"Mary On A Cross" became the most popular song of Ghost's career. However, this success was accompanied by debates about the true meaning of the lyrics.
Originally released in 2019 as the B-side to the single " Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic," the song gained new life in 2022. A slowed-down version went viral on TikTok and propelled Ghost to a much larger audience, taking the track to the charts and turning it into the Swedish band's biggest hit.
In an interview retrieved by Louder, vocalist Tobias Forge clarified the inspiration behind the track and refuted interpretations that reduced the song to a religious provocation.
“There are several layers to the lyrics that might be important for people to understand. The chorus is written in a very ironic way, of course. 'Go down' doesn't necessarily mean 'go down' in a sexual sense… it can also mean 'go down' in the sense of making history, your own ascension. Mary doesn't necessarily mean Mary, the mother of Jesus,” he continued.
“It could mean Mary Magdalene, the alleged prostitute who may have been Jesus’ wife – simply as a symbol of someone who appeared to be one thing, but in reality had other intentions and did something different. Someone who was wronged,” said Tobias.
According to Forge, the song is "more about friendship and how, with another person, you might have been something at a certain point and then it ended up not being that way anymore." Tobias Forge also recalled that he used the pseudonym Mary Goore during his time with the death metal band Repugnant —a humorous reference to guitarist Gary Moore. "So, it has very little to do with the mother of Jesus, because I don't want anyone to believe that she wasn't a virgin," he joked.
The song's reception generated criticism from Christian groups on social media. Even so, Forge stated that some of the reactions stemmed from many people not seeking to understand the full context of the lyrics. The singer believes that provocation is part of Ghost's artistic identity, but insists that the song has a broader meaning than superficial debates suggest.
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