece, yeah

  ➔ Present continuous with 'going' indicating progressive disintegration

  ➔ ""is going"" (present continuous) emphasizes that the body is deteriorating step by step.

• Well I know what I want and I know where to get it

  ➔ Zero conditional (present simple for facts) + coordinated clauses

  ➔ ""I know"" (present simple) states a fact; the sentence repeats the structure for emphasis.

• This is one priest that I don't have to fall on

  ➔ Relative clause with 'that' + modal 'have to' in negative

  ➔ ""that I don't have to fall on"" is a relative clause defining "priest"; "don't have to" shows no obligation.

• Down to my knees and pray, no

  ➔ Imperative negative without 'don't' (elliptical) + infinitive verb

  ➔ ""pray, no"" omits "don't"; the speaker refuses to pray, using an elliptical negative imperative.

• When your back's to the wall come along one and all

  ➔ Conditional clause with 'when' + contraction (back is) + imperative clause

  ➔ ""When your back's to the wall"" (when + present simple) sets a condition; "come along" is an imperative urging action.

• We shall fight all the slander that's penned

  ➔ Future with modal 'shall' + relative clause 'that's penned' (passive)

  ➔ ""shall"" expresses a determined future; "that's penned" (that is penned) is a passive relative clause describing the slander.