Sleep Token – Look To Windward
“Look To Windward” is a deep cut from Sleep Token, a genre-defying British band led by the enigmatic frontman known only as Vessel. Released on their 2021 album This Place Will Become Your Tomb, the song’s title likely references Iain M. Banks’ 2000 sci-fi novel of the same name, which also deals with themes of trauma, war, and existential struggle. This literary influence blends well with Sleep Token’s penchant for emotionally intense and poetic music, often wrapped in mystery and religious or mythological imagery.
This song continues the band’s exploration of grief, identity, divine confusion, and internal torment, forming part of a conceptual narrative across their works—balancing between love, loss, and transcendence.
🕰 “Look To Windward Lyrics” by Sleep Token
[Verse 1]
Will you listen just as my form starts to fission?
Losing this war of attrition just as I drift away
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
[Verse 2]
With the shadows longer to me than a lightyear
Moving so slow, I could die here
Say you can let me say
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
Now I know why I woke up here on the shoreline
Coughing up blood in the twilight
Everything looks thе same
Will you halt this eclipse in mе?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 4]
I’ve got eyelids heavy enough to break diamonds
You pray for sound and I pray for silence
Damn right, faithless, I can’t deny
You’ll find me with half a mind to get violent
You know it isn’t over ’til I say it’s over
No more little angels sitting on my shoulders
So give me the edge of a blade and a time and a place
And I’ll leave them cold and pushing up boulders
[Verse 5]
Am I walking with gods or merely stumbling forth
Until there’s fire at the gates, until I fall to the floor?
You know I live by the feather and die by the sword
And I will sunder the earth only to burn the reward
[Verse 6]
Even in this garden of gardens, I am the god of the gaps
I am the demon of Sodom, I am the blood of an angel
The fate of the fallen, nobody knows where I came from
Even I have forgotten
How could I already lose my way like this?
Drowning in burning bright abyss
Even at stratospheric depths
This vertigo of bliss
[Bridge]
Oh, and I
I used to know myself
Oh, and you
You used to know me well
Oh, and I
Wish that I could leave myself alone
Oh, and you
You wish that you could make me whole
[Outro]
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
Will you halt this eclipse in me?
In me
📝 Lyrics (Highlighted Lines)
“Will you halt this eclipse in me?”
“I’ve got eyelids heavy enough to break diamonds”
“You pray for sound and I pray for silence”
“I am the demon of Sodom, I am the blood of an angel”
“I used to know myself… you used to know me well”
🔍 Step-by-Step Breakdown
[Verse 1]
“Will you listen just as my form starts to fission?”
– “Fission” suggests breaking apart, indicating emotional or psychological disintegration.
“Losing this war of attrition just as I drift away”
– Refers to long, exhausting emotional battles, and a slow departure from self or sanity.
“Will you halt this eclipse in me?”
– Repeated like a mantra—this central metaphor expresses an internal darkness or shadow overtaking the self, asking for salvation.
[Verse 2]
“Shadows longer to me than a lightyear”
– A poetic exaggeration of isolation and emotional distance.
“Moving so slow, I could die here”
– Emphasizes the lethargy or hopelessness of a depressive state.
[Verse 3]
“Coughing up blood in the twilight”
– A visceral image representing trauma or the aftermath of emotional collapse.
“Everything looks the same”
– Suggests numbness or emotional flattening—common in depression or PTSD.
[Verse 4]
“Eyelids heavy enough to break diamonds”
– A striking metaphor for deep emotional fatigue.
“You pray for sound and I pray for silence”
– Contrasts needs in a relationship—misalignment between two people.
“No more little angels sitting on my shoulders”
– Symbolizes moral conflict; the speaker has rejected traditional notions of right/wrong.
[Verse 5]
“Walking with gods or merely stumbling forth”
– Questions grandeur vs. futility—are these divine experiences, or delusions?
“Live by the feather and die by the sword”
– A twist on the “pen is mightier than the sword” trope—implies vulnerability and aggression.
[Verse 6]
“I am the god of the gaps… the demon of Sodom…”
– Complex spiritual identity: a god where understanding fails, yet associated with sin and divine wrath.
“Even I have forgotten”
– A loss of identity, suggesting spiritual and psychological fragmentation.
“Drowning in burning bright abyss”
– Juxtaposes “burning” and “drowning,” evoking overwhelming emotional turmoil.
[Bridge]
“I used to know myself… You used to know me well…”
– Speaks to the lost intimacy and identity erosion, perhaps in the context of trauma or a broken relationship.
[Outro]
“Will you halt this eclipse in me?”
– Repetition underscores the desperation for relief from internal darkness.
📊 Song Details
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Artist | Sleep Token |
| Album | This Place Will Become Your Tomb |
| Release Date | September 24, 2021 |
| Genre | Experimental Rock / Post-metal / Ambient |
| Length | ~6:50 (approx.) |
| Vocal Style | Melodic, soulful with dramatic peaks |
| Lyrical Style | Poetic, metaphor-heavy, existential |
🎭 Theme
- Inner Turmoil & Fragmentation – The “eclipse” metaphor represents an engulfing internal shadow.
- Identity Crisis – The speaker’s loss of self and spiritual confusion is central.
- Existentialism & Spiritual Conflict – Divine/demonic references explore duality and moral ambiguity.
- Longing for Salvation – A repeated plea to “halt the eclipse” reflects the desire for healing or redemption.
💡 Meaning
“Look To Windward” is a meditative cry from the edge of identity collapse. It weaves themes of grief, inner darkness, disillusionment with divinity, and psychological disintegration. The repeated cry to “halt this eclipse” signals a desperate hope for someone—lover, god, or self—to rescue the speaker from a spiritual and emotional abyss.
Despite its despair, the song never surrenders completely—it remains in the tension between wanting to disappear and yearning to be restored.
❓ FAQs
Q: What does “halt this eclipse in me” mean?
A: It symbolizes stopping an internal darkness or shadow—likely depression or emotional suffering—from overtaking the speaker’s sense of self.
Q: Is this song religious?
A: Not in a traditional sense. It references spiritual concepts (e.g., angels, gods, Sodom) in a metaphorical or existential way, aligning more with spiritual struggle than worship.
Q: Why repeat “Will you halt this eclipse in me?” so much?
A: The repetition mimics obsession, desperation, and the cyclical nature of internal suffering—underscoring the song’s emotional urgency.
🧠 Conclusion
“Look To Windward” is one of Sleep Token’s most intense emotional offerings—a haunting voyage through the psyche’s dark corners. With ethereal instrumentation and poetic lyricism, it expresses despair, broken identity, and the desperate yearning for wholeness.
🎭🖤⛓️✨🧠💔🕯️🌑
This track stands as a cathartic anthem for anyone grappling with inner battles—offering no easy answers, just a brutally honest plea for light in the overwhelming shadow.
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