Homo sacer (Latin for "the sacred man" or "the accursed man") is a figure of Roman law: a person who is banned, may be killed by anybody, but may not be sacrificed in a religious ritual.
The meaning of the term sacer in Ancient Roman religion is not fully congruent with the meaning it took after Christianization, and which was adopted into English as sacred. In early Roman religion sacer, much like Hebrew קֹדֶשׁ qōdeš, means anything "set apart" from common society, which equally covers the meanings of "hallowed" and "cursed". The homo sacer was thus simply a man expunged from society and deprived of all civil rights and all functions in civil religion.
The status of homo sacer was a consequence of oath-breaking. An oath in antiquity was essentially a conditional self-cursing, i.e. invoking one or several deities and asking for their punishment in the event of breaking the oath. An oathbreaker was consequently considered the property of the gods whom he had invoked and then deceived. If the oathbreaker was killed, this was understood as the revenge of the gods in whose power he had given himself. Since the oathbreaker was already the property of the oath deity, he could no longer belong to human society, or be consecrated to another deity.
Holding on when it seems that your grip is failing
Who's to say that you can't take it back?
Live your life as if you know this is your last day
Make the choice to live forever
The decision's weighing, the answer is yours
You can't wait forever, don't let yourself hit the floor
The prodigal one
Won't you return?
The light is on, the door is open
Your bed is made, your home is here
Come back and laugh and we will forget
Everything you've done wrong is gone here
Stepping back to see footprints you've left in your path
Stepping up for everything you've done
Now move on, pack up your thoughts and keep on going
Keep the faith and you will be all right
The decision's weighing, the answer is yours
You can't wait forever, don't let yourself hit the floor
The prodigal one
Won't you return?
Receive the prayers send from you
Receive the prayers prayed for you here
The decision's weighing, the answer is yours
You can't wait forever, don't let yourself hit the floor
The prodigal one
Won't you return?
The light is on, the door is open
Your bed is made, your home is here
Come back and laugh and we will forget
Everything you've done wrong is gone here
Everything you've done wrong is gone here
give me back my smoking pistol
i feel lost so far from home
give me back my smoking pistol
ive got problems of my own
i gave you wreaths of gold and silver
rest those laurels on your head
laid you out on sheets of linen
but rest assured that you’re far from dead
lay down softly on the left side of my bed
speak softly, oh so softly as the moon light turns
blood red
give me back my smoking pistol so I wont be all alone
give my back my smoking pistol
ive got problems of my own
home is where you find it, you hide it
i gave you diamonds, I gave you emeralds,
weighed you down with precious stones
took you down off of your throne
now I am so alone
lay down slowly on the right side of my bed
whisper softly, oh so softly
shots ring inside my head
i took you in my arms
the night was raining lead
kissed you gently, oh so gently
for the time we had was spent
give me back my smoking pistol
i feel lost so far from home
give me back my smoking pistol
so I don’t feel all alone, so all alone