Prince‘s “7” is a song full of religious imagery, apocalyptic visions, and a message that love will outlast everything. The lyrics in this one, like a lot of other Prince songs, are very much open to interpretation.
Below is a section-by-section breakdown of the lyrics in “7.”
- Song: 7
- Artist: Prince and the New Power Generation
- Songwriters: Prince, Lowell Fulsom, Jimmy McCracklin
- Released: 1992
- Album: Love Symbol Album
- Genre: Pop rock, Psychedelic pop, Funk
What Is “7” About?
Chorus: Watch Them Fall
All seven and we’ll watch them fall
They stand in the way of love and we will smoke them all
The most straightforward reading is that “all seven” refers to the seven deadly sins: envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath. Each one is a potential obstacle to their love, and he’s saying none of them can get in their way.
He could also be referencing the seven figures in Revelation who blaspheme God, or any of the other ways the number seven appears in scripture.
Whatever the seven are, he’s not afraid of them.
With an intellect and a savoir-faire
No one in the whole universe will ever compare
His love interest is intelligent and well-spoken. She’s unlike anyone else in the world, in his eyes.
I am yours now and you are mine
And together we’ll love through all space and time
They’ll outlast all of the chaos.
He’s saying their love is stronger than anything trying to tear it apart.
So don’t cry
One day all seven will die
Whatever darkness surrounds them right now, it won’t last. The forces standing against love are temporary.
Verse 1: An Angel and an Army
And I saw an angel come down unto me
In her hand, she holds the very key
Words of compassion, words of peace
This section references Revelation 20:1, where an angel descends holding the key to the bottomless pit.
He’s also probably referring to his partner, who holds the key to his heart.
And in the distance, an army’s marching feet
But behold, we will watch them fall
And we lay down on the sand of the sea
He’s not afraid of the army. He knows that no matter what, they will get through these tough times.
The “sand of the sea” is another image that appears in Revelation, where the dragon stands on the shore before summoning a seven-headed, ten-horned beast from the water.
And before us, animosity will stand and decree
That we speak not of love, only blasphemy
The forces against them want to silence love entirely and replace it with something ugly.
This could be read as religious persecution, or more broadly as any system that tries to tell people their love is wrong.
And in the distance, six others will curse me
But that’s all right
For I will watch them fall
I’m not sure who the “six others” are, but it’s probably six of the seven deadly sins.
It’s like he knows that they’ll all “get him” eventually, but love will help him outlast them all.
Verse 2: Plague, Gold Streets, and Twelve Souls
And we will see a plague and a river of blood
And every evil soul will surely die in spite of
Their seven tears, but do not fear
The river of blood is from Exodus, where Moses turns the Nile to blood as a plague against Pharaoh. The plague is probably again referring to Revelation’s seven plagues.
“Seven tears” probably means the tears of those who relied on their sins and lost everything because of them.
He’s saying not to be afraid, even in the middle of all this.
For in the distance, twelve souls from now
You and me will still be here
We will still be here
“Twelve souls from now” likely means twelve generations.
He’s saying he and the woman he’s with will outlive everyone and everything, that love is the one thing that actually survives.
There will be a new city with streets of gold
The young so educated, they never grow old
The city with streets of gold comes from Revelation 21, where the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven after the old world has ended. It’s the reward that comes after the destruction.
The second line is more ambiguous. It could mean wisdom keeps them spiritually alive. Or it could mean a utopia where knowledge replaces death.
And there will be no death for with every breath
The voice of many colors sings a song that’s so bold
Sing it while we watch them fall
This also pulls from Revelation’s description of the world after judgment, where death no longer exists.
“Many colors” probably means a diverse, unified humanity on the other side of all this.
“7” Song Meaning: Love Survives
“7” is about love as the one force powerful enough to outlast everything that opposes it.
Whatever the “seven” are, whether the deadly sins, the enemies of God in Revelation, or just the forces in life that make love hard, he sees them as temporary.
The main message of the song seems to be this: Whatever stands against love, spiritual or otherwise, is temporary. Love is the one thing that survives everything.
Songs Like “7”
Here are some songs with similar themes:
1. “As” by Stevie Wonder
Wonder’s 1976 funk track is about love as something eternal, using increasingly absurd hypotheticals to prove that his love will outlast everything.
2. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M.
This classic ’80s song runs through a chaotic vision of the world collapsing and shrugs at it. Where Prince responds to apocalypse with love and certainty, R.E.M. responds with detachment and dark humor.
3. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
A more straightforward love song, this soul tune is about two people promising each other that nothing in the world can keep them apart.
Final Thoughts
I always knew the core meaning of “7” (love outlasts all), but it was a lot of fun researching all of those biblical references. Prince really did put more work into his songs than most artists.
This is definitely one of those Prince songs where the more you know about the Bible, the more layers you’ll find.
Check out more 1990s Song Meanings!
