This song is a blistering take on corruption in religion. The preacher, the Leper Messiah, uses the tactics of a carnival barker to draw in crowds, and uses their money to feed his various unsavory habits. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich wrote this. It's a song dealing with Christian televangelists who use a person's guilt to con them into paying money. By promising people their safety with donations, televangelists keep the money for themselves. Another interpretation is that religion does not deliver everything it promises and ends up manipulating and controlling them, keeping with the overall theme of the album Master Of Puppets.
Lyrics of Leper Messiah
One, two, one, two three, four
Spineless from the start
Sucked into the part
Circus comes to town
You play the lead clown
Please, please, spreading his disease
Living by his story
Knees, knees, falling to your knees
Suffer for his glory
You will
Time for lust, time for lie
Time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet
Make a contribution and you'll get a better seat
Bow to Leper Messiah
Marvel at his tricks
Need your Sunday fix
Blind devotion came
Rotting your brain
Chain, chain, join the endless chain
Taken by his glamour
Fame, fame, infection is the game
Stinking drunk with power
We see
Time for lust, time for lie
Time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet
Make a contribution and you'll get the better seat
Bow to Leper Messiah
Witchery, weakening
Sees the sheep are gathering
Set the trap, hypnotize
Now you follow
Time for lust, time for lie
Time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet
Make a contribution and you'll get the better seat
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie