Trivium’s “Sickness Unto You” Lyrics Meaning

Let’s cut right to the chase. Trivium’s “Sickness Unto You” was written during a particular period in the life of Matt Heafy, Trivium’s lead singer. And one of the situations that was going on at the time was that his pet dog, whom he was very close, was on its deathbed.  Indeed he was close to his pet that it is apparently he or she who is the addressee during certain parts of this song. And with that in mind it becomes more understandable when the singer makes statements like “I held you in my arms as she injected with you death”, and “I felt your heart stop beating”. So the way the overall scenario reads is that at a certain point in time he decided to put the dog to sleep.

But as the title suggest, the singer is exclaiming that he himself rather has a “sickness”.  And in that regard, the term is not meant to be taken literally per se. The said ailment reads as if it is more along the lines of him being depressed and remorseful. And it seems as if what he is saying in that regard is that he is seeking some sort of empathy from the addressee, which in terms of the choruses would logically be a human being as opposed to an animal. So all things considered, we can conclude that the sentiment the vocalist is putting forth is indeed one in which he is troubled from an emotional standpoint.

Writing and Production of “Sickness Unto You”

Josh Wilbur produced this song, and the entirety of Trivium are credited as its writers.

Release Date

Roadrunner Records released “Sickness Unto You” as part of Trivium’s album “What the Dead Men Say” on 24 April 2020.