The phrase to “shuffle off this mortal coil” appears in the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
It is a poetic way to describe the burden of existing in this world.
[Verse 1]
Tearing down the walls
Breaching frontiers
Unlocking the gates
To a new world disorder
A fresh balance of terror
The equilibrium of hate
[Verse 2]
Archaic nescience unleashed
Entrenched, a bitter legacy
Tempered in mental scars
All flesh entwined
In mortal equality
[Chorus]
Tangled mortal coil
[Chorus]
Twisted and warped
Tangled mortal coil
Tangled mortal coil
[Verse 3]
Tearing down the walls
Breaching frontiers
Unlocking the gates
To a new world disorder
A fresh balance of terror
The equilibrium of hate
[Chorus]
Twisted and warped
Tangled mortal coil
This Mortal Coil was written by Bill Steer & Michael Amott & Jeff Walker.
This Mortal Coil was produced by Colin Richardson.
Carcass released This Mortal Coil on Mon Oct 18 1993.